Sir Owen Glenn to dish his Warriors shares out to fans
Warriors members have welcomed Sir Owen Glenn's decision to give up his half share in the New Zealand Warriors and end his legal battle with co-owner Eric Watson.
Glenn has announced he will transfer his half share in the NRL club to a charitable trust for the benefit of the rugby league community, with the aim of developing the game at grass roots level.
"It was always my intention to enhance opportunities for kids, who may not have otherwise been able, to participate in league for their own growth and development and hopefully the growth of the game", the multi-millionaire businessman and philanthropist said.
Warriors member Gary Stokes said it was a great idea.
"It's a good move. It makes you feel more important. It might also attract more Warriors members," he said from the Auckland Nines fanzone.
His friend, Rabbit Bolker, agreed, saying he would look at becoming a member if fans had more buy-in.
Another Warriors member said it would make fans feel like they had more input at the board level.
Alan, who withheld his last name, said many football clubs in Europe give their fans a share of the team.
"The [Warriors] club has always been open to that. They are very good with supporters and listen to the fans."
Glenn has been in a bitter battle with Watson over his stake in the club for over a year.
The two men haven't been able to work together in making decisions about the club and Glenn was furious when Matt Elliott was sacked as the club's coach last year against his wishes.
Glenn had been interested at selling his half share in the club back to Watson but they weren't able to agree on a price.
However, Glenn's move ends that battle and he would like the Warriors fans to have a say in the club from now on.
"As a result of my involvement with the club I am now convinced this iconic New Zealand brand should belong to the NZ public and Warriors club members," Glenn said.
In a statement, Watson expressed his support for the idea.
"I'm delighted - this proposal looks to be a positive development and I'm looking forward to seeing further detail," he said.
Glenn has asked his representative Bill Birnie to work alongside Jim Doyle, chief executive of the Warriors to bring the idea to fruition.
Under the proposal being considered the trust would be administered by trustees acting on behalf of the members, league community and other stakeholders.
The trustees to be appointed to the trust would be prominent within business and sporting sectors and Glenn hopes members will see they have a voice in the direction of the club through this initiative.
Glenn believes by doing this it will increase membership numbers at the Warriors, which he felt was an area that needed improvement.
"A strong club starts with a strong and loyal membership," Glenn said.
A GOOD RELATIONSHIP GONE BAD
In 2012, Glenn was on good terms with Watson as he invested $6.15 million in the Warriors for a 50 per cent share. They also started to invest in English property and other ventures, but over the next two years the pair began to fall out.
Glenn claimed he was marginalised as an influence on the Warriors and it all came to a head when former head coach Matt Elliott was sacked in April, 2014.
Glenn said he was not consulted on the decision and that Watson had made the decision at the end of 2013 to get rid of Elliott. He said his representative on the board was not consulted either, but Watson fired back by saying she was.
In July, Glenn said Watson warned him to hire bodyguards because he would "deal with" him, but Watson rubbished those claims.
Glenn announced he wanted out of the Warriors, but the pair could not come to a mutual agreement about the value of the franchise, with Glenn wanting at least what he paid for the club and Watson saying it was worth far less than that.
Glenn took his claim to the High Court at Auckland, but that action looks to have been nullified by today's announcement.
The feud escalated to an even higher level in October when an overseas court decision revealed the pair were fighting over tens of millions of dollars worth of English property, and more than $200 million stashed in a Jersey bank account.
The ruling from the British Virgin Islands quashed Watson's attempts to shut down Glenn's attempts to liquidate the pair's partnership.
Glenn also said in December he planned to sue Watson for $50m in the British courts.
