Brooks Mileson
Encyclopedia
Brooks John Joseph Mileson (13 November 1947 – 3 November 2008) was an English
businessman and the former owner of Scottish
football club Gretna
as well as being a philanthropist
to 70 non-league clubs.
, Mileson and his four siblings were born in Pennywell
, an estate in Sunderland, England
. All the children were committed Christian
s who were given a good education, brought up in a poor household. Told he would never make the sports team after breaking his back in a quarry
aged 11, Mileson took up running
. He won the bronze medal in the 1967 English cross country junior championships – then immediately stopped: "It was the happiest day of my life. I hated every minute of running, but I had something to prove."
-based Mileson was made redundant in 1982, he set up his first construction firm, before branching out into insurance
. Although estimates of his wealth varied, he was said to have sold two companies for £17m and £48.6m, with the highest tabloid estimates at over £75 million, according to a profile in The Sun
.
Towards the end of his tenure at Gretna
, Mileson was reported to be heavily in debt, with his personal bank account reported to be overdrawn by almost half a million pounds. Mileson was declared bankrupt in February 2010, after a businessman who was owed £1.85 million by Mileson made an application to Carlisle County Court.
's United Trust, Dundee United
's Arab Trust, Ayr United
's Honest Men Trust, Dundee
's Dee4life Trust and Berwick Rangers
's Supporters Trust. Mileson was made an Honorary Vice President of the Stockport County Supporters' Trust for the support and guidance he provided during their takeover of the club. He was also the president of Whitby Town
, and sponsor of the Northern League
.
He failed in an attempt to buy Carlisle United
, a team he supported.
Gretna
were admitted to the Scottish Football League
in 2002 in place of Airdrie
. Mileson took control of the club and invested heavily in the team, and they were promoted from the Scottish Third Division
to the Scottish Premier League
in three consecutive seasons. Gretna also reached the 2006 Scottish Cup Final
as a Second Division
club, only losing to Hearts
on penalties
.
Mileson had been in poor health in recent years resulting from his many years as a chain smoker, subsequently undergoing two stomach operations. He also suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome
. He was admitted to hospital once again on 12 February 2008, suffering from a brain infection. After this event, his financial support for Gretna was withdrawn, bankrupting the club and leaving Gretna without a football team to play at Raydale Park. A new club called Gretna 2008
was founded in its place.
Mileson was not universally popular with Scottish football
. St. Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown described Mileson's ownership of Gretna as an "ego trip", which had experienced a "day of reckoning" when the club went out of business.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
businessman and the former owner of Scottish
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
football club Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...
as well as being a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
to 70 non-league clubs.
Early life
The eldest son of parents who were both members of the Salvation ArmySalvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, Mileson and his four siblings were born in Pennywell
Pennywell
Pennywell is one of the UK's largest post-war social housing schemes, and is situated in the central-west area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North East England. Pennywell is the largest local authority housing estate in the City of Sunderland...
, an estate in Sunderland, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. All the children were committed Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s who were given a good education, brought up in a poor household. Told he would never make the sports team after breaking his back in a quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
aged 11, Mileson took up running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
. He won the bronze medal in the 1967 English cross country junior championships – then immediately stopped: "It was the happiest day of my life. I hated every minute of running, but I had something to prove."
Business
Starting out from school and working in the construction industry, after the then DurhamDurham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
-based Mileson was made redundant in 1982, he set up his first construction firm, before branching out into insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
. Although estimates of his wealth varied, he was said to have sold two companies for £17m and £48.6m, with the highest tabloid estimates at over £75 million, according to a profile in The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
.
Towards the end of his tenure at Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...
, Mileson was reported to be heavily in debt, with his personal bank account reported to be overdrawn by almost half a million pounds. Mileson was declared bankrupt in February 2010, after a businessman who was owed £1.85 million by Mileson made an application to Carlisle County Court.
Sport
Mileson was a devotee of grass-roots football, and made donations to several football trusts, including CarlisleCarlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
's United Trust, Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
's Arab Trust, Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...
's Honest Men Trust, Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
's Dee4life Trust and Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers F.C.
Berwick Rangers Football Club are a football team based in the English Border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, although they play in the Scottish Football League Third Division...
's Supporters Trust. Mileson was made an Honorary Vice President of the Stockport County Supporters' Trust for the support and guidance he provided during their takeover of the club. He was also the president of Whitby Town
Whitby Town F.C.
Whitby Town Football Club is an English football club based in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Northern Premier League, the seventh tier of English football...
, and sponsor of the Northern League
Northern League (football)
The Northern League is a football league in North East England for semi-professional and amateur teams. Having been founded in 1889, it is the oldest surviving football league in the world after the Football League....
.
He failed in an attempt to buy Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, a team he supported.
Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...
were admitted to the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
in 2002 in place of Airdrie
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
. Mileson took control of the club and invested heavily in the team, and they were promoted from the Scottish Third Division
Scottish Football League Third Division
The Scottish Football League Third Division is the lowest division of the Scottish Football League and the fourth overall in the Scottish football league system....
to the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
in three consecutive seasons. Gretna also reached the 2006 Scottish Cup Final
2006 Scottish Cup Final
The 2006 Scottish Cup Final was played on 13 May 2006 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 120th Scottish Cup. The final was contested by Heart of Midlothian , who beat Hibernian 4–0 in the semi-final, and Gretna, who beat Dundee 3–0....
as a Second Division
Scottish Football League Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....
club, only losing to Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
on penalties
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
.
Mileson had been in poor health in recent years resulting from his many years as a chain smoker, subsequently undergoing two stomach operations. He also suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name used to designate a significantly debilitating medical disorder or group of disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue accompanied by other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months, not due to ongoing exertion, not substantially...
. He was admitted to hospital once again on 12 February 2008, suffering from a brain infection. After this event, his financial support for Gretna was withdrawn, bankrupting the club and leaving Gretna without a football team to play at Raydale Park. A new club called Gretna 2008
Gretna F.C. 2008
Gretna F.C. 2008 is a football club from the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway. It was founded in 2008 after the bankruptcy and demise of Gretna F.C., which had existed since 1946...
was founded in its place.
Mileson was not universally popular with Scottish football
Football in Scotland
Association football is the national sport in Scotland and highly popular throughout the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scottish Borders, although many of these include carrying the ball and passing by hand, and despite...
. St. Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown described Mileson's ownership of Gretna as an "ego trip", which had experienced a "day of reckoning" when the club went out of business.