After months of speculation over a potential ownership change at Brunton Park, it was finally confirmed that Carlisle United had been acquired by the Castle Sports Group.
The group, owned by the Piatak Family who hail from Jacksonville, Florida have been spotted in attendance at numerous Carlisle games in the last few months and it was obvious that they were there for far more than just spectating.
Although new to the sport of football, the family do have ties with the American Football side the Jacksonville Jaguars. However this a completely different ballgame (literally) for the family, who have no previous history in football in England or any ties with the city of Carlisle.
Nonetheless, you cannot take anything away from the family, who already seem far more invested in the club than other EFL club owners. The Piatak Family have already met with several supporters groups and even joined fans in the supporters pub prior to respective away games against Portsmouth and Cambridge.
At some point you must think, but why Carlisle? A club who up until last season, had one of the longest spells without promotion in the EFL. It’s not as if they’re a club who regular receive a whole lot of media coverage, partly due to their league position, but just as much their geographical location.
However that does somewhat also work in the Cumbrians favour, with a club that hasn’t had a whole lot of investment in recent years and currently in £2.6 million worth of debt to Purepay Retail Limited which will be settled by the Piataks, there is a real scope for rapid improvement in and around the club.
The Piatak era, although in its initial early stages has already brought plenty of excitement with the family having high aspirations for the future of the club, but what exactly will the family bring to the club?
Financial boost
In an interview on BBC Radio Cumbria Sport, Kieran Maguire of The Price of Football Podcast went on to say, “The total cost of Carlisle’s current squad is just £52.000.”
That value of the squad is one of the lowest in the league and also one that is eclipsed by many League Two teams as well. Carlisle are somewhat punching above their weight in that respect and have been reliant on both free transfers as well as loan signings in recent years.
With the added budget that Castle Sports Group will no doubt bring, we may see the Cumbrians utilise that as early as the January transfer window. Although it may not be desperation mode just yet, the Blues are sat in 22nd in the league currently and three points off of safety.
The January transfer window will be incredibly significant for Carlisle’s second half of the season, and with the current goalscoring problems, it would come as no surprise to see the Blues try and snatch up a big name during the window.
However the Piataks are bringing far more than an increased budget and financial stability to the club and genuinely seem invested for the long haul.
A blossoming relationship with supporters
Yes, it might sound silly to say that the family are invested for the long-term given they only officially acquired the club on Wednesday afternoon, but they have really bought in to what both the club and fans are all about.
Having already met with numerous groups, including the Carlisle United Official Supporters Group (CUOSC) which has a minority stake in the club, it seems as if the talks have all been extremely successful and both groups are on the same page.
The Piataks were in attendance for both legs of the Play-off semi-final against Bradford and opted to extend their stay in the country when the Blues made it to the League Two Play-off final. They have since returned numerous amount of times for both home and away games in this season’s League One campaign. Family friend Val Noel said on BBC Radio Cumbria Sport that Tom Piatak is “unbelievably committed” to the club already and is “committed for the long haul.”
It’s easy to get excited when phrases like those get thrown around a football club, especially one which has had little investment in recent years. It does however seem somewhat out of the ordinary that the family have opted for the club, but you cannot doubt their current commitment and they are joining in what is a great year for the club.
But why Carlisle?
Having spent the previous nine seasons in League Two, this is a big year for the Cumbrians after winning promotion to the third tier via the Play-offs. That recent success has brought bumper crowds to Brunton Park, with the club’s average attendance well over 8,000 this season. The away attendance is just as impressive, and although always well supported given the long travel for most fans from Cumbria, has reached new levels this season.
Being the most northerly club in the EFL and with no English professional club within an hour of the city, the club have a huge catchment area. Although this may not have influenced the Piatak’s choice to acquire the club, from a business point of view it certainly has its benefits. There will no doubt be more fans flocking to Brunton Park following the takeover and the game against Charlton on Saturday could see well over 10,000 fans in attendance.
Carlisle are seeing record attendances this season and those numbers have remained constant despite the on-pitch performance. Pair that with Carlisle’s highest number of shirt sales in their history, surpassing last season’s total before the season had even started, already gives the club a hugely successful year commercially off of the pitch.
The takeover and increased investment in the club will only progress those numbers further but we have seen takeovers go wrong in the past.
More EFL regulations than ever
If you follow the EFL even somewhat loosely, you would’ve heard the horror ownerships of Bury, Scunthorpe, Oldham, Southend and Reading in recent years. As a result, there are now more EFL regulations than ever regarding the ownership of a club in order to prevent any financial trouble.
With the family passing all of those checks, it is very encouraging and the Blues seem to be in safe hands for the future. Financial trouble has loomed over the club in recent years with over £2.6 million worth of debt outstanding. However the Castle Sports Group have already announced on their X (formerly Twitter) account that they have found a successful resolution for the legacy debt.
This is great both for the club as well as fans as there is now that added piece of mind that there is a resolution for the previous financial trouble.
Where could this take Carlisle?
First and foremost, this season is and always has purely been about surviving in League One for Carlisle. As exciting as the takeover is, fans must remember that the club are currently still sat in the League One relegation places. The family’s vision is to “Elevate Carlisle United to new heights and create a lasting legacy that resonates with the community and supporters”, as well as to “create a football club that not only competes at the highest level but also serves as a source of pride for the local community.”
It is great to see that the new owners are just as committed to the wider area than to just the football club, and the City could greatly benefit from the acquisition.
In recent years we have seen teams like Brighton, Brentford, Bournemouth and most recently Luton ascend through the EFL and into the Premier League, could Carlisle be the next?
Even as a fan I’m not totally convinced that will happen any time soon nor is that the Piatak’s plan for the next however many years, especially as the Blues have not even reached the second tier in the 21st century.
It is important that fans don’t get too over-excited, this is a great time for the club but we do have to be realistic. It’ll be a big second half of the season under the Piatak ownership as Carlisle look to climb out of the relegation zone, and hopefully all of the positivity off of the field will translate to the players’ form on it. That being said, there will not be a time in the last decade, bar Paul Simpson’s previous time in charge where there has been this much positivity and excitement so it must be both acknowledged and relished by fans.
