A criminal inquiry is already under way into "alleged financial irregularities" surrounding the council's loan to Northampton Town, known as the Cobblers. In a witness statement, Howard Grossman denied the allegations, describing them as "outrageous and deeply offensive". There are also all Northampton Town scheduled matches that they are going to play in the future. [27] The 201516 season was successful and resulted in promotion to League One on 9 April. In the 200405 season, Northampton finished seventh, again in the play-offs, where they were defeated by Southend United. Northampton Town 2023 Wages | Player & Team totals - Salary Sport Two years ago Mr Grossman was banned as a director of a company for 10 years after failing to provide accounting records to explain more than 5m missing from the loan. The "terrible scandal" of a council's failed loan and secret donations to an ex-Conservative MP's election campaign has been raised in the House of Lords. They were taken over by a consortium run by Andrew Ellis, who sacked Broadhurst in January 2003, when Northampton were struggling at the foot of the division. It seats 972 fans. The money had been paid to the club in 2013 and 2014 as a loan by the local authority, Northampton borough council. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The History of Northampton Town Football Club", "BBC Sport Coventry City set to groundshare with Northampton Town", "Coventry's Sixfields groundshare given Football League approval", "Coventry City Football Club have agreed a deal to return to the Ricoh Arena", "Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth", "Northampton Town must repay 10m loan to borough council", "Northampton Town's East Stand refurbishment delayed", http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/exclusive-no-firm-offer-yet-been-made-for-northampton-town-to-pay-back-10-25-million-council-confirms-1-7011890, http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/insolvency-expert-warns-northampton-town-fans-of-challenges-faced-by-club-1-7014146, http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/contractor-at-centre-of-legal-dispute-around-development-of-northampton-town-stadium-claims-it-is-owed-2-9-million-1-7019453, http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/northampton-town-confirms-players-and-staff-have-not-been-paid-today-but-says-all-squad-members-are-on-the-bus-for-newport-game-1-7039909, "7M of the 10.25M loan from NBC was given to 1st Land Ltd (now in liquidation), who were to oversee the project, and engaged contractors The Buckingham Group Ltd", "Northampton Town: scandal of missing millions from council's stadium plan", "COBBLERS AGREE STADIUM RIGHTS NAMING PARTNERSHIP", 1997 Football League Third Division play-off final, 1998 Football League Second Division play-off final, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sixfields_Stadium&oldid=1147389441, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from April 2008, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2015, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 March 2023, at 16:49. Northampton Town: scandal of missing millions from councils stadium loan, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Lord Kennedy asked how those responsible for the loan would be held to account given this development. Grossman stated that a further 2.65m of 1st Land money was paid to the Cardozas personally, who, he said, argued it was not a loan to them but a joint venture fee. [8], In 2013, the club proposed redevelopment of the East stand. Yet now one of his companies has gone bust, the land behind the East Stand he and his father, Tony, owned has effectively been repossessed by the council, the club has run out of money and he is expected to hand it over to Thomas for 1. High Court papers contain allegations developer Howard Grossman and his associates used a "substantial part" of the money for unrelated purposes. Initially, their chosen name was Northampton Football Club, but after objections from the town's rugby club, the club was called Northampton Town Football Club. Below is a list of all permanent managers of Northampton Town since its foundation in 1897. The chamber heard the loan was "a failure of due diligence, a failure of governance, a failure of leadership". Northampton Town have a total of 40 players in their home squad. England. (modern). The club's biggest traditional rivals are Peterborough United, a rivalry which has endured since the 1960s. All rights reserved. Northampton Town: Land deal delay over valuation report oversight He was briefly replaced by former England player Terry Fenwick who was sacked after a winless spell of seven games. The football club said it could not "comment on council process". This was, at the time, the eighth-shortest managerial reign in English football history. Figures released by Northamptonshire Police show that at the end of November 2019, the cost of the investigation stood at 974,492. The 1990s began badly, with the club relegated to the Fourth Division at the end of the 198990 season. All rights reserved. The police say the investigation is "highly complex" and personnel have required specialist support. Sampson's sacking brought to an end a 17-year association with Northampton, and his commitment to the club has guaranteed his status as a legend in fans' hearts. Last month the council's auditors KPMG issued a rare Public Interest Report which found "serious failings" in the way the council loaned the money to the club in both 2013 and 2014, to help redevelop its stadium and develop nearby land. The council leader, Mary Markham, told the Guardian: We do not know where the money is, and this is not acceptable. He said: "I feel sorry for the club and its supporters at how long this has dragged on.". Work on the stand stalled in 2014 when the money went missing with contractors going unpaid. The club struggled in the bottom half of the Fourth Division for the first half of the decade, however 16-year-old Aidy Mann became the club's youngest player. Latest Northampton Town news in a live feed, including transfer rumours, team news, results, interviews, fixtures and all the latest updates on The Cobblers. Northampton moved to the county ground in 1897,[41] sharing it with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club from 1905. Northampton face Mansfield in the playoff semi-final first leg on Saturday. Soon nicknamed 'The Cobblers' after the local shoemaking industry, the club . Northampton Town: 10m loan 'misappropriated' by developers This would start by adding executive boxes and a further 2,000 seats to the West Stand, whilst expanding the clubs offices and facilities. [citation needed] The stand and associated works were in part funded by a 10.25 million loan from Northampton Borough Council. Official club name: Northampton Town Address: Upton Way . Northampton Town was loaned 10.25m but work on the East Stand ceased last year, David Cardoza was arrested as part of a police investigation into the loan, A hotel and conference centre were also due to be built on land surrounding the stadium, Police took bags of paperwork from Sixfields as part of their investigation, Plans for a 2,000 capacity East Stand were announced in October 2013, Former council leader David Mackintosh became the Conservative MP for Northampton South in May 2015, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. In 1925 the club's first foreign transfer took place as William Shaw was signed from Barcelona. 1st Land was put into administration in January 2015 by the building company, Buckingham. Northampton Town: scandal of missing millions from council's stadium loan Read more The money had been paid to the club in 2013 and 2014 as a loan by the local authority, Northampton borough . For more on this story, watch Inside Out on BBC One East at 19:30 on Monday 1 February, and nationwide for 30 days thereafter on the iPlayer. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, Land deal will protect club future, chairman says, Land deal struck over missing loan grandstand, Seven people charged in missing loan probe, Council sorry for 'woeful' football club loan, Millions spent on football club missing 10m probe, Picture special - 59 photos of May Day celebrations from towns and villages across north Northamptonshire from the 1970s to the 2000s, Have you seen these two children? Tickets for the game at Tranmere Rovers have now sold out. In the High Court documents, Howard Grossman was accused of "dishonest association". ", He said of the payments to his election fund: "All donations to the election campaign were correctly declared in line with Electoral Commission rules, save one donation in April 2014.". This feed updates continuously 24/7 so check back regularly. Don't miss a move! Please try different keywords. During the 201516 season, the stand was split between home and away fans numerous times because of high demand from Northampton Town fans. This study concluded that further out-of-town retail development would harm the existing town centre. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. [36] They made it to Wembley after a second leg comeback against Cheltenham Town, after the first leg at Sixfields Stadium they had trailed 20 and faced an uphill battle to progress to the play off final. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Millions of pounds of taxpayers' money intended for a football stadium redevelopment was "misappropriated" by developers, according to claims made in documents seen by the BBC. Barton's only season in charge proved severely disappointing however, as the club were never outside the bottom two, and health problems forced Barton's resignation near the end of that season. The season covers the period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. The club's shirts are sponsored by the University of Northampton, since 2013, and PTS Academy, since 2016. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, 'Serious failings' in council's football club loan, 'Missing millions' director's wife being sued, Ex-football club owner has bankruptcy extended, Police inquiry into Northampton Town loan, Picture special - 59 photos of May Day celebrations from towns and villages across north Northamptonshire from the 1970s to the 2000s, Have you seen these two children? Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland League for two seasons, before joining the Southern League in 1901. Northampton Town fixtures tab is showing the last 100 football matches with statistics and win/draw/lose icons. When this was not forthcoming, Buckingham put 1st Land into administration. Supporters criticised these new designs, as some seats may have a restricted view of play. [16] He was replaced by former Southampton boss Stuart Gray on 2 January 2007. The largest of the stands, seating just under 4,000 home supporters on a match day. In the same year, The club managed what seemed like a major coup when they appointed Tony Barton, who had won the European Cup with Aston Villa two years previously, as manager. "Northampton Borough Council did not have a direct relationship with Howard Grossman in relation to the loan. Howard Grossman, like all directors, had specific duties as a company director but he blatantly disregarded them. Relegated in 1999, they won immediate promotion after securing an automatic promotion place the following season. In 196566, the only time that Northampton Town were in the top flight of English football, the county ground saw its highest attendance 24,523 against Fulham on 23 April 1966. Scunthorpe adhered to the rule. In a statement announcing the disqualification, Sue MacLeod, the chief investigator for the Insolvency Service, said: We have been able to secure a substantial ban for Howard Grossman and if he breaches his disqualification, he risks being sent to prison. Payment 2: Gary Robert Platt. Howard Grossman, 57, the sole director of 1st Land Ltd, which was contracted by Northamptons owner at the time, David Cardoza, to oversee a 10.25m development at Sixfields, caused 5.6m to be paid out to various parties, including 1.5m to himself and his family, the Insolvency Service said. A land deal due to secure the completion of a football stand at the heart of a scandal involving a missing 10.25m loan looks set to be delayed. Northampton face a winding-up petition from Her Majestys Revenue and Customs for a reported 160,000 unpaid tax and the clubs hardworking staff have not been paid their October wages the Professional Footballers Association is stepping in to pay its own members. Local government minister Lord Greenhalgh said he "condemned" the loss of taxpayers' money. The League Two club, of which Mr Cardoza was chairman, initiated legal action to establish what had happened to the loan money and to try to recover it after contractors were not paid.