UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - One Direction singer buys hometown football club Doncaster Rovers

Record ID: 490518

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - One Direction singer buys hometown football club Doncaster Rovers
  • Date: 20th June 2014
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE-AUGUST 20, 2013) (REUTERS) LIAM PAYNE, NIALL HORAN AND LOUIS TOMLINSON APPROACHING CAMERA CREWS AT RED CARPET PREMIERE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ONE DIRECTION MEMBER NIALL HORAN, SAYING: "We don't really get to do the glam and all that stuff of the music industry as they say so this is one off. It's good, isn't it?"
  • Embargoed: 5th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAASVIY74H33HD7HPB0Q06L6RSZ
  • Story Text: Rather than spend his money on sex, drugs and rock and roll, singer Louis Tomlinson of boy band One Direction has bought English League One side Doncaster Rovers, the club he grew up supporting as a boy.
    The club announced on Thursday (June 19) that Tomlinson, who signed for Doncaster on a non-contract basis in 2013 and played for their reserve side earlier this year, would assume ownership with cosmetic surgery magnate John Ryan from Terry Bramall, Dick Watson and David Blunt.
    "I've been a Doncaster fan from being a little boy and I've seen, yeah, we had a small cup run. We beat a couple of Premiership teams, Man City and Aston Villa and I saw the passion in the town and just to create a buzz like that again would be incredible," the 22-year-old told a news conference in London.
    The singer said his fellow One Direction bandmates reacted positively to the news.
    "It was definitely cool when I just mentioned it to the boys and made sure they're all cool with it. Obviously Niall is a big football fan, a big Derby fan, so he thinks it's pretty cool," Tomlinson said.
    He added that despite his commitments to the band he plans to invest a lot of time into his new footballing venture.
    "I mean day to day obviously it's still to be decided but I wanna be across everything and heavily involved cause, I keep coming back to it, but I've got such passion and I wanna make it work. So obviously I wanna be a part of that and wanna be involved in it," Tomlinson said.
    The purchase included the Doncaster Rugby League FC and the charitable Foundation.
    "During the interim period between now and the 18th July, the new owners of Doncaster Rovers will be working with [manager] Paul Dickov to help secure his transfer targets," a statement on the club website said (www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk).
    "All parties sincerely wish both John Ryan and Louis Tomlinson the best of luck for the future and are looking forward to seeing the club progress under their stewardship."
    Tomlinson and Ryan had set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise two million pounds ($3.39 million)for the club, with the Tomlinson Ryan Trust putting in a "six-figure sum" to start.
    With his purchase the One Direction singer is following in the footsteps of other famous music personalities. Sir Elton John, a longtime supporter of Watford F.C. once owned the club and until 2008 served as its president. He still holds shares in the club.
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