How Carlisle United’s takeover is making headlines in the USA

The business family’s acquisition of the Blues is also in the news back home in Jacksonville.

Tom Piatak Sr. and his family are well known in Florida City through their company Magellan Transport Logistics.

Their move into English football circles has not gone unnoticed in the local media.

the Jacksonville Daily Recorda magazine specializing in business and legal news, reported on its acquisition of Brunton Park earlier this week.

Their story attempted to put the news in context for the benefit of readers based in the USA.

This is what they wrote:

The family of Tom Piatak, CEO of Jacksonville-based Magellan Transport Logistics, has acquired control of a British soccer team.

Piatak’s Castle Sports Group announced on November 21 that it had acquired Carlisle United Football Club.

The North of England club plays in the Premier League, the third tier of British football after the Premier League and the Premier League. Carlisle is located about 300 miles north of London and 100 miles south of Glasgow, Scotland.

“Our family has worked hard to ensure a smooth transition, and we are grateful for the cooperation of all parties involved in making this transaction a reality,” Castle Sports Group said in a press release.

According to British media reports, the Piatak family courted Carlisle supporters to gain their approval for the takeover.

Castle received 98% of votes in favor of the deal from the official Carlisle United supporters club, which owns 25.4% of the team, according to a September report by ITV.

The fan share will drop to 10% under Castle’s ownership, the report said.

“We look forward to continuing to engage with the Carlisle United community and working collaboratively to achieve our shared goals. Together we aim to create a football club that not only competes at the highest level, but is also a source of pride for the local community,” Castle said.

British football teams have the opportunity to move up to higher leagues or be relegated to lower leagues, depending on their place in the league standings at the end of the season.

Carlisle currently sit 22nd out of 24 teams in League One, with a record of three wins, five draws and nine losses. He has 29 matches remaining this season.

The terms of the deal were not announced.

Piatak is the third businessman with Jacksonville ties to own a British soccer team.

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan acquired Premier League club Fulham in 2013.

A partnership led by Fidelity National Financial chairman Bill Foley acquired English Premier League club Bournemouth Football Club last year.

Foley also owns the National Hockey League’s Vegas Golden Knights.

First Coast News, associated with Jacksonville television stations WTLV and WJXX, also reported on the acquisition with the headline: “Jacksonville family crosses pond to buy British soccer team.”