Swindon Town: Deal agreed for £2.3m bid to buy club's ground

A deal to buy the club's ground has been given "final approval"

A deal to buy Swindon Town Football Club's County Ground stadium has received "final approval".

A £2.3million offer to purchase the stadium in a joint venture between the club and a supporters' group was agreed by Swindon Borough Council at a meeting on Monday.

It tweeted it was "pleased to report the sale" was going ahead.

The next step will involve finalising legal documentation to complete the sale, it added.

The borough council's cabinet approved the sale when it met last Wednesday.

Swindon Town chief executive Rob Angus previously said owning the ground was "massively important" for the club and its fans.

"It holds that legacy, it protects the ground as well," he added.

The deal will see the League Two club and the fans' group each have a 50% stake in the stadium.

The new owners plan to invest millions into upgrading the stadium, starting with a £1m redevelopment of the Stratton Bank stand in 2024.

They also plan to spend around £20m on a new Town End stand, conference centre and hotel, and a further £1.5m on adding corporate boxes in the Don Rogers stand, by 2027.

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The club's new chairman Clem Morfuni bought the shares of former chairman Lee Power last July, ending a lengthy and complex legal battle over the club's ownership.

Before that, the club had been facing legal action over unpaid rent for the County Ground, with the council having not been paid for more than a year.