Could Reading Fans buy Bearwood?

[hobbitx007]

Apologies of this has been raised/discussed elsewhere so delete if necessary.

There have been a few reports recently regarding a proposal to sell the Bearwood Training facilities in order to generate sufficient cash reserves to complete the remainder of the season without defaulting on payments and therefore triggering a further points deduction.
If you couple this with other articles and discussions on this site and social media streams asking how can fans help financially to alleviate this cashflow problem then I wonder if it is possible to match the two together.

I did read somewhere that there was reluctance by some people to "invest" in the club via donations when we have a supposedly multi millionaire owner who no longer cares about the state of the club. I fully understand this viewpoint so why not set up some form of consortium and invest in the true sense of the word a purchase the training facility.
This consortium could be a mixture of individual fans and local businesses depending on the level of interest.
The upside is that there is a tangible asset that that can be purchased and it also serves to keep the club afloat for the short term future, hopefully until a buyer is found.

I did a little research and found an article where it mentioned the club purchasing the Bearwood land in 2015 for about 4 million pounds.
Local folks may know more on this (I am based in NZ so out of the loop on local gossip). I could not find anywhere to see what price the current owners are trying to sell this for but I assume that either STAR or one of the fan groups could ask about this.

[Lower West]

In the June 2022 accounts Bearwood was valued at over £40 million. Cheaper to buy the stadium.

Interestingly the mortage owed of £25/£26 million was fully paid off in November 2023. Someone must have found some money down the back of the sofa !

[morganb]

No, but according to some bloke at The Athletic, Wycombe can -

https://twitter.com/mjshrimper/status/1 ... JO8tg&s=19

Only days after Reading owner Dai Yongge said he was “open” to selling the training ground to keep the lights on, he’s done it. The buyers are….Wycombe Wanderers. You can’t blame them (Reading approached them) but it’s insult to injury for Reading fans.

[Sutekh]

No, but according to some bloke at The Athletic, Wycombe can -

https://twitter.com/mjshrimper/status/1 ... JO8tg&s=19

Only days after Reading owner Dai Yongge said he was “open” to selling the training ground to keep the lights on, he’s done it. The buyers are….Wycombe Wanderers. You can’t blame them (Reading approached them) but it’s insult to injury for Reading fans.

£25m apparently, though really can't see that meaning the rest of the club now being sold for £5m. Seems a case of asset stripping has been encountered?

All you can say is that if the club went under due to no money this month there'd be no Academy anyway and what it was would have been sold off for a pittance by administrators.

Presumably now this sale has effectively saved the club by giving time to complete the overall sale of the club and banishes the fear of not existing in the summer? Be interested to hear the FL and experts take on it.

Thanks Dai, ****** great way to preserve the memory of Evans and Dolan, let alone the total destruction of SJM's terrifically special legacy of how to run a club properly.

Wonder if Reading might be able to rent it back as a shared facility or if they'll just cease to exist in the summer with most of the kids being "transferred" to Wycombe?

Reading now to assume the Brentford/Brighton model of no youth system?

[tmesis]

Presumably now this sale has effectively saved the club by giving time to complete the overall sale of the club and banishes the fear of not existing in the summer?

It depends on whether the money is going to the club, or to Dai.

If it's Dai then it's probably game over.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

No be because it’s been sold.

You could try buying it from Wycombe tho.

[WestYorksRoyal]

No, but according to some bloke at The Athletic, Wycombe can -

https://twitter.com/mjshrimper/status/1 ... JO8tg&s=19

Only days after Reading owner Dai Yongge said he was “open” to selling the training ground to keep the lights on, he’s done it. The buyers are….Wycombe Wanderers. You can’t blame them (Reading approached them) but it’s insult to injury for Reading fans.

£25m apparently, though really can't see that meaning the rest of the club now being sold for £5m. Seems a case of asset stripping has been encountered?

All you can say is that if the club went under due to no money this month there'd be no Academy anyway and what it was would have been sold off for a pittance by administrators.

Presumably now this sale has effectively saved the club by giving time to complete the overall sale of the club and banishes the fear of not existing in the summer? Be interested to hear the FL and experts take on it.

Thanks Dai, ****** great way to preserve the memory of Evans and Dolan, let alone the total destruction of SJM's terrifically special legacy of how to run a club properly.

Wonder if Reading might be able to rent it back as a shared facility or if they'll just cease to exist in the summer with most of the kids being "transferred" to Wycombe?

Reading now to assume the Brentford/Brighton model of no youth system?

Took SJM about 25 years to build it, AZ, Dai et. al about a decade to destroy. If we get out of this alive, we've got to do it all again. Only slim advantage is people have now seen that it can be done.

[Reading4eva]

This is the most heartbreaking part of all of this.

The training ground was the legacy that was dreamed up by Madejski and Eamonn Dolan. Both worked to get it done, only Madejski got the chance to see it. Both men are in a different league to the scrawny rat of an owner who has ruined it.

Dai Yongge is an absolute scumbag.

[NathStPaul]

No.

[NathStPaul]

This is the most heartbreaking part of all of this.

The training ground was the legacy that was dreamed up by Madejski and Eamonn Dolan. Both worked to get it done, only Madejski got the chance to see it. Both men are in a different league to the scrawny rat of an owner who has ruined it.

Dai Yongge is an absolute scumbag.

What does this have to do with Bournemouth?

[Sutekh]

Wycombe are likely to be sold in the next 12 months ...

(From July 2023)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66227479

[Reading4eva]

This is the most heartbreaking part of all of this.

The training ground was the legacy that was dreamed up by Madejski and Eamonn Dolan. Both worked to get it done, only Madejski got the chance to see it. Both men are in a different league to the scrawny rat of an owner who has ruined it.

Dai Yongge is an absolute scumbag.

What does this have to do with Bournemouth?

Oh shut the oxf*rd up you annoying oxf*rd.

Today isn't the day

[WestYorksRoyal]

This is the most heartbreaking part of all of this.

The training ground was the legacy that was dreamed up by Madejski and Eamonn Dolan. Both worked to get it done, only Madejski got the chance to see it. Both men are in a different league to the scrawny rat of an owner who has ruined it.

Dai Yongge is an absolute scumbag.

What does this have to do with Bournemouth?

Oh shut the oxf*rd up you annoying oxf*rd.

Today isn't the day

I personally have no issue with people feeling an attachment to 2 towns and 2 clubs. However, given the straits Bournemouth were in when you moved there, have you considered that you may be the curse? Spend any time in Wimbledon?

[RoyalBlue]

No, but according to some bloke at The Athletic, Wycombe can -

https://twitter.com/mjshrimper/status/1 ... JO8tg&s=19

£25m apparently, though really can't see that meaning the rest of the club now being sold for £5m. Seems a case of asset stripping has been encountered?

All you can say is that if the club went under due to no money this month there'd be no Academy anyway and what it was would have been sold off for a pittance by administrators.

Presumably now this sale has effectively saved the club by giving time to complete the overall sale of the club and banishes the fear of not existing in the summer? Be interested to hear the FL and experts take on it.

Thanks Dai, ****** great way to preserve the memory of Evans and Dolan, let alone the total destruction of SJM's terrifically special legacy of how to run a club properly.

Wonder if Reading might be able to rent it back as a shared facility or if they'll just cease to exist in the summer with most of the kids being "transferred" to Wycombe?

Reading now to assume the Brentford/Brighton model of no youth system?

Took SJM about 25 years to build it, AZ, Dai et. al about a decade to destroy. If we get out of this alive, we've got to do it all again. Only slim advantage is people have now seen that it can be done.

Sadly financial greed has now fully subsumed the professional game in this country. Everything is geared to protecting the super six and, to a lesser extent, other established members of the EPL, and the foundations of the football pyramid are gradually collapsing. I think it extremely unlikely that anyone will ever be allowed/able to do it 'The Madejski Way' in the future. IMO the best we could realistically hope for would be a relatively stable life in League 2, possibly League 1.

[Sutekh]

If only the public had the bottle to turn their backs on football - at least ALL televised football - then there'd be a rather different tune starting to emerge from those that lead the greed.

[Reading4eva]

What does this have to do with Bournemouth?

Oh shut the oxf*rd up you annoying oxf*rd.

Today isn't the day

I personally have no issue with people feeling an attachment to 2 towns and 2 clubs. However, given the straits Bournemouth were in when you moved there, have you considered that you may be the curse? Spend any time in Wimbledon?

I didn't, however when I went to Nottingham for Uni they were in League One and got promoted back.
When I was in Reading we had our most successful period ever under McGhee, Pardew and Coppell.
Since I've been in Bournemouth they have gone from -17 in League Two to where they are now.
Nath shouldn't be getting the funny on with me. I should move home I think.

I'll be honest though, this season although I do all this Bournemouth stuff which I enjoy and I kind of stumbled into (long story, goes back before my channel), my attention has waned and I want to do absolutely everything on the channel to help Reading FC. I'm hurting down here despite taking up an interest in my local team back then when tickets were a tenner for a club on its arse (it reminded me back then of Elm Park which although not viable in this era were the days I most miss)

[SouthDownsRoyal]

What does this have to do with Bournemouth?

Oh shut the oxf*rd up you annoying oxf*rd.

Today isn't the day

I personally have no issue with people feeling an attachment to 2 towns and 2 clubs. However, given the straits Bournemouth were in when you moved there, have you considered that you may be the curse? Spend any time in Wimbledon?

He used to support Bury.

[NathStPaul]

Oh shut the oxf*rd up you annoying oxf*rd.

Today isn't the day

I personally have no issue with people feeling an attachment to 2 towns and 2 clubs. However, given the straits Bournemouth were in when you moved there, have you considered that you may be the curse? Spend any time in Wimbledon?

He used to support Bury.

He also went to see Beijing Renhe play on numerous ocassions.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

I personally have no issue with people feeling an attachment to 2 towns and 2 clubs. However, given the straits Bournemouth were in when you moved there, have you considered that you may be the curse? Spend any time in Wimbledon?

He used to support Bury.

He also went to see Beijing Renhe play on numerous ocassions.

I heard he used to have a soft spot for KSV Roeselare

[Reading4eva]

He used to support Bury.

He also went to see Beijing Renhe play on numerous ocassions.

I heard he used to have a soft spot for KSV Roeselare

Read it again... the club's when I lived there over performed.

To be honest I've seen Reading win most of the times I've been able to get up but that was ruined by W*nkcombe W*nkerers on Saturday.