Non-league club's new owner comes from 30bn family and has Made In Chelsea sister
Ryan Reynolds-owned Wrexham have fresh competition for the most glitz owners in England's lower leagues after York City's recent takeover.
The Minstermen just about avoided relegation from the National League last season, cueing a quick exit from controversial chairman Glen Henderson. And the club has found new ownership for the second time in less than a year after 394 Sports Ltd succeeded with its bid for a 51% stake.
The group is fronted by Matt Uggla and his mother, Julie-Anne, who will serve as co-chairs of the club moving forward. The former was recently part of a consortium that appeared close to taking over Yeovil Town, only for the deal to collapse at the 11th hour.
And fans will be excited to learn Uggla is closely linked to a family empire worth billions through his father, Lance. The Canadian businessman founded financial data company IHS Markit in 2003 and sold the asset for around £31billion in 2020.
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Uggla Jr. also has a sister, Riley, who grew up in the United Kingdom before featuring in the seventh season of Made In Chelsea. The 28-year-old MIC alum has since founded 'sustainable luxury fashion brand' Riley Studio, which produces gender-neutral clothing.
It's worth noting York City fans may not see as much of those substantial funds as they might like, with the National League promotion plight unlikely to figure highly on Lance or Riley's radars. That being said, property investor Matt has business interests of his own and is motivated to make a success out of his latest buy.
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"It’s amazing to get it done," said new owner Uggla after wrapping up the purchase. "It has been a pretty quick process and we need to hit the ground running because things are getting underway and we need to catch up with other teams who have had all summer to prepare.
"We can really take this club as far as we want to take it, I think the sky really is the limit, there’s not really a ceiling on this club. It’s just a case of putting the right structures and plans in place to really go for it."
Co-chair Julie-Anne is no longer married to Lance, but both exes have taken to investing heavily in sustainability projects over the decades. The former has been "involved in the non-profit industry for over 20 years" and created a Ukrainian fundraiser in 1992 that's helped build 16 orphanages in the war-torn country.
As for the latter, Lance now operates a climate and sustainability fund called BeyondNetZero, further evidence of the benevolent running through the family.
The Minstermen are poised for a second consecutive campaign in the National League following their promotion in 2022. The club dropped down from League Two in 2016 before suffering back-to-back relegations, struggling to regain a foothold in the fifth tier since then.
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