Alex Hamilton
Encyclopedia
- For the U.S. Secretary of Treasury see Alexander HamiltonAlexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
Alex Hamilton is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
property developer who became the chairman of Wrexham Association Football Club
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
in May 2004, when he took over from his former business associate, Mark Guterman, who also uses the alias Mark Gutterman.
Upon his appointment, Wrexham fans expressed fears that the Racecourse Ground
Racecourse Ground
The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League...
in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
could be sold for development. The football club have been playing at the Racecourse Ground ever since it was formed in September 1872, except for two years, 1881-83. Supporters repeatedly voiced concerns over Hamilton's motives in assuming the chairmanship, many supporters believing without evidence that Hamilton's intention was to destroy the football club and capitalise on the land value.
Wrexham fans began a programme of cover protests, marching through his home town of Halebarns, piling empty boxes outside his house and repeatedly ordering taxis to his home. One fan, Mr Kenneth Pemberton, bought a taxi, painted it pink and turquoise, and labelled it the 'Crazy Taxi for Crazy Hamilton'. Hamilton responded to the protests by calling fans "Luddite
Luddite
The Luddites were a social movement of 19th-century English textile artisans who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life...
terrorists who should be locked up in cages" and accused them of behaving like "Moslem terrorists" who hid behind masks. Fans trespassed at Hamilton's home, he received many death threats. Hamilton had his mail stolen, which gave Wrexham fans the whereabouts of his forthcoming holiday which he claimed they terrorised with phone calls throughout his first few days forcing him to return early to the UK.
On September 20, 2004, Hamilton gave the club, of which he was still the Chairman, notice to quit the Racecourse Ground, the ownership of which had by then been transferred to a separate company, owned by Hamilton.
Hamilton resigned as Chairman on October 29, 2004, but retained his 78% share in the club. Throughout this period Wrexham fans formed a supporters trust, WST, which raised money to eventually own a stake in the club. A fanzine was also born from another group of disgruntled fans who were concerned about Hamilton and Guterman's intentions, the fanzine was named "Dismal Jimmy" and Hamilton blamed much of the disputes on the "Dismal Jimmy mob" who encouraged Wrexham fans to fight outside the law to save their club.
More recently the Administrators who had been appointed to look after Wrexham FC took Hamilton to court over the transfer of ownership of the Racecourse Ground, and Judge Norris agreed that Hamilton had acted improperly.
For fans who had fought to save their club from property developer Hamilton, this result was the best that they could have wished for. Hamilton appealed against Judge Norris' decision. However, the Court of Appeal confirmed the lower court's decision and returned the ground to the club, leaving local businessmen Neville Dickens and Geoff Moss to buy the club. Two days later on the 5th of August, Wrexham and 500 fans travelled to Wycombe for the first game of the season at Wycombe. The score finished 1-1, with Mark Jones getting on the scoresheet, but the match will be remembered more for the carnival atmosphere the Wrexham fans created celebrating the club now being under new hands and out of administration.