"Sports Direct Sports Direct International plc is a British retailing group. Established in 1982 by Mike Ashley, the company is the United Kingdom's largest sports-goods retailer and operates roughly 670 stores worldwide. The company owns a large number of sporting brands and trades predominantly under the SportsDirect.com brand. Other retailers owned by the company include USC and Lillywhites. The company operates under low margins. Sporting and fashion brands owned include Donnay, Slazenger, Firetrap, Everlast, Kangol, Karrimor and Lonsdale. Mike Ashley has continued to hold a majority stake in the business, and his holding has been 61.7 percent since October 2013."
"Mike Ashley (businessman) Michael James Wallace Ashley (born 9 September 1964) is a British billionaire retail entrepreneur in the sporting goods market. He entered the department store industry following the acquisition of House of Fraser following administration in 2018. He is also the owner of Newcastle United after paying around £135 million to buy the club. Ranked 15th (in Britain only) in the 2012 version of ""Forbes"" magazine with estimated wealth of £1.5 billion, Ashley was seen as an intensely private person, who never attended industry functions or gave interviews. Philip Beresford, who compiles the annual ""Sunday Times"" list, said"
"Freddy Shepherd Freddy Shepherd (29 October 1941 – 25 September 2017) was an English businessman and the chairman of Newcastle United football club from 1997 until 2007. During his time at Newcastle, both as an active assistant to and later replacement of Sir John Hall as chairman for ten years, Shepherd proved an often outspoken and controversial figure, at times alienating the club's support. Freddy Shepherd was born in Gilsland, Northumberland into a working class home, the son of a lorry driver; and with his brother Bruce, expanded a road haulage business into a number of marine and related businesses."
"Chris Mort Christopher ""Chris"" Mort is an English lawyer and former chairman of Newcastle United Football Club. Mort is a lawyer for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he is co-head of the leisure sector group and oversees relationships with companies in the gaming, holidays, hotels, pubs and sports sectors. Mort worked for Mike Ashley on his takeover of Newcastle United, and took over as chairman of the club on 24 July 2007, representing Ashley. Mort and Ashley sacked manager Sam Allardyce in January 2008. Kevin Keegan was appointed as his successor. In May 2008, it was widely speculated that Mort would"
"2017, Newcastle United and Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley sued Jimenez, claiming he lured Ashley into a fraudulent £3,000,000 investment in a French golf course. Jimenez vehemently denies all accusations. Tony Jimenez Tony Jimenez (born December 1962 in Brixton, London, England) is an international businessman known for his involvement in European football. He was born in Spain and has also lived in Cyprus and Dubai, where he oversees a number of property developments. He has served as the vice-president in charge of player recruitment for Newcastle United and the co-owner of Charlton Athletic. He is a father and regularly holds"
"tool of a mobile phone in a plastic carrier bag rather than a briefcase. Mike Ashley (businessman) Michael James Wallace Ashley (born 9 September 1964) is a British billionaire retail entrepreneur in the sporting goods market. He entered the department store industry following the acquisition of House of Fraser following administration in 2018. He is also the owner of Newcastle United after paying around £135 million to buy the club. Ranked 15th (in Britain only) in the 2012 version of ""Forbes"" magazine with estimated wealth of £1.5 billion, Ashley was seen as an intensely private person, who never attended industry"
"St James Holdings St James Holdings Limited is a company set up by tycoon Mike Ashley, specifically to acquire shares of Newcastle United Football Club. The company name is a reference to St James' Park, the stadium of Newcastle United. On 23 May 2007 English businessman Mike Ashley bought Sir John Hall's stake in Newcastle United F.C of 41.6% for £55,342,223, valuing the club at £132,810,710.35, he then launched a formal takeover bid at 100p per share. This was a 14% rise on the price at closing on the London Stock Exchange the day before. Chairman Freddy Shepherd, who was"
"itself as one of the premier retail destinations in Western Sydney. In recent years, Constantine has expanded his interests to Newcastle, 150 km north of Sydney, where he is the owner of ""The Store"". He recently purchased two Newcastle community papers, the ""Newcastle & Lake Macquarie Post"" and the ""Hunter Post"", from Fairfax Media. Constantine is a supporter of his local Blacktown Greek Orthodox parish as well as many legitimate Sydney and Newcastle charities. Constantine was the owner and chairman of Newcastle United Jets, an Australian professional football (soccer) club based in Newcastle. The club competes in the A-League and"
"of manager Kevin Keegan. Newcastle United Independent Supporters Association The Newcastle United Independent Supporters Association is a group associated with Newcastle United F.C. (NUFC), an English football club. Through its chairman Frank Gilmore, a local pub manager, the group has been quoted in the press with regard to events at Newcastle United since 2002, on matter such as television coverage, the off field behaviour of player Craig Bellamy, an on pitch brawl between Newcastle United players Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer the sacking of manager Graeme Souness and the concerns of club chairman Mike Ashley over safety fears after fan"
"stadium rights package. The following day, the club announced that the stadium would be known as ""sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park Stadium"" temporarily until the end of the season, to showcase the idea behind the package, until the new sponsor was announced. The stadium's official renaming as the Sports Direct Arena, or SDA, caused considerable perturbation amongst Magpie supporters. On 9 October 2012, payday loan company Wonga.com became Newcastle United's main commercial sponsor and purchased the stadium naming rights. They subsequently announced that the St James' Park name would be restored as part of the deal. St James' Park is"
"Newcastle United Independent Supporters Association The Newcastle United Independent Supporters Association is a group associated with Newcastle United F.C. (NUFC), an English football club. Through its chairman Frank Gilmore, a local pub manager, the group has been quoted in the press with regard to events at Newcastle United since 2002, on matter such as television coverage, the off field behaviour of player Craig Bellamy, an on pitch brawl between Newcastle United players Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer the sacking of manager Graeme Souness and the concerns of club chairman Mike Ashley over safety fears after fan protests following the resignation"
"that Shepherd had launched a £60million bid to buy the club from Ashley. On 1 November 2010 reports circulated that Shepherd was planning on making an offer for the club and returning to Newcastle as owner three years after selling it. This was later denied by the club; however, Shepherd would not comment on the matter. Shepherd died in his sleep at his home in Jesmond on 25 September 2017. He was 76 years old. Freddy Shepherd Freddy Shepherd (29 October 1941 – 25 September 2017) was an English businessman and the chairman of Newcastle United football club from 1997"
"up with new manager Sam Allardyce and wealthy new owners confirmed in the off season. Billionaire businessman Mike Ashley began his quest to purchase Newcastle in the spring of 2007, successfully acquiring Sir John Hall's majority stake in the club. Chairman Freddie Shepherd remained defiant that he was not going to sell the club, and, despite a takeover being inevitable, appointed Sam Allardyce as manager following his departure from Bolton Wanderers in April. However, following Mike Ashley claiming a further majority stake hold, Shepherd was forced to sell his stake to Ashley and end his ten-year tenure as chairman. Ashley"
"Con was stripped of his licence of the Newcastle Jets. The team was taken over on a short-term basis by local businessman Nathan Tinkler. Constantine made a tearful farewell press conference and accused the FFA of backstabbing him. Con Constantine Con Constantine (born 1 July 1945) is a Cypriot Australian businessman and the former owner of the Australian football (soccer) club Newcastle United Jets. Con Constantine migrated to Australia with his parents and siblings from the town of Maroni, near Larnaka, Cyprus at the age of 10. At a young age, he started working in a takeaway food store before"
"of managing director. Many fans felt that because of Mort's departure, relations between the board and manager Kevin Keegan soured and resulted in Keegan's resignation. Many feel that Mort would have handled this situation much better than his replacement Derek Llambias. Supporters have encouraged Mort to return to the club, and he was even linked by the media with a return to Newcastle after being spotted at several games. However, he responded stating that he was just a supporter of the team nowadays. Chris Mort Christopher ""Chris"" Mort is an English lawyer and former chairman of Newcastle United Football Club."
"John Hall (businessman) Sir John Hall (born 21 March 1933) is a property developer in North East England. He is also life president and former chairman of Newcastle United Football Club. The son of a miner, Hall was born and brought up in North Seaton, Ashington, Northumberland, and he attended nearby Bedlington Grammar School until 1949. Before starting his own business career, he worked in the mining industry as a surveyor. In the 1980s, Hall's company, Cameron Hall Developments, masterminded the construction of the MetroCentre shopping mall in Dunston, Gateshead. The development was not without its critics; reputedly, the script"
"two players, Robert Enes and Anthony Perinich, because of their membership of the association. In May 2000, Nogarotto announced the sale of a controlling 51 percent of the Northern Spirit to Scottish club Rangers F.C.. After the founding of Newcastle United in 2000, Nogarotto served as a consultant to club owner Con Constantine, moving to a full-time role in 2001. Nogarotto was elected chairman of Soccer Australia in December 2002, the fifth man to hold the position in seven years. He and most of his board resigned in April 2003 to make way for a new regime led by Frank"
"team enters the field to ""Local Hero"", written by Newcastle native Mark Knopfler, while ""Blaydon Races"" is invariably sung during games. The club has been owned by Mike Ashley since 2007, succeeding long term chairman and owner Sir John Hall. The club is the 17th-highest revenue producing club in the world in terms of annual revenue, generating €169.3 million in 2015. Historically, Newcastle's highest placing was in 1999, when they were the fifth-highest revenue producing football club in the world, and second in England only behind Manchester United. The first record of football being played on Tyneside dates from 3"
"Sir John Hall's majority stake in the club in May 2007, leaving many to believe chairman Freddie Shepherd was set to depart after stepping down as chairman, should Ashley acquire more than 50 percent, which would see Shepherd no longer in control of the club and Ashley able to replace the board. Shepherd dismissed all speculation and proceeded to appoint ex-Bolton Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce as Newcastle manager, but eventually met with Mike Ashley and the board on 29 May. On 7 June 2007, Shepherd ended his 11 years with the club after Mike Ashley accepted his bid to buy"
"established in 1996. They set up Newcastle United Supporters Trust in September 2008, aiming to ""represent the broad church of Newcastle United's support."" In addition to the usual English football chants, Newcastle's supporters sing the traditional Tyneside song ""Blaydon Races."" Prior to each home game the team enters the field to ""Local Hero"", written by Newcastle native Mark Knopfler, founder of Dire Straits. Traditionally, Newcastle's main rivals are Sunderland, against whom the Tyne–Wear derby is competed. To date, inclusive of the 2015–16 season, Newcastle United have spent 85 seasons in the top-flight. They are eighth in the All-time FA Premier"
"George Forbes (businessman) George Robert Forbes (born 9 October 1945 in Coldstream, Scotland) is a Scottish businessman and a former chairman of Newcastle United Football Club. Forbes grew up on the family farm in Berwickshire and is the sixth generation of Forbes to have lived and farmed there. He qualified as a livestock auctioneer and went from an employee at Wooler Auction Mart (in Northumberland) to the owner of the business and site, subsequently turning it into the biggest livestock auction mart in the United Kingdom. At the time the business encompassed various other livestock auction mart sites including Tyneside"
"deal with Sports Direct. The agreement saw Sports Direct hold a floating charge over Rangers Training Centre, Edmiston House, the Albion Car Park and the club's registered trademarks. Sports Direct was also transferred 26% of Rangers' share in Rangers Retail Limited (Rangers previously held 51% with Sports Direct holding 49%). The club were bound to forego all shirt sponsorship revenue for the 2016-17 season and subsequent seasons until the loan is repaid. On transfer deadline day, Rangers also loaned five players from Newcastle United, a Premier League club that Ashley owned. The month of February a large volume of share"
"a new rugby, football and ice-skating stadium at Leazes Park but the scheme was rejected after a 38,000-signature petition against it was organised by local residents. Instead, he began rebuilding St James' Park, Newcastle United's stadium, where the Leazes End stand is now the Sir John Hall Stand. Although he proved very popular with the club's fans, questions as to whether his involvement with Newcastle United was anything other than profitable opportunism have been raised. In 1997, Hall passed chairmanship of the club to Freddy Shepherd and his family interests in the club to his son, Douglas. He then sold"
"a three-year deal, but was not able to prevent the club from being relegated. Newcastle returned to the Premier League at the first attempt, winning the Championship title on 7 May 2017 with a 3–0 win against Barnsley. On 16 October 2017, Mike Ashley put Newcastle United up for sale. Newcastle United finished the season with a 3–0 win over the previous year's champions Chelsea, finishing 10th in the league, their highest finish in four years. The club's home colours are a black and white striped shirt. Shorts and socks are usually black with white trim, though white socks are"
"(operations) for Newcastle United, specifically headhunted by the former managing director and chairman Chris Mort. His focus is said to be widespread, relating to all business-related matters at the club. Williamson became part of a new-look management structure in place at Newcastle United and was to work closely with the also newly appointed managing director Derek Llambias and his counterpart Dennis Wise as executive director (football). Wise though left the club April 1, 2009. Williamson was made redundant after Newcastle United was relegated to the Championship (together with around 150 full and part-time employees of the club). David Williamson (businessman)"
"and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has a 50% stake, are among the outlets to be found inside. Both Eason and Heatons are situated on multiple storeys. The Centre opened on 21 October 1993 and became the heart of shopping in Letterkenny. ""Coronation Street"" stars Kevin Kennedy and Ken Morley officially opened the centre. The visits of notable people such as these are each commemorated throughout the complex with their own tiles, featuring a golden sketch of the person's outline. Among these are tiles dedicated to such Donegal personalities as Packie Bonner and Daniel O'Donnell. The Shopping Centre as of"
"with two children. Niels de Vos Niels Ernest de Vos (born 27 March 1967) is a British sports businessman and chief executive. He was born in Walsall. He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham. He studied Modern History from 1986-89 at Keble College, Oxford. De Vos came to prominence as the Chief Executive of Sale Sharks, a professional rugby union club. De Vos helped the club move to a larger stadium in 2003, leaving Heywood Road in favour of Edgeley Park. In January 2007 he became the Chief Executive of the sporting governing body UK Athletics, headquartered in Birmingham. De Vos"
"the 2018 season, the club finished 10th in the Premier League defeating 2017 holders Chelsea F.C. on the final day of the season, the highest finish achieved within 4 years. Beginning the 2019 season, Mike Ashley again came under scrutiny following lack of major signings, with many fans accusing him of favourising troubled retail chain House of Fraser which he subsequently purchased for £90m. ""As of 2015"" History of Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United are an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. Formed by a merger between Newcastle East End and Newcastle West"
"the date of 18 July being mentioned in the release. On 26 June 2007, Ashley gained the 90% of shares needed to compulsorily acquire the final 10% of shares. On the same day, directors Bruce Shepherd, Allison Antonopoulos, Tim Revill and Douglas Hall formally resigned from the board and both Chris Mort and Steve Hayward were appointed. On 18 July 2007, the shares of Newcastle United PLC were delisted from the London Stock Exchange. In September 2008 the club manager Kevin Keegan (who had been appointed in January) left the club. The European style of management introduced by the Ashley"
"Auction Mart in Newcastle upon Tyne. Forbes eventually sold the livestock auction business to John Swan PLC, where he remained as a director until the business was acquired by H&H Group PLC in 2015. In the 1980s, Forbes was invited to join the Newcastle United board of directors as it aimed to appease fan discontent by appointing a number of local businessmen. Forbes was a Newcastle United supporter from his early years and attended games throughout the country from his late teens. He moved from director to vice-chairman and finally chairman at Newcastle in 1990. He chaired the club during"
"week before his death he was in his usual seat in the Milburn Stand at the last home game to watch Newcastle beat Manchester City at St James' Park. Gordon McKeag Gordon McKeag (1928 – 29 September 2005) was an English solicitor and former chairman of Newcastle United. McKeag was born in Whickham and attended Durham and Cambridge University. He followed in his father's footsteps to become a solicitor. McKeag was first appointed to the board of Newcastle United in November 1972 on the death of his father, Alderman William McKeag. In June 1988 he took on the top job"
"the traditional versions, the special was solely based around the Socceroos' World Cup Campaign. In July 2014, ""The Footy Show"" was broadcast from the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in the lead up to the ""Rise for Alex"" round in support of 22-year-old Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon who had suffered a career ending neck injury earlier in the season which has (currently) confined him to a wheelchair. As the show was in Newcastle, guests included former ""Footy Show"" presenter and current Knights CEO Paul Harragon, as well as other Knights legends Andrew Johns and Danny Buderus. Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett also"
"Con Constantine Con Constantine (born 1 July 1945) is a Cypriot Australian businessman and the former owner of the Australian football (soccer) club Newcastle United Jets. Con Constantine migrated to Australia with his parents and siblings from the town of Maroni, near Larnaka, Cyprus at the age of 10. At a young age, he started working in a takeaway food store before going on to sell houseplants. In 1985, he built Parklea Markets (on the site of a former drive-in cinema), initially operating it as a plant nursery while seeking council approval. After approval was granted, Parklea Markets quickly established"