Latest news with #footballclub
Daily Mail
10 hours 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.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Wolves reveal 2025-26 home kit
Wolves have launched their home kit for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The club have called the shirt a fusion of heritage and performance that nods to 'iconic Wolves kits of the past'.Inspired by Molineux Pleasure Grounds, the strip 'brings nostalgic spirit to the modern game', but what do you make of it?Choose your verdict here
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Wrexham opens next season against ex-Premier League side Southampton
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Wrexham will play relegated Premier League team Southampton in its opening game of the season. Wrexham will begin its first campaign in 43 years in English soccer's second tier away at St Mary's on Aug. 9. The Welsh team has enjoyed a spectacular rise under celebrity co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Just two years ago, Wrexham was playing non-league soccer in England's fifth tier. After three straight promotions, it is one tier below the Premier League and faces a Southampton team that was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal last season. The game will be screened live in the U.K., another sign of the growing interest in Wrexham. Fixtures for the second-tier Championship were published on Thursday. Wrexham plays former Premier League champion Leicester on Sept. 30. It plays Ipswich, also relegated from the top flight last season, on Nov. 22 and Sheffield United on Boxing Day. The Championship is renowned as one of the toughest divisions in soccer. That was illustrated last season when Luton — in the Premier League a year before — dropped down to the third tier after back-to-back relegations. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
In Vermont, a Soccer Team That Plays for the Planet
50 States, 50 Fixes The Vermont Green Football Club champions environmental work and draws sold-out crowds, with the help of free ice cream. By Cara Buckley Photographs by Kelly Burgess It was game night in Burlington, home of the Vermont Green Football Club. The evening, in early June, was unfolding in its usual way. The stands were packed, the crowd was roaring and stamping its feet, with hundreds of Crocs and Birkenstocks pounding metal bleachers. But there were signs that the team was playing for bigger stakes. Players wore jerseys made of recycled fabric, spectators who biked to the game were rewarded with raffle tickets, and the food trucks offered vegan eats. Before the night was over, the announcer, Tom Proctor, made the same announcement that he does at every home game. 'Please take all your trash and recycling out of the stands with you and put them in the appropriate bins,' Mr. Proctor, who is from England, thundered through the loudspeaker. Bottles and cans should be empty, he continued, and food waste should go into the compost containers. 'Thank you for pitching in for the planet!' he added brightly. 50 States, 50 Fixes is a series about local solutions to environmental problems. More to come this year. Vermont Green is an amateur soccer club with a mission. Its founders want to offer quality soccer while championing a larger cause befitting Vermont, a state that has pledged to conserve half of its land by 2050 and that generates nearly all of its electricity renewably. Inspired by the Forest Green Rovers in England, known as the world's greenest football club, the Green's founders embraced climate action. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Neymar extends contract with Santos until the end of 2025
SAO PAULO (AP) — Neymar has extended his contract with Brazilian club Santos until the end of December. The 33-year-old forward returned to his boyhood club in late January but has been limited by injuries. His current deal was set to expire next week. Neymar and Santos confirmed the extension Tuesday. 'I extended my contract with Santos. I went, I came back and I stay where it all began and where it will never end,' Neymar said in a video on his social media channels. Neither side explained why he did not extend his contract until the middle of 2026, when many Brazilians still expect him to play in the World Cup. Earlier in June, new Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti hinted he is counting on Neymar's recovery to play in the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Since he left Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal for Santos, Neymar has played 12 matches, scored three goals and provided three assists. He had two extended periods of absence due to muscle injuries. Neymar played 225 matches for Santos in his first spell. He scored 138 goals, many of them key to winning six titles at the Brazilian giant, which was relegated in 2023 and returned to the top division last year. His latest appearance for the team was a frustrating one; he was sent off in the 76th minute of Santos' 1-0 loss to Botafogo at home on June 1 after using his hand to score. Realizing he was not going to reach the ball with his head before a defender could clear it away, Neymar used his right hand to push the ball into the net. The Brazil forward already had a yellow card and was shown his second by the referee, who then disallowed the goal. Botafogo then scored the winner in the 86th. Saudi club Al-Hilal terminated Neymar's contract with mutual consent, six months early, after he played only seven matches. An ACL injury sidelined him for a year until October. Al-Hilal said Neymar could no longer perform like he used to. Neymar also left Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to criticism, despite delivering silverware and goals. Santos is in the 15th position in the Brazilian league with 11 points after 12 matches. ___ AP soccer:
