Reading ready for good innings under Couhig

Image: Reading FC on Facebook

The English Football League (EFL) League One team Reading F.C.’s (UK) new Chair Rob Couhig is confident the ownership group has everything needed to make the League One club a success.

‘sky sports’ stated that the EFL announced it has given its final clearance of the takeover by the Redwood Holdings which will see Couhig and Todd Trosclair join the club’s Board immediately.

Preston (UK)-based the English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales (UK). Founded in 1888 as the Football League it is the oldest football league in the world and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992 when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League, the top of the English football league system. The Football League was rebranded as the ‘English Football League’ (EFL) starting with the 2016-2017 seasons.

The Reading Football Club is a professional football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England (UK). They compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. They play their home matches at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

The 24,161-capacity Madejski Stadium, currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England (UK). It is the home of the Reading Football Club who plays in EFL League One.

New York (US)-based Redwood Holding is a for-profit commercial venture making strategic investments to advance health equity and empower the local communities in the United States. Redwood’s objective is to harness the resources of the private and philanthropic sectors to invest in, build and grow commercially and environmentally sustainable businesses that support equitable access to vital healthcare regardless of one’s post code.

‘sky sports’ further stated that Couhig said that he had barely slept over the last few days while putting the deal together – “It finally ended up [being done] at about 12.30 last night (May 13^th).”

Outlining his plans for Reading, Couhig added, “We have everything there to make this club a success. What it requires is a firm hand, leadership, transparency. I think that’s our history, whether in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) in America where we had one of the most successful franchises of all time or with Wycombe (the League One team Wycombe Wanderers F.C.) where we had five of the best years they ever had in their 134-year history. We think we know what we’re doing.”

In February the former Reading Owner Dai Yongge was disqualified under the EFL’s Owners’ and Directors’ test and had been ordered to divest or risk the imposition of sanctions including Reading being suspended from the Sky Bet League One.

Commented Couhig, “I don’t want to compare myself to the other fella. He had his way of doing it and I’m not going to put £200m into it. So, give him his due on that. But our belief is that this is an entertainment that is surrounding a sport that’s existential in nature. So, we put the fan experience first. The fan experience is better when you win than when you lose. It’s better when the hot dog is hot and the beer is cold.”

Couhig has been announced as Reading Chair having previously owned the Wycombe Wanderers and the New Orleans Zephyrs in Minor League Baseball (MiLB). Meanwhile, Trosclair is the Owner of the USA Gulf Coast electric contractors All Star Electric and is an investor in real estate and hospitality.

St. Petersburg (US)-based Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB) constituted of teams affiliated with the MLB clubs.

New York (US)-based Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The MLB is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional baseball league in the world.

A club statement from Reading read, “Redwood is ambitious and dedicated towards the club returning to its rightful place within the English football pyramid while adhering to clear principles of honesty, transparency and financial sustainability. Further communication from Redwood will follow in due course.”

Meanwhile, the Reading campaign group Sell Before We Dai (a fan-led campaign in Reading, England, which advocated for the sale of the Reading Football Club by the former Owner Dai Yongge) said in a final statement, “We are incredibly relieved and happy that the Reading Football Club is finally under a new ownership. It’s a day which we thought, at times, may never happen. In the eight years of the Dai Yongge era every single element of our club went backwards. The first team was relegated, the women’s team was essentially folded and the staff was made redundant as every operational element of the club was cut back to the bare bones. Those who remained were forced to work with tight budgets and under immense pressure. Sometimes they weren’t even sure if they’d be paid at the end of the month.”

The statement added, “Today (May 13^th) is a day for celebration and that starts by welcoming Rob Couhig. Thank you for not giving up on us, thank you for saving our 153-year-old club from oblivion. The Reading fans are now excited to hear in an open forum from Couhig about his plans. Our gratitude is immeasurable but cannot be unconditional. We are under no illusions that steps will need to be taken to undo the damage Dai has done to this football club but we hope Couhig runs Reading transparently, prudently, in collaboration with the Reading fans and with regard for the club’s identity.”

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