Ron Noades
Encyclopedia
Ron Noades is an English
businessman who has a strong connection with investments in football clubs. In his time, he has been chairman of Southall
, Wimbledon
, Crystal Palace
and Brentford
between 1981 and 1998.
(1989), an FA Cup
final (1990), a third-placed finish in the First Division (1991), and a win in the Zenith Data Systems Cup
(also 1991).
In 1991, Noades provoked controversy with his comments on the racial make-up of his team: ""The black players at this club lend the side a lot of skill and flair, but you also need white players in there to balance things up and give the team some brains and some common sense."
The fall-out led to several black players leaving the club such as 1989-90 club player of the year Mark Bright
. Although the club's relegation followed, it immediately returned to the FA Premier League
in the following season.
In 1998, Noades sold his interest in Palace to recruitment tycoon Mark Goldberg
, for a fee of £22,000,000 (although Noades actually lent Goldberg £5,000,000 of this, as he could not afford it). Despite being advised against purchasing the club by none other than Noades' own accountants, Goldberg continued with the negotiations. Noades had offered the club for some £9m to a consortium of Kent and Surrey businessmen the previous year. The fee included the club and its players' contracts, but not Selhurst Park Stadium
, Palace's home ground. As the club prepared for relegation from the Premier League
, Noades acted as caretaker manager, after the appointment of Attilio Lombardo
and Tomas Brolin
failed to save Palace from relegation. Head Coach Terry Venables
took over management of the team following Noades departure from the club that summer.
With the sale of club fully completed, Goldberg's financiers withdrew their interest, and he found himself in debt to Noades. The club went through a subsequent administration, which lasted until 2000.
from July 1998, taking the side into Division Two
as Division Three
champions, earning Noades the divisional Manager of the Year Award
. He ended both roles in 2000, and sold his majority shareholding in the club to supporters group Bees United in January 2006. At the time of his departure, Noades had left the club struggling to balance their books with estimated debts of £8 million. Noades claimed that he had been keeping them afloat by the input of his own money since he bought the club and that he decided he could no longer warrant the huge loss with such little support from fans. However, it was subsequently discovered that Noades had put none of his own money into the club but was borrowing money from Barclays Bank against Brentford FC's main asset (Griffin Park
). Noades stated that the main reason he purchased Brentford FC was that it had virtually no debt. When he left the club it had accumulated over £5m of debt.
made public his intentions to either purchase and re-develop Selhurst Park, or move to a new stadium, however Noades announced in April 2006 that Jordan had not made any offers for the stadium, and that he had no intention of selling the stadium, either. However, in October 2006, Jordan announced he had purchased the freehold of the stadium site four days previously for £12m, using an investment mechanism that kept his identity secret. It later turned out that this was incorrect and the freehold was owned by companies under the control of Paul Kemsley
. Jordan announced in April 2008 that he had secured the football club a 25 year lease for Selhurst Park Stadium together with the option to purchase the freehold within that period.
in the south-east of England, known as the Altonwood Group, which includes Surrey National, Westerham, The Addington, Woldingham and Godstone 9 hole, the latter bought by Crystal Palace FC but separated from the club when he sold it to Goldberg.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
businessman who has a strong connection with investments in football clubs. In his time, he has been chairman of Southall
Southall F.C.
Southall F.C. is a semi-professional football club based in the Southall area of west London, in the London Borough of Ealing, England. Football has been played in Southall from at least 1871.-History:...
, Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
between 1981 and 1998.
Crystal Palace
As Crystal Palace chairman, he led them through their brightest period, which included promotion to the old First DivisionFootball League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(1989), an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final (1990), a third-placed finish in the First Division (1991), and a win in the Zenith Data Systems Cup
Full Members Cup
The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
(also 1991).
In 1991, Noades provoked controversy with his comments on the racial make-up of his team: ""The black players at this club lend the side a lot of skill and flair, but you also need white players in there to balance things up and give the team some brains and some common sense."
The fall-out led to several black players leaving the club such as 1989-90 club player of the year Mark Bright
Mark Bright
Mark Abraham Bright is a former English footballer who is now a sports pundit and BBC London's sport presenter, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace....
. Although the club's relegation followed, it immediately returned to the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
in the following season.
In 1998, Noades sold his interest in Palace to recruitment tycoon Mark Goldberg
Mark Goldberg
Mark Goldberg is an English football club chairman and manager, who is currently in his third spell with Bromley F.C.-Business:Goldberg originally made his fortune in the IT recruitment industry, becoming a multi millionaire...
, for a fee of £22,000,000 (although Noades actually lent Goldberg £5,000,000 of this, as he could not afford it). Despite being advised against purchasing the club by none other than Noades' own accountants, Goldberg continued with the negotiations. Noades had offered the club for some £9m to a consortium of Kent and Surrey businessmen the previous year. The fee included the club and its players' contracts, but not Selhurst Park Stadium
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
, Palace's home ground. As the club prepared for relegation from the Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
, Noades acted as caretaker manager, after the appointment of Attilio Lombardo
Attilio Lombardo
Attilio Lombardo is a retired football player turned manager.-Playing:...
and Tomas Brolin
Tomas Brolin
Per Tomas Brolin is a Swedish former professional football player who had a successful period with A.C. Parma during the early nineties winning the 1992 Coppa Italia, the 1993 Cup Winners' Cup, the 1993 UEFA Super Cup and the 1995 UEFA Cup.Brolin also played for the Swedish national team,...
failed to save Palace from relegation. Head Coach Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
took over management of the team following Noades departure from the club that summer.
With the sale of club fully completed, Goldberg's financiers withdrew their interest, and he found himself in debt to Noades. The club went through a subsequent administration, which lasted until 2000.
Brentford
After leaving Palace he became chairman, and subsequently also first team manager of BrentfordBrentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
from July 1998, taking the side into Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
as Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
champions, earning Noades the divisional Manager of the Year Award
Manager of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to the best managers in the American League and the National League . The winner is voted on by 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America . Each places a vote for first, second, and third...
. He ended both roles in 2000, and sold his majority shareholding in the club to supporters group Bees United in January 2006. At the time of his departure, Noades had left the club struggling to balance their books with estimated debts of £8 million. Noades claimed that he had been keeping them afloat by the input of his own money since he bought the club and that he decided he could no longer warrant the huge loss with such little support from fans. However, it was subsequently discovered that Noades had put none of his own money into the club but was borrowing money from Barclays Bank against Brentford FC's main asset (Griffin Park
Griffin Park
Griffin Park is a football ground situated in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It has been the home ground of League One side Brentford since it was built in 1904. It is known for being the only English league football ground to have a pub on each corner, and is situated in a...
). Noades stated that the main reason he purchased Brentford FC was that it had virtually no debt. When he left the club it had accumulated over £5m of debt.
Ownership of Selhurst Park
Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon JordanSimon Jordan
Simon Jordan is an English businessman who made his fortune in the mobile phone industry. In 2000 he purchased Crystal Palace Football Club and remained chairman of the club until they entered administration in early 2010....
made public his intentions to either purchase and re-develop Selhurst Park, or move to a new stadium, however Noades announced in April 2006 that Jordan had not made any offers for the stadium, and that he had no intention of selling the stadium, either. However, in October 2006, Jordan announced he had purchased the freehold of the stadium site four days previously for £12m, using an investment mechanism that kept his identity secret. It later turned out that this was incorrect and the freehold was owned by companies under the control of Paul Kemsley
Paul Kemsley
Paul Zeital Kemsley , is an English businessman. He is best known as a property developer, and to sports fans as a former Vice-Chairman of Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur, and as Chairman of the revived New York Cosmos.-Biography:He was educated at Atholl School in Rayners Lane,...
. Jordan announced in April 2008 that he had secured the football club a 25 year lease for Selhurst Park Stadium together with the option to purchase the freehold within that period.
Business interests
Noades still owns several golf coursesGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
in the south-east of England, known as the Altonwood Group, which includes Surrey National, Westerham, The Addington, Woldingham and Godstone 9 hole, the latter bought by Crystal Palace FC but separated from the club when he sold it to Goldberg.