Latest news with #MarioLapointe
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
New Dumbarton owner on not being a 'dud' and drafting in David Byrne
There is nothing, though, that is in the slightest bit routine about the new owner of Dumbarton, the larger-than-life French-Canadian businessman Mario Lapointe. Lapointe, a musician and performer whose stage name is Vintage due to his love of all things old, has spent the past week at The Rock casting his eyes over his latest investment, meeting staff and supporters and finalising his ambitious plans for the future. The Quebec-based entrepreneur spoke to the media yesterday to explain how and why he had got involved with the venerable Dunbartonshire institution and he did, their longsuffering fans will be reassured to hear, outline in detail how he intends to stop them haemorrhaging money, turn a profit once again and revive on-field displays. But there were revelations, opinions, quips, asides and declarations aired by the colourful, engaging and hugely likable character during the course of a lengthy chat with reporters at the stadium which have never been heard at a fitba press conference in this country before and almost certainly never will be ever again. Read more: Asked about who his musical influences were and what kind of artist he is, Lapointe said, 'It's weird because I listen to rock, to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Supertramp, Styx, Def Leppard and the like, but I don't sing like that. 'People tell me I am a triangle of Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. In terms of my own style, it's more of a storytelling style. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, all these places. Someone recently told me I have 7,000 people in Brazil who listen to my music every month.' So what composition can one of his Instagram followers in Sao Paulo expect to be treated to next? A heartfelt rendition of his latest power ballad I'm So Happy I've Bought Dumbarton FC perhaps? Nothing should be ruled out. 'I will have to wait for the emotions to go down,' he said. 'I was at a bar recently and someone said to me that I must be really proud of what I have done. I started to bawl. But I have a song for every emotion that you have. Whatever you're going through, I have something for you. If you go and listen you'll see that it's very authentic. There are a few songs that are dark.' (Image: Colin Mearns) Lapointe is about as hail-fellow-well-met an individual as you could ever have the good fortune to meet. So where on earth does this darkness he mentions come from? It turns out that his woman done gone and left him. That devastating life event was the catalyst, in fact, for him dusting off his Gibson Hummingbird and returning to the stage once again. 'I used to write music when I was much younger,' he said. 'I used to be in a band around the time I went to engineering school. Then I basically stopped for about 30 years or something. But after 25 years of marriage, three boys, a cheating wife and getting divorced you end up with quite a lot to say. So I wrote songs about it.' Popular music legend David Byrne, the founding member and lead singer of the seminal American new wave band Talking Heads, originally hails from Dumbarton and it was no surprise whatsoever when Lapointe admitted yesterday that he had attempted to get in touch with the Sons' most famous son during their hour of greatest need. 'I tried to reach out to him so that I could get him to make a little video so that I could pump the tyres of the volunteers,' he said. 'Just so he could say something like, 'Hey! Dumbarton! I heard that there's a new sheriff in town!' But he didn't answer.' Dumbarton were on the Road to Nowhere for a long time under their previous owners. Cognitive Capital appeared far more interested in using the land around their stadium for lucrative property developments than assembling a winning team for fans to cheer. But Lapointe, who has been a hockey and football coach for the past 20 years as well as a successful electronics entrepreneur, believes he has devised a recipe for success on and off the park. Read more: 'I always compare a good team to a good salad,' he said. 'You can't have a good salad with just lettuce. I like radishes. In sports terms, that would be guys who have a little character. People like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, guys who are a little bit different. 'I want to have a team with Dumbarton who have character. It should be tough coming here for opposition teams. When a team shows real passion and character, sometimes you overlook a little bit the results. Even if you're not top of the league, people recognise a team giving it's all and being totally committed.' Lapointe added, 'The burn rate (loss) for the club has been close to £200,000 per year. My goal is for the club to move away from that and not to burn money. 'One of the first things we are going to do is spend around £20,000 to revamp our main hospitality suite. We want that to be something that appeals to people. They can come and have a great day out at the football and really enjoy our hospitality experience. 'We also have some big spaces, big halls, inside the stadium. Those could be used for birthday parties, wedding functions, stuff like that. At the moment, they are not being used at all. 'I also want us to start hosting music nights and open mic comedy nights. These are things that could help with revenue whilst also engaging with the local community in Dumbarton. Read more: 'You have to invest in things like this initially to start finding ways of bringing in revenue. Otherwise, you will just end up in the same situation where the club is pouring money down a hole. 'Stevie (manager Farrell) knocks on my door every week. We've had good conversations so far about our budget. But cup money, league money and sponsorship money equals the player wages. That's basically it. It can't be any more simple than that. You can't run a club purely with ego and ambition. You have to run it with math. (Image: Colin Mearns) 'People will attach themselves to our story of resilience if they feel we're successful. Nobody wants to be struck with a dud. I want everybody to be positive, because positivity spreads like a virus. 'The romance of Super Mario will fade. But we have one year where we can say, 'If you want to help this crazy French-Canadian, get a season ticket'. Some people are going to get in the locomotive and some are going to sit in the wagon. But at some point I'm going to unpin the wagon and we'll continue without the deadwood.' Only time will tell if Mario Lapointe can resurrect Dumbarton's fortunes. They are an odd couple and then some. But one thing is absolutely certain. There will not be a dull moment as he tries.
The National
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
New Dumbarton owner on not being a 'dud' and drafting in David Byrne
There is nothing, though, that is in the slightest bit routine about the new owner of Dumbarton, the larger-than-life French-Canadian businessman Mario Lapointe. Lapointe, a musician and performer whose stage name is Vintage due to his love of all things old, has spent the past week at The Rock casting his eyes over his latest investment, meeting staff and supporters and finalising his ambitious plans for the future. The Quebec-based entrepreneur spoke to the media yesterday to explain how and why he had got involved with the venerable Dunbartonshire institution and he did, their longsuffering fans will be reassured to hear, outline in detail how he intends to stop them haemorrhaging money, turn a profit once again and revive on-field displays. But there were revelations, opinions, quips, asides and declarations aired by the colourful, engaging and hugely likable character during the course of a lengthy chat with reporters at the stadium which have never been heard at a fitba press conference in this country before and almost certainly never will be ever again. Read more: Asked about who his musical influences were and what kind of artist he is, Lapointe said, 'It's weird because I listen to rock, to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Supertramp, Styx, Def Leppard and the like, but I don't sing like that. 'People tell me I am a triangle of Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. In terms of my own style, it's more of a storytelling style. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, all these places. Someone recently told me I have 7,000 people in Brazil who listen to my music every month.' So what composition can one of his Instagram followers in Sao Paulo expect to be treated to next? A heartfelt rendition of his latest power ballad I'm So Happy I've Bought Dumbarton FC perhaps? Nothing should be ruled out. 'I will have to wait for the emotions to go down,' he said. 'I was at a bar recently and someone said to me that I must be really proud of what I have done. I started to bawl. But I have a song for every emotion that you have. Whatever you're going through, I have something for you. If you go and listen you'll see that it's very authentic. There are a few songs that are dark.' (Image: Colin Mearns) Lapointe is about as hail-fellow-well-met an individual as you could ever have the good fortune to meet. So where on earth does this darkness he mentions come from? It turns out that his woman done gone and left him. That devastating life event was the catalyst, in fact, for him dusting off his Gibson Hummingbird and returning to the stage once again. 'I used to write music when I was much younger,' he said. 'I used to be in a band around the time I went to engineering school. Then I basically stopped for about 30 years or something. But after 25 years of marriage, three boys, a cheating wife and getting divorced you end up with quite a lot to say. So I wrote songs about it.' Popular music legend David Byrne, the founding member and lead singer of the seminal American new wave band Talking Heads, originally hails from Dumbarton and it was no surprise whatsoever when Lapointe admitted yesterday that he had attempted to get in touch with the Sons' most famous son during their hour of greatest need. 'I tried to reach out to him so that I could get him to make a little video so that I could pump the tyres of the volunteers,' he said. 'Just so he could say something like, 'Hey! Dumbarton! I heard that there's a new sheriff in town!' But he didn't answer.' Dumbarton were on the Road to Nowhere for a long time under their previous owners. Cognitive Capital appeared far more interested in using the land around their stadium for lucrative property developments than assembling a winning team for fans to cheer. But Lapointe, who has been a hockey and football coach for the past 20 years as well as a successful electronics entrepreneur, believes he has devised a recipe for success on and off the park. Read more: 'I always compare a good team to a good salad,' he said. 'You can't have a good salad with just lettuce. I like radishes. In sports terms, that would be guys who have a little character. People like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, guys who are a little bit different. 'I want to have a team with Dumbarton who have character. It should be tough coming here for opposition teams. When a team shows real passion and character, sometimes you overlook a little bit the results. Even if you're not top of the league, people recognise a team giving it's all and being totally committed.' Lapointe added, 'The burn rate (loss) for the club has been close to £200,000 per year. My goal is for the club to move away from that and not to burn money. 'One of the first things we are going to do is spend around £20,000 to revamp our main hospitality suite. We want that to be something that appeals to people. They can come and have a great day out at the football and really enjoy our hospitality experience. 'We also have some big spaces, big halls, inside the stadium. Those could be used for birthday parties, wedding functions, stuff like that. At the moment, they are not being used at all. 'I also want us to start hosting music nights and open mic comedy nights. These are things that could help with revenue whilst also engaging with the local community in Dumbarton. Read more: 'You have to invest in things like this initially to start finding ways of bringing in revenue. Otherwise, you will just end up in the same situation where the club is pouring money down a hole. 'Stevie (manager Farrell) knocks on my door every week. We've had good conversations so far about our budget. But cup money, league money and sponsorship money equals the player wages. That's basically it. It can't be any more simple than that. You can't run a club purely with ego and ambition. You have to run it with math. (Image: Colin Mearns) 'People will attach themselves to our story of resilience if they feel we're successful. Nobody wants to be struck with a dud. I want everybody to be positive, because positivity spreads like a virus. 'The romance of Super Mario will fade. But we have one year where we can say, 'If you want to help this crazy French-Canadian, get a season ticket'. Some people are going to get in the locomotive and some are going to sit in the wagon. But at some point I'm going to unpin the wagon and we'll continue without the deadwood.' Only time will tell if Mario Lapointe can resurrect Dumbarton's fortunes. They are an odd couple and then some. But one thing is absolutely certain. There will not be a dull moment as he tries.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
For those about to rock: How on earth does a French-Canadian musician and songwriter breathe fresh life into ailing Dumbarton FC? New owner Mario Lapointe tells Mail Sport about his plans to turn Sons into the best-run part-timers in Scottish football
Mario Lapointe is a businessman and entrepreneur. He is a French-Canadian whose first language was not English. He is a musician and singer-songwriter who cites Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen as inspiration. He made his money in the electronics industry and has a degree in mechanical engineering. In his free time, he works on old cars and restores them to their former glory, a hobby which earned him the nickname 'Vintage'. He describes himself as a poet and a 'soulful whisperer'. In his latest venture, he has also now become the owner of one of Scotland's oldest football clubs after recently completing a deal to buy Dumbarton. Following years of financial mismanagement and off-field turmoil, Dumbarton were plunged into administration last season and docked 15 points, leading to relegation to League Two. A fund-raiser set up by supporters allowed the club to make it through until the end of last season, before the old company was dissolved and Lapointe bought the assets and set it up under a newco structure. Which raises a fairly obvious question. Why would an eccentric French-Canadian businessman want to invest in a cash-strapped part-time club in the fourth tier of Scottish football? Well, Lapointe is clear on one thing. He is not here to make a quick buck or to sell the family silver. Indeed, he is now actively working on a guarantee that would stop the stadium being sold off under his watch. 'I was looking for a team for quite a while,' he explains. 'I looked at Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland and Scotland. 'For the pockets I have, I'm not looking for a £400million team. I'm a modest guy. My mum was a cleaner and my dad was a mechanic. I did mechanical engineering at university. 'I started my own electronics business in 1996 and I didn't take any salary whatsoever the first three years. 'I was the only guy who was happy to have parents who were divorced because I could bum dinner at one place and then go elsewhere the next night. 'I used to have a girlfriend from Glasgow when I was studying. It's the passion of the country which ultimately made me want to come here. 'Dumbarton is a resilient club who have had a lot of ups and downs, but the passion of the people who work and volunteer around the club was really clear to see. 'Look at the stadium. Where in the world could you see a more spectacular setting for a football stadium? 'I shared something on my Facebook recently about the perfect radishes. People like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, guys who are a little bit different. I always compare a good team to a good salad. You can't have a good salad with just lettuce. 'I like radishes and, in sports terms, that would be guys who have a little character. I want this club to have character.' By his own admission, Lapointe doesn't have limitless wealth to pump into an under-performing and troubled football club. This isn't going to be another Brooks Mileson and Gretna project, where the owner was seduced by wild ambitions to go flying up the leagues and spent way beyond their means. The plan is to bring some much-needed stability to Dumbarton. To get the club back on a solid footing and to become the best-run part-time club in the country. While Lapointe may be a colourful character, a lot of what he said at his unveiling yesterday made sense. He wants the club to live within its means and to become self-sustaining. Progress might be slow in the initial period, but it's part of a wider, long-term plan. 'First thing's first, I am not here to sell the stadium,' he insists. 'If I wanted to build houses, I could have done it back in Canada. No, that's not why I'm here. 'We have a community trust which is a non-profit organisation that was set up before I arrived. I don't own all of the land beyond the stadium. 'There is a section of land which I believe belongs to another party, but they can't build anything on it. In the long-run, we want the community trust to take ownership of this land so they have the right to approve things. 'In terms of the level of investment I will make, it's probably not correct to put an exact figure on it. But probably half my savings are going into this. I want to put the club back on its feet. 'The burn-rate (loss) for the club has been close to £200,000 per year. My goal is for the club to move away from that and not to burn money. It's about how you allocate the money in certain areas of the club and the facility at the stadium. 'For instance, one of the first things we are going to do is spend around £20,000 to revamp our main hospitality suite. 'We want that to be something that appeals to people. They can come and have a great day out at the football and really enjoy our hospitality experience. 'We also have some big spaces, big halls, inside the stadium. Those could be used for birthday parties, wedding functions, stuff like that. Whereas, at the moment, they are not being used at all. 'I want us to start hosting music nights, things like open mic, and also comedy nights. These are things that could help with revenue whilst also engaging with the local community in Dumbarton. 'You have to invest in things like this initially to start finding ways of bringing in revenue. Otherwise, you will just end up in the same situation where the club is pouring money down a hole. 'In terms of budget — cup money, league money and sponsorship equals the player wages. That's basically it. It can't be any more simple than that. 'We have it all on a spreadsheet. My accountant Mhairi, who is the daughter of [Dumbarton and Celtic legend] Murdo MacLeod, is great. 'You can't run a club purely with ego and ambition. You have to win it with math. This will be a key point for us in terms of how I want to take the club forward.' In terms of his background in music, Lapointe revealed that he had already contacted David Byrne, frontman of Talking Heads who was born in Dumbarton. 'I tried to reach out to him so that I could get him to make a little video so that I could pump the tyres of the volunteers,' he says. 'Just so he could say something like: 'Hey! Dumbarton! I heard that there's a new sheriff in town'. 'But he didn't answer. Talking Heads are actually one of the favourite bands of one of my sons. 'I play guitar and write songs. If you go on to you will hear all of my songs on there. I think I have a song for every kind of mood you can experience. 'I used to write music when I was much younger, than I basically stopped for about 30 years or something. I used to be in a band around the time I went to engineering school. 'I didn't have a great memory. I would f*** up all the time and forget the words. It was the same when I tried to read poems at school. 'After getting divorced, 25 years of marriage, three boys, and a cheating wife, you end up with quite a lot to say. So I wrote songs about it.' Whether or not he becomes Super Mario in Dumbarton, only time will tell. But with Lapointe in charge, life at The Rock certainly won't be dull.
STV News
3 days ago
- Business
- STV News
New Dumbarton owner aims to make club financially stable by 2027
New Dumbarton owner Mario Lapointe believes he can get the club on a stable financial footing within the next two years. A big part of his plans surrounds installing an artificial surface at The Rock and having the stadium in use all year round, including music and comedy festivals. The League Two side are one of the oldest in the country, and twice national champions having won the top-flight title in 1891 and 1892. They are now at the bottom of the SPFL pyramid, having suffered relegation from League One last season. And Lapointe pinpointed that history, as well as the passion for football in the country, as one of the main reasons why he chose to come to Scotland. However, the French-Canadian businessman and musician, who also looked at clubs in England, Ireland, and throughout Europe, has prioritised getting the finances in order to make Dumbarton sustainable for future generations. He said: 'My early goals are finances, because if you don't look at the financial thing, you will not have a club, you were three weeks away from not having a football club here. 'It was very close to not being there, so that is my first goal. 'We don't want to be relegated, of course, nobody ever wants to go down because nobody ever comes back again, statistically it is very hard to come back. 'So we have to make sure we invest in the right places and have a quick return on these things, and that money will then be reinvested in talent. 'Next year, June 2026, is when we will start digging this ground and put turf on it. After a full season on that turf, you get the full revenues, the rental revenues, and you get the new balance on your budget. 'So I believe that by the end of the second season, you should be back to par, meaning you are not standing in the red all the time, you'll have some months in the black, some months in the red, and that's what I see.' Lapointe has been looking to invest in a football club for the last couple of years and spoke to several others before deciding on Dumbarton. He said: 'I was looking at clubs in Scotland, Ireland, England, Spain, and Bulgaria, but Bulgaria was too scary. I don't know if you know the stats that something like 11 owners have been shot in Bulgaria in the last 20 years. 'At the end of it, for the pockets that I have, I was not looking at teams worth £400m. 'In the end, there were Ireland, England, and Scotland. 'Scotland just felt the best option for me with the way I saw the whole thing happening, and that was it. 'You don't realise the passion for football that you have here. And Dumbarton is a resilient club that has had so many different ups and downs over the years. I have spoken to fans with five or six generations of Dumbarton supporters in their family. 'So that was my attraction to this place: it was the heritage, the family values, and the community. I did not expect so many volunteers of this quality, and we have great quality at this club, so from then on the romance starts. 'I come in with positivity and full transparency. For me, there is a lot of potential here, and we just have to do it step by step now.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Canadian businessman completes purchase of Dumbarton FC
Canadian electronics businessman Mario Lapointe has completed his purchase of Dumbarton Football were relegated from Scottish League 1 last season after finishing bottom of the table following a 15-point deduction for going into this month, administrator Quantuma said the club, formed in 1872, would be dissolved and replaced with Dumbarton Football Club 1872 Ltd, a new company wholly owned by agreement had been reached with the Scottish Professional Football League to allow Lapointe to take control and play in League 2 next season - and it was hoped to have the approval of the Scottish FA by Tuesday's SPFL annual meeting. Now Quantuma managing director Ian Wright has revealed that the sale of the club is complete."So many people have helped to get to this conclusion, but most importantly has been the support of the fans," he said. "We wish Mario and everyone involved with the club every success for the season ahead and for the longer-term future of the Sons."Lapointe, co-owner and technical director of electronics contract manufacturer SMT-ASSY in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, had stepped in to save the club after ill health forced the collapse of a deal with Oxford-based businessman Gareth new owner will visit Dumbarton next week for the first time since agreeing to take over the club and supporters and sponsors will have three opportunities to attend "Meet Mario" events on Wednesday, 25 went into administration in November, when Quantuma said insolvency was the result of non-receipt of "significant" funds owed from the sale of land in 2021.
