By Andy Mitchell
SOLIHULL Moors director Simon Hawker has refuted Mike Turl's status as the club's chief executive and suggestions of a takeover involving current Oxford United owner Darryl Eales.
The double rebuttal comes at the end of a challenging week for the Moors that at least ended well after stadium licensing authority Solihull Council's Safety Action Group (SAG) gave the go ahead for Tuesday's home clash with Barrow.
Moors were left kicking their heels eight days ago when National League officials called off their curtain-raiser against Chester after SAG had prevented fans from entering the ground until “required safety systems are in place”.
The saga was shrouded in uncertainty until Friday when SAG and the league confirmed it would go ahead without restrictions.
But Moors still have to contend with an FA investigation into director Turl – the subject of a two-year ban by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) which ran until April 2015 – over his Owners and Directors Declaration and the nature of a meeting with a representative of Oxford United.
Hawker confirmed that representative was ‘Us' owner and chairman Eales, but insisted the meeting had been about prospective loan players and external investment from other parties.
Moors chairman Trevor Stevens last week confirmed Turl had been the club's chief executive for “three or four years”, a spell that would have overlapped with his BHA ban, but Hawker offered a very different account in an exclusive with The NLP.
“Mike has been a volunteer for some years. He was asked by the then board to help them get out of a hole they were in,” said Hawker, who politely declined to comment on the FA investigation itself.
“He always called himself a volunteer and never held formal office. He only ever worked via the board. Mike never had control of money, nor did he have his name on the chequebook.
“Most of his time was spent developing our community operations with our community manager – that's where his heart is.
Hawker added: “Mike has been involved in many respects, mostly to do with keeping our finances in order. He has been a major contributor to the club financially with unencumbered loans and having works done at the ground by his own company at his own cost.
“That has been his major contribution, bringing in
financial stability and funds through sponsorship.
“He is pretty much the most honourable guy I know, so much so he has lent money to the football club without a written agreement and done things for the club without any prospect of being paid back.”
Hawker also described as “incorrect” a report in the Birmingham Mail which described Turl as CEO back in April 2016, an article where Turl talked about a “three-year strategy” from the point of his arrival.
On Eales, Hawker said: “He made some offers (with regard to loan players), we brought them in on trial and have taken one. He has put us in touch with another potential investor who we have had conversations with.
Asked whether that would involve Eales taking over Moors, being directly involved in a takeover or buying into the club at all, Hawker replied: “No, it is about somebody else.”
According to the club's official website, Simon Hawker, his father Michael Hawker and Stevens are the three directors of Solihull Moors Holdings CIC, the parent company that owns 100 per cent of the club.
“A number of parties have been talking to us about potentially taking over the club,” said Simon Hawker.
“It is not straightforward, the club is a community interest company (CIC) and is not owned by any one individual, it is owned by a holding company. Whatever happens, it is only the holding company that can make a decision on the future of the club.
“We have been open over the past year and would welcome outside investment whether that be sponsorship or otherwise.
“So far, all of the investment and development of the ground has come from within, from current directors. Being in the National League and wanting to take the club further forward, we need more outside investment. It would be wrong of us not to investigate all options, but the key is finding the right kind of investment.
“The holding company directors in particular have responsibility for the ground as an asset, which is locked into another CIC. One of our overriding objectives is to maintain the independence of the stadium from any investment deals.
“Directors of the club are only ever custodians, they always change and move on but that role brings a responsibility, you wish to pass on the club in the best shape you can – that would be my philosophy on it.
“Too many times in the past clubs have been sold and asset stripped. Lots of good clubs have been lost and we don't want that to happen here. We are very aware of what could happen.”
The club confirmed on Friday the safety matter has since been resolved and their next home game, against Barrow on Tuesday night, will go ahead as planned.
