Walsall make the most of multi-club ownership to plot route to promotion
Walsall make the most of multi-club ownership to plot route to promotion
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Runaway League Two leaders will not be overly worried by defeat against Bradford with club united on and off pitch. Think multi-club ownership models in football and there is one immediate example springs to mind: Manchester City’s City Football Group which has 13 clubs under its umbrella all across the globe, with the reigning Premier League champions as its figurehead.
![[Aaron Bower]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2024/03/02/Aaron_Bower.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
But around 70 places further down the English pyramid, there is another similar model that is beginning to click together: for its flagship club, at least. The Alabama-based Trivela Group was formed in 2021 by American businessmen Ben Boycott and Kenneth Polk; a year later, in the summer of 2022, they acquired Walsall, with Boycott joining the Saddlers as co-chairman.
![[17,172 were at Valley Parade to see Bradford end League Two leaders Walsall’s 16-match unbeaten run]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a9d47ffe530acea518fb246a5fae752dfa8e0fb0/94_0_5786_3472/master/5786.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Since then, they have purchased Drogheda United in Ireland, Trivela FC in Togo and late last year, they announced an agreement to purchase a majority stake in Danish side Silkeborg. That proposed purchase was met with protests from Silkeborg supporters, objecting to becoming part of a multi-club ownership model. But in England, where the project began, things seem much more optimistic.
Trivela replaced Walsall’s former manager, Michael Flynn, with Mat Sadler midway through last season. He was given the job on a permanent basis in the summer and has promptly gone on to take the Saddlers to the verge of promotion before the January transfer window has even concluded. Going into the weekend’s fixtures, Walsall sat 12 points clear at the top and 15 points clear of the playoff places.
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