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Archived News from March 2012

RADFORD CONFIRMS GROUND OWNERSHIP
6th March 2012 15:34


2 March 2012
Two great Stags talk shows:

CHAD Stags Talk with Ashley Booker, Tim Morriss and Stephen Thirkill, and John Radford and Carolyn Still. Listen here.

Mansfield 103.2 Friday Night Football Forum with Jason Harrison, John Radford and Mark Hawkins. Listen live from 6pm on 103.2 on Friday, or listen to the podcast here.

John Radford confirms to the Mansfield 103.2 Football Forum that he is now the owner of the ground. He's been to Leeds and Sheffield today carrying bits of paper around. He said: "Today I had to get an original share certificate to Sheffield. These solicitors were making me jump through hoops."

And the Football Conference have confirmed everything is ok for us to be promoted.

Other snippets from John Radford:

"I would have let the court case continue and go all the way through, but with Paul doing so well and being so close to those play-offs, I wanted to give him the opportunity to get us promoted."

In response to a question on whether he would provide a budget of £2 million for next season: "Paul Cox has already burnt a million this year ..."

In answer to a question on why was the lease 17 years, Radford explained it was to do with stamp duty and accountants. He said "Even if you say there is no rent, the taxman will still want a cut off you."

"I'm hoping the training area will be big enough (at Field Mill) and we'll have it ready for next season. And it will save us quite a bit that we're paying to Fretwell Centre."

And Paul Cox tells the 103.2 Football Forum that nothing materialised with regard to Paul Edwards, so he has gone back to Fleetwood.

transcribed by Martin Shaw

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Mansfield Town chairman's delight at Field Mill deal

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17220797

Mansfield Town owner John Radford says completing a deal to buy their Field Mill home is the stepping stone to regaining their Football League status.

Radford has been in talks with former owner Keith Haslam for 18 months and has now secured a 17-year lease on the ground and purchased the freehold.

"I had a couple of targets," Radford told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"I wanted to get Field Mill and I've done that, and now I want to get back into the League."

Had Mansfield not secured a deal on the lease, Football League rules state they would have been ineligible for the play-offs - should they reach them.

Radford, who paid less than £3m for Field Mill, bought the club from Haslam in 2010 (correction by Martin - typo - should say Saunders/Hymas/Middleton).

He added: "This is the start of us getting back up there. Hopefully we can get into the play-offs and have a possibility of getting back into the League.

"It's all gone through now. I have brought all of Field Mill. Keith Haslam had split it into two pockets of land and I have brought both pockets of land.

"It allows the team to train at Field Mill and it allows us to develop the ground and you will see it getting and better each week.

"We will get the training pitches done back up again - that will be the first priority. It will be steady we will tidy things up because.

"When you are renting somewhere you don't have the heart to spend as much cash on it."

Mansfield are sixth in the Blue Square Bet Premier table, one point off the play-off places.

But should they qualify for the four-team knockout end-of-season finale, Football League rules meant their previous lease would not have been sufficient to allow them to take part, or indeed play in the league.

The completed deal brings to an end Haslam's 19-year association with the club

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