Following the news about the share purchase by Dan Altman and Emre Marcelli on Thursday, we sent a series of questions over to Dan to find out his motivation and plans towards the football club.
In emailing, we said that we would publish the answers in their entierity, and they were happy for us to do so.
Q. Why invest in Rochdale as opposed to any other club?
A. We did due diligence on clubs across Europe for many months – and had advanced discussions with several – before entering talks with Rochdale. The club has a mix of history and ties to the community that we deeply appreciate, and we were also impressed by the club’s ability to bring through young players and maintain financial stability.
Q. What is in it for you and your investors?
A. Above all, we have a passion for football and are excited to be involved with such a great club. We also see an opportunity to create value for our investors – we think a moderate investment in the club could lead to big improvements on and off the pitch.
Q. In your statement, you’ve made public in discussions with the club for some time. How recently was that, and are those talks ongoing?
A. We’ve been in talks on and off for more than a year and remain in contact with the Board.
Q. Why have you now taken the decision to publicise your interest in the club?
A. We knew that our share ownership would become public soon at Companies House, and evidently it came to light a little earlier. We decided to make a statement to avoid any confusion.
Q. Are you looking at working with the existing board or running the club yourselves? If it is running the club yourselves, would that be from across the pond or would you be moving over?
A. At present we are still just minority shareholders of the club, and we respect the work of the Board. As we stated, our proposal included a full-time sporting director, who naturally would be based at the club.
Q. Your press release talks of big investment into the club. Would this investment be done through loans to the club or through donations?
A. We proposed purchasing all of the club’s unissued shares, since this would allow us to put money straight into the club. Any additional investment would come as zero-interest loans.
Q. What would be the benefits for the football club of you and Emre getting involved in the club?
A. Together, we have significant experience in football and finance, as well as a systematic and evidence-based way of doing business. Were our group to invest in the club, we would have a responsibility to create value for the group. This is not a vanity project for us, and we are prepared to make a long-term commitment to the club.
Q. We are aware that you have been involved with sports analysis. Traditionally when this is used, it focuses on player recruitment. Does that go against a club that focuses on young talent?
A. We think analysis can be a critical part of identifying and developing young talent. One of the things that attracted us to Rochdale was the club’s ability to bring through young players, and we would want to continue playing to that strength.
Q. Do you have any message for the Rochdale supporters?
A. We are really pleased to be a small part of this club. If we can become a bigger part of its future, we will try to engage with the community and supporters as much as possible, both on the pitch and off. And of course, up the Dale!