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Aston Villa F.C.
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== Ownership == [[File:Lerner, Randy.jpg|thumb|right|[[Randy Lerner]], the club owner of Aston Villa (2006β2016)]] {{See also|V Sports}} The first shares in the club were issued towards the end of the 19th century as a result of legislation that was intended to codify the growing numbers of professional teams and players in the Association Football leagues. FA teams were required to distribute shares to investors as a way of facilitating trading among the teams without implicating the FA itself. This trading continued for much of the 20th century until Ellis started buying up many of the shares in the 1960s. He was chairman and substantial shareholder of "Aston Villa F.C." from 1968 to 1975 and the majority shareholder from 1982 to 2006. The club were [[Initial public offering|floated]] on the [[London Stock Exchange]] (LSE) in 1996, and the share price fluctuated in the ten years after the flotation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Aston-Villa-plc-Company-History.html |title=Company Histories & Profiles: Aston Villa plc |publisher=FundingUniverse.com |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304172604/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Aston-Villa-plc-Company-History.html |archive-date=4 March 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, it was announced that several consortia and individuals were considering bids for Aston Villa.<ref name="EndEllisEra" /> On 14 August 2006, it was confirmed that [[Randy Lerner]], then owner of the [[National Football League]]'s [[Cleveland Browns]], had reached an agreement of Β£62.6 million with Aston Villa for a takeover of the club. Lerner took full control on 18 September with Ellis and his board replaced with a new board by Lerner on 19 September 2006.<ref name=EndEllisEra>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/4792189.stm |title=End of Ellis era |work=BBC Sport |date=19 September 2006 |access-date=15 September 2008 |first=Simon |last=Austin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116035522/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/4792189.stm |archive-date=16 January 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Lerner appointed himself chairman of the club with [[Charles Krulak]] as a non-executive director and Ellis awarded the honorary position of Chairman Emeritus.<ref name=Ellisearner>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2006/aug/23/ellisrollsawayfromhisnice |title=Ellis rolls away from his nice Villa earner |first=David |last=Conn |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 August 2006 |access-date=19 March 2012 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204174822/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2006/aug/23/ellisrollsawayfromhisnice |archive-date=4 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lerner put the club up for sale in May 2014, valuing it at an estimated Β£200 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/10777086/Randy-Lerner-ready-to-sell-as-Aston-Villa-limp-to-Premier-League-safety.html|title=Randy Lerner ready to sell as Aston Villa limp to Premier League safety|date=20 April 2014|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324033826/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/10777086/Randy-Lerner-ready-to-sell-as-Aston-Villa-limp-to-Premier-League-safety.html|archive-date=24 March 2017|url-status=live|last1=Percy|first1=John}}</ref> On 18 May 2016, Randy Lerner agreed the sale of Aston Villa to [[Recon Group]], owned by Chinese businessman [[Tony Xia]]. The sale was completed on 14 June 2016 for a reported Β£76 million, after being approved by the Football League.<ref name="SaleCompleteBBC">{{cite news|last1=Murphy|first1=Pat|title=Aston Villa: Dr Tony Xia completes takeover of Championship club|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36522094|access-date=14 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614080637/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36522094|archive-date=14 June 2016|url-status=live|date=14 June 2016}}</ref> After a period of high expenditure and failing to secure promotion to the [[Premier League]] in the [[2017β18 EFL Championship|2017β18 Championship]] playoff final, financial difficulties at the club began to mount. Amid rumours that Villa risked entering [[Administration (British football)|administration]], Xia entered talks to sell the club in June 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Percy |first=John |date=6 June 2018 |title=Aston Villa to avoid imminent threat of administration after owner Dr Tony Xia secures Β£6m loan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/06/06/aston-villa-avoid-imminent-threat-administration-owner-dr-tony/ |access-date=25 February 2024 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> On 20 July 2018, it was announced that [[V Sports]] (at the time known as NSWE Group), a consortium consisting of Egyptian billionaire [[Nassef Sawiris]] and the American billionaire [[Wes Edens]], were to invest in the football club. They purchased a controlling 55% stake in the club, and Sawiris took over the role of club chairman.<ref name="auto"/> On 9 August 2019, following Villa's promotion to the Premier League, [[Companies House]] revealed that the remainder of Xia's shares had been bought out, and that Xia no longer had any stake in the club.<ref name=":0" /> On 15 December 2023, Aston Villa announced that [[Comcast]]-backed American investment firm Atairos would invest in V Sports, the ultimate parent company of the club.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aston Villa Parent Sells Stake to Comcast-Backed Fund |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-15/aston-villa-parent-sells-minority-stake-to-ex-comcast-executive |access-date=22 February 2024 |website=Bloomberg |url-access=subscription |date=15 December 2023 |first1=Randall |last1=Williams |url-status=live |archive-url= https://archive.today/20231215170426/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-15/aston-villa-parent-sells-minority-stake-to-ex-comcast-executive |archive-date= 15 December 2023 }}</ref> The agreement, which saw Atairos obtain a stake of approximately 20% in V Sports, valued Villa at more than Β£500 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Egypt's richest man Nassef Sawiris considers breaking up his empire |url=https://www.ft.com/content/eb41e757-e6bc-495f-bdac-5e62fe66cbd9 |access-date=22 February 2024 |website=Financial Times |url-access=subscription |date=14 February 2024 |first1=Arash |last1=Massoudi |first2=Ivan |last2=Levingston |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240214142710/https://www.ft.com/content/eb41e757-e6bc-495f-bdac-5e62fe66cbd9 |archive-date= 14 February 2024 }}</ref> The deal with Atairos was finalised on 12 April 2024, with Atairos CEO and former [[Comcast]] CFO Michael Angelakis appointed to Villa's board of directors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Club |first=Aston Villa Football |date=12 April 2024 |title=Club Statement |url=https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2024/april/12/club-statement/ |access-date=18 April 2024 |website=Aston Villa Football Club}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 April 2024 |title=Billionaire businessman joins Aston Villa board |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/aston-villa/2024/04/17/billionaire-businessman-joins-aston-villa-board/ |access-date=18 April 2024 |website=www.expressandstar.com |language=en}}</ref>
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