Leyton Orient Football Club Purchased by Business Consortium Headed by Nigel Travis, a Life-long Fan of the Club
LONDON, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Leyton Orient Football Club, first established in London in 1881, today announced that it has been purchased by a business consortium Eagle Investments 2017 Limited, headed by British-born Nigel Travis, 67, the Chairman and CEO of Dunkin' Brands Inc., and a life-long fan of the Club. The deal, details of which are confidential, is not associated with Dunkin' Brands, the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.
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Travis, who has been attending Leyton Orient games since he was a child and who grew up near the stadium, says his goals are to stabilise the Club and to re-engage the fans. "I have been a passionate Leyton Orient supporter for my entire life and feel a great sense of responsibility to the players, the staff, the fans and the community. We have challenges in front of us, and I am not under-estimating those. However, over the long-term, we believe we can return the Club to the Football League, said Travis.
Francesco Becchetti said: "I invested a great deal in the Club in good faith and have delivered the Club to Nigel Travis and his consortium without any debts to the banks, without arrears for taxes and salaries and in a normal situation with its suppliers. This is a position from which it can grow. Over the last two years, I have, unfortunately, not been able to dedicate myself to following the Club as closely as I would have wanted. This is clearly the moment to leave the Club to others and I know that in doing so I am leaving it in good hands with Nigel Travis. I give my sincere best wishes to the fans and to the Club for a bright future, full of success."
Travis will serve as the Chairman of the Leyton Orient Board of Directors.Other directors will include Principal Investor, Kent Teague from Dallas, Texas. In recognition of the fact that fan partnership is critical to the Club's success, there will be a fan representative on the Board.
Travis and the new management groups are also working to recruit an experienced Chief Executive, who will be responsible for the day-to-day commercial management of the Club. In the interim, future consortium investor, Marshall Taylor, a local businessman and long-time Leyton Orient fan, will serve as Interim Chief Executive.
Season tickets will go on sale soon and will be priced to reflect the National League status. A fan event will be planned before the start of the new season.
Leyton Orient was founded as Glyn Cricket Club in 1881 and changed its name to Leyton Orient after the Second World War. It is the second oldest London-based Club.
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