To the players, supporters, staff, the Gateshead family and the wider football community.
We want to speak to you plainly about where things stand with our acquisition of Gateshead Football Club, and why that transaction is now in doubt – despite our best efforts and continued desire to own and operate the club. You care deeply about this Club, and you deserve a clear and honest account.
We agreed to buy the Club.
Earlier this month we concluded an agreement with who we believe to be the Club’s current owners to purchase the shares in Gateshead FC and to take the Club forward, subject to approval from the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). We entered our negotiations and reached a signed agreement in good faith and with real enthusiasm for the Club’s future.
During checks, we found an earlier claim over the Club.
In parallel, we have carried out a careful review of the Club’s affairs during our due diligence. Late last week, that review revealed that another party, Shoreline Sports Limited, had previously signed an agreement to buy Gateshead FC on 26 March 2025.
Due to complications around that proposed purchase, Shoreline Sports Limited served a notice purporting to terminate the agreement they had signed, and, on 28 July 2025, they commenced Court proceedings in which they are asking the court to confirm that their agreement to buy was null and void.
They are also seeking an order that the shareholders from whom they agreed to buy the Club pay certain financial sums to Shoreline.
These proceedings have not been issued against the Club itself, but against the shareholders of the Club.
We asked Shoreline to confirm it was stepping aside.
To give the Club a clean and secure future under our ownership, we needed Shoreline to confirm in writing that it would give up any ownership claim it might have over Gateshead FC.
We expected this to be an uncontroversial request since Shoreline’s own court proceedings seek to confirm the cancellation of their purchase agreement.
We made no request that Shoreline drop their financial claims against the shareholders themselves. However, we needed their written confirmation as to ownership because, without it, we could not be confident that our takeover of the Club would be free from dispute.
Shoreline has declined our request.
Unfortunately, and even though Shoreline’s own legal case before the Court asserts that they do not wish to own the Club, Shoreline has refused to provide us with the written confirmation we have sought.
Shoreline and ‘The Other Club’
This extremely frustrating situation is compounded by the fact that Shoreline are currently in the process of seeking to acquire another football club that are currently in the English Football League. Regulations forbid any owner to take control of more than one English football club.
Therefore, clarifying the ownership of Gateshead FC would not only clear the way for our rescue of the Club; it would also clear the way for Shoreline to acquire their other chosen club. In our evaluation, Shoreline are therefore attempting to have a control in two football clubs and both the English Football League (EFL) and the IFR have been made aware of our concerns.
Where this leaves us and our plan to rescue Gateshead FC
Our team has worked tirelessly over the past month to make this transaction happen, liaising with the owners, the IFR, the Supporter’s Society and various legal teams. We also provided the funding required to ensure the players and staff were paid their September wages in good faith and to further demonstrate our commitment to buying the club.
We stand ready to inject further funding into the club in relation to paying off the clubs outstanding creditors and the next set of player and staff wages.
We have seen and understood the difficulties faced by Gateshead and we came to the table with sincere and honest intentions, as fellow football lovers, to turn the club around and see it realise its true potential.
However, we are currently not able to proceed with our takeover of the Club whilst this uncertainty hangs over it – that would not be fair to the Club or to you, its supporters. For that reason, unless common-sense prevails, we expect that we will reluctantly have to withdraw from the purchase as we cannot acquire the club and take it forward. This is NOT something we wish to do.
At the same time we have been fully engaged with the IFR throughout in order to achieve a successful outcome for the Club and we remain in close dialogue with them as we seek a resolution with Shoreline.
We know this is not the news many of you were hoping for, and we are genuinely sorry to share it. We wanted you to hear the facts directly from us, rather than through rumour.
Thank you for the welcome you have shown us, and for your continued support of your Club.
We want to be transparent and fully clear – we want to own and operate Gateshead Football Club and have an exciting plan for the club and the region.
With respect and best wishes,
Flacks Group
