Cheltenham Town’s principal shareholders have signed a letter of intent and entered a period of exclusivity with Mike Garlick, the former chairman of Burnley Football Club and current owner of Spanish side Antequera FC and Gibraltar’s St Joseph’s FC.
Garlick, who oversaw Burnley’s two promotions to the Premier League and a notable seventh-place finish in 2017/18, is seeking to invest in the Gloucestershire-based League Two side.
During his tenure, Burnley achieved consistent financial profitability and qualified for European competition.
A club statement released on Saturday confirmed the agreement, which signals a significant step towards securing the club’s long-term future:
_"The Board of Directors of Cheltenham Town Football Club is delighted to announce that its principal shareholders have signed a letter of intent including a period of exclusivity with Mike Garlick, owner of Spanish club Antequera fc and Gibraltar club St Josephs._
_Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system._
_Founded in 1887 and nicknamed the “Robins”, they have played at Whaddon Road since 1932._
_Mike Garlick has worked in football for almost 20 years, from 2006 first as a director and then chairman and majority shareholder of Burnley Football Club. Under his stewardship he achieved two promotions to the Premier League while chairman and kept them in the Premier League for six seasons out of seven, including a seventh place finish and European qualification in the 2017/18 season. Burnley was profitable in every Premier League season whilst he was chairman._
_Mike currently owns St Joseph’s fc in Gibraltar which has qualified for the Europa Conference League for the last three years running and been drawn against Northern Ireland club Cliftonville fc and has also finished in second place for two years running in the Gibraltar league since he acquired the club in 2022._
_Mike also owns FC Antequera, based near Malaga which currently plays in the Spanish 3rd division and which recently qualified for the playoffs for La Liga 2, the Spanish equivalent of the EFL Championship in his first year of ownership._
_Mike has served on the Premier League audit and remuneration board and was jointly responsible for appointment of senior Premier League executives between 2018 and 2021._
_Prior to a career in football Mike spent 20 years founding and developing MBA Michael Bailey associates into an international IT consultancy, floating the company on Nasdaq Europe in Brussels. He has a degree in technology and management from the University of Bradford, lives in Hertfordshire and is married with 2 children._
_Chairman David Bloxham said: "The Board and principal shareholders have worked tirelessly over the last nine months to find the right investor who can secure the financial future of the club whilst at the same recognising and maintaining its identity and community values. We are delighted to enter into a period of exclusivity with Mike Garlick and believe his interest in the Club will herald an exciting future for the Club and its fans."_
_There will be no further announcements for the time being."_