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08
Sept
Harrogate Town: Who is Simon Weaver’s new company co-founder?
Yesterday, the Stray Ferret revealed that Harrogate Town manager, Simon Weaver, had set up a new company.
The move has led to speculation that a change of ownership could be on the cards at the club.
According to Companies House, Mr Weaver set up FC Company Holdings Ltd and is listed as a director alongside Jonathan Blezard.
In this article, we take a look at who Mr Blezard is and his business background.
Who is Jonathan Blezard?
Born in 1984, Mr Blezard was a professional poker player before embarking on a business career.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, he took up playing poker to help support himself financially through university in York.
From there, he joined Ernst & Young in May 2006 where he worked in corporate restructuring.
He helped to advise companies in distress on both strategic and financial issues, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Mr Blezard then worked at Sporting Index Group, which specialises in sports spread betting, for six years.
Irving Weaver (centre) flanked by Simon Weaver and chief executive Sarah Barry at a fans' forum in 2022.
According to his LinkedIn page, he was responsible for “the long term proprietary trading strategy of the group”.
After leaving Sporting Index Group, he founded Angstrom Sports alongside co-founder Matt Wood.
The London-based company specialised in sports modelling, forecasting and analytics. It had a particular interest in in-play pricing on US sports, including baseball, basketball, American football and hockey.
Records from the Washington State Gambling Commission, which regulates gambling companies that operate in the US state, shows Mr Blezard held a 24.8% ownership share in the company. He is also listed as chief strategy officer at the firm.
According to the Daily Telegraph, in July 2023, Mr Blezard and Mr Wood reached an agreement to sell the company to gambling firm Entain, which owns Ladbrokes.
At the time, the deal was reported to have been for an initial £88 million.
What is his new company?
Mr Blezard founded FC Company Holdings Ltd alongside Mr Weaver in July 2026, according to Companies House.
Mr Blezard owns 1,020 of the 2,000 shares in the company; Mr Weaver has 980.
It is unclear how Mr Blezard and the Harrogate Town manager know each other.
However, the move has led to speculation among fans that it could lead to a change of ownership at the club.
The speculation follows comments made by the board of directors in May following Town’s relegation to the National League.
The statement said:
Longer term, we are continuing to work hard to protect the long-term sustainability of Harrogate Town Football Club so that we can future-proof the club and remain competitive which will give us a greater chance of returning to the league. As stated earlier this year, we are proactively seeking new investors to help us achieve this objective and welcome interested parties to engage with the board. Any news on this will be shared as and when possible.
Currently, Irving Weaver, Simon’s father and director of Harrogate Town FC, owns 99.6% of shares at the club.
Mr Weaver, who bought the club in 2011, has bankrolled it to keep it running, with the club owing him millions of pounds.
The board statement raises questions over whether the new company is related to the future of Harrogate Town and if Mr Blezard is the investor the club has been seeking.
The Stray Ferret contacted the club to seek answers over the speculation about a change in ownership, but was sent this brief statement:
The club has no comment to add regarding this speculation.
Any future news will be communicated through the club's channels.
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