Following a decade of “transformation”, South Shields FC has obtained new funding, to kick on with its quest to ascend the English soccer pyramid. ORY Funding Holdings has backed the membership, after an exploration carried out by FRP Advisory.
Competing within the sixth tier of the English soccer pyramid, South Shields Soccer Membership has existed in a single kind or one other for greater than 130 years. Primarily based in Tyne-and-Put on, the membership was initially based in 1888 as South Shields Adelaide Athletic, however was reformed in 1976 because the South Shields FC of the fashionable period.
In the summertime of 2015, native businessman Geoff Thompson, founding father of Utilitywise, turned chairman and purchased the unique Filtrona Park. With this backing, South Shields FC loved a brand new period of success – profitable the FA Vase at Wembley in 2017.
Three successive promotions in the meantime meant that by 2023, the membership was competing within the Nationwide League North. It additionally narrowly missed out on promotion to the Nationwide League for the 2025/26 season – dropping 2-0 to Kidderminster Harriers within the division play-off ultimate.
Because the membership dusts itself down to go once more, in its bid to attain English soccer’s fifth tier, nevertheless, expectations could have simply risen – because the membership has confirmed new possession to “develop and develop” its operations on and off the pitch. Confirming the information through a press release on the membership’s web site, Thompson famous that the final decade has been “transformative” – however {that a} group of abroad investors will now assist to take this to the following stage.
Thompson added, “We plan to construct on this momentum by growing a sustainable soccer membership that may proceed to progress on the pitch whereas delivering lasting advantages for our supporters and the broader space. This funding provides us a powerful platform to do exactly that, bringing in companions with the expertise to assist our continued improvement whereas conserving the membership on the coronary heart of the neighborhood. We glance ahead to working with ORY and the broader consortium to make that ambition a actuality and signify North East grass roots soccer on a worldwide stage.”
The brand new possession group is anchored by ORY Funding Holdings and led by Jason Ye. The consortium brings collectively investors from the USA, Hong Kong and Singapore with expertise throughout capital markets and enterprise funding, in addition to a shared curiosity in sports activities funding. The transaction displays a rising worldwide curiosity in heritage soccer golf equipment with robust neighborhood foundations, as investors more and more look past the topflight recreation to golf equipment that play an necessary position of their native economies and communities.
Jason Ye, on behalf of ORY Funding Holdings, remarked, “It’s a privilege to be part of an organisation that embodies such a wealthy heritage, robust neighborhood spirit, and a location on the coronary heart of one of many world’s most prolific areas for soccer expertise. We all know there’s loads of laborious work forward, however we’re totally dedicated to constructing on the improbable basis Geoff and the staff have already created. We really consider SSFC can develop into a powerful pressure each on and off the pitch. We want to prolong our honest gratitude to Geoff for welcoming our group into the SSFC household, and we’re wanting ahead to assembly the followers and sharing this journey collectively.”
By bringing ORY onboard, the membership stated it hoped to entice new abroad companions to assist it develop – whereas it additionally confirmed ORY would assist develop its youth academy so it may “nurture native expertise” whereas “recruiting promising gamers from world wide”. Within the meantime, the low season would even be used to prioritise strengthening the lads’s first-team.
Dealmakers
The transaction obtained approval from The Soccer Affiliation and the Nationwide League, with the brand new possession construction taking impact on 29 Could 2026. Authorized assist for the seller was supplied by Mark Lazenby and Declan Fahey of Sq. One Regulation. On the sell-side, in the meantime, FRP Advisory’s Newcastle company finance staff was appointed by the membership to assist discover long-term possession choices.
Constructing on a long-standing advisory relationship between South Shields FC’s chair and FRP, associate Phil Williams was supported on the deal by affiliate director Graham Brown. The staff supported a worldwide search course of that concerned discussions with potential investors from the UK and abroad earlier than figuring out the profitable consortium.
Williams commented, “From the outset our precedence was to discover the fitting long-term custodian for South Shields FC. The membership has a powerful id and a deep reference to its supporters, so it was necessary that any investor group shared this ambition whereas respecting what makes the membership particular. ORY and the broader consortium confirmed actual dedication all through the method, taking time to perceive the membership’s heritage and its priorities for the longer term. It has been a privilege to assist on a transaction that marks a brand new chapter for a membership of such significance to its area people.”
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