The takeover of Finn Harps FC by former Philippines international and entrepreneur Freddy Gonzalez has received the green light from members.
At a special general meeting on Tuesday, Harps members voted overwhelmingly to rubber-stamp the ambitious takeover bid, clearing the final hurdle for a new era at the club.
Of those who cast a ballot in Ballybofey, 99 per cent voted in favour of the deal – 322 votes for, two against and one abstention.
Almost 400 members gave overwhelming backing to the deal at an initial meeting last month at which members voted 396-3 in favour of the deal.
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Members gathered on Tuesday for the second meeting, required by law, to confirm the special resolution.
Only a simple majority was required to carry the second vote to see the deal through, with hopes it will be concluded by early December.
“I’m very ecstatic because all the work behind the scenes that we’ve been doing since July we can now bring out and push forward,” Gonzalez said after the result.
“It’s full steam ahead now. It’s just a relief also to get it done finally and the staff that I brought in, we can start pushing on and then getting things done at a faster rate.”
Before the deal is completed, a number of final details have to be ironed out, including arrangements regarding creditors and a lease for Finn Park.
Gonzalez has already committed to paying the club’s outstanding creditors. The most recent accounts, for the year ending December 2025, showed negative reserves of €725,538.
Last October, Harps sought the assistance of Markham Capital and Sports Advisory Limited to lead a search for a suitable external investment partner. Around a dozen parties expressed initial interest, several of which were ruled out during the matching process, and Gonzalez entered the running earlier this year.
The takeover proposal includes a clause to “preserve the club’s location in the Finn Valley” and give the Finn Harps Co-Operative Society Limited the right to purchase if the club is later sold on or abandoned.
The deal will see Gonzalez take on some of the co-operative’s assets, but does not include the new stadium or the proposed Centre of Excellence.
Harps said these matters are to be dealt with later “with the option of the co-operative involvement”. “The parties have agreed to work together to see what option or combination of options will work,” the club added.
