Swindon Town officially confirm the joint venture purchase of the County Ground

Swindon Town have officially announced their joint venture purchase of the County Ground to take full ownership of the club’s stadium. Total Sport’s Joe Acklam reports on the news.

Swindon Town working in concert with TrustSTFC signed contracts and paid the £230,000 deposit last month to take ownership of the County Ground from Swindon Borough Council.

The price of the purchase was £2,300,000 and has now been paid in full with the funding for the acquisition coming from the Nigel Eady Trust.

Swindon Town Chairman, Clem Morfuni, said: “This is a major step forward for the club and lays the foundations for our future success.

“Once again, I’d like to place on record our sincere gratitude to the Nigel Eady trustees who have been so supportive and helped us get the purchase over the line.”

Swindon have played at the County Ground since 1896 and this purchase marks the first time the stadium has changed ownership in its history.

TrustSTFC Chairman, Steve Mytton, said: “This is a fantastic day fornour great football club and we should be excited about the future that lies ahead.

“Moving forwards, supporters will play a crucial role in our decision making, which will strengthen our relationship and enable us to embrace a brighter future together, with the people who love this club at the helm.”

Rob Carter, from the Nigel Eady Trust, added: “We’re delighted to this deal is finally over the line.

“It’s been a long process, but we can now look forward with great optimism as there are some tremendous opportunities to take Swindon Town forward both on and off the pitch.”

The purchase of the stadium will allow for both a lower rental cost for the club and enable improvements to be made to the stadium and its facilities.

Councillor David Renard, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “There has been so much to work through here, but we finally got the right outcome and it’s been down to great teamwork from all parties involved.

“As council leader, I’ve been working for a long time to give the people of Swindon and fans of the club a stadium they can call their own.

“I’d like to thank the club and supporters’ trust for their collaborative approach. This is a great example of how we can make good things happen when everyone pushes in the same direction.

“I’m very excited to see what the future holds for the County Ground and Swindon Town Football Club both on and off the pitch.”