West Bromwich Albion set to begin new era as takeover deal nears conclusion

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Image credit: West Bromwich Albion official website

Bilkul Football WBA, LLC is set to own a majority share in West Bromwich Albion Football Club this week, with the English Football League (EFL) approving the proposed deal.

The company will attain the 87.8% stake in the club left by Chinese businessman Lai Guochuan.

Heading the company is Florida-based businessman Shilen Patel, an investor whose business background transcends many sectors beyond sport, such as technology, health care, and finance.

Patel currently owns a minority stake in Italian Serie A club, Bologna FC, an investment he made in 2014. He will become Club Chairman of West Bromwich Albion once the takeover deal is complete.

His father, Dr Kiran C Patel, is well-versed in the medical profession and has spent many years building a strong business and philanthropic reputation; both in Florida and abroad.

The Patel family’s business and football experience promises to put Albion in good stead for the future.

“I am thrilled and grateful to have reached an agreement to become the custodian of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. The club’s exceptional history, support, and potential set it apart even here in the cradle of football,” Shilen Patel said via club press release.

“My goal is to help the club achieve a future worthy of its history as a pioneering top-flight club that marshals the pride and passion that have defined the Albion for generations.”

The takeover signals the end of a turbulent era for Albion, where the club’s future constantly hung in the balance.

Outgoing shareholder Guochuan purchased a majority share in the club in 2016, under the guise of Yunyi Guokai Sports Development Limited.

However, the businessman’s endeavours took a negative turn during the Covid-19 Pandemic, resulting in a failure to meet three loan repayment deadlines for the club.

Rumours of administration and financial insolvency then circulated around the club, during a period in which four English clubs had already entered administration.

It led to the formation of a fan-led activist group Action for Albion (AFA), who garnered support not just from its own supporters, but football supporters and organisations nationally and globally.

Protests became a regular occurrence at The Hawthorns, as fans pleaded for transparency from Guochuan regarding the club’s financial position and subsequent future.

Responding to the news of the takeover, a statement on the AFA website read:

“Today is about the fans of our great football club. We are delighted that Shilen Patel has identified West Bromwich Albion as a club worth investing in, a proud and passionate club, and a club with a bright future.”

“We are proud of our fans. They are the ones that raised the alarm, they are the ones that brought the story to the world, they are the ones that went about protesting in the right way – a peaceful and constructive way.

“We are of the firm belief that it is the visible dedication of our fans during this period that has shown our prospective new owners that West Bromwich Albion is the right club for them to invest in.”

As one of the world’s oldest football clubs, Albion’s future looks more promising under its proposed new owners.

The club is in the midst of a play-off battle with several clubs in the English Championship. It is likely this news will deliver an enormous boost to efforts on the field as well as off it.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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