New Blackpool owner Simon Sadler to meet 80 supporters at first fans' forum

Blackpool supporters will have an opportunity to quiz the club’s new owner on Monday, when Simon Sadler hosts a fans’ forum.
Simon Sadler will meet invited fans at Bloomfield Road on MondaySimon Sadler will meet invited fans at Bloomfield Road on Monday
Simon Sadler will meet invited fans at Bloomfield Road on Monday
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It will be the first chance for Pool fans to meet the new custodian, who will fly into town for the first time since buying the club.Eighty supporters are being invited to attend the forum in Rowley’s bar and restaurant at Bloomfield Road from 7pm.Sadler has indicated he would like to meet with a broad cross-section of the fan base in order to start building a relationship with supporters.The event, which is by invitation only, is intended to allow for an exchange of information and aspirations between Sadler and fans as the club enters its new era.In order to make the discussion as productive as possible, the number of attendees will be restricted to 80.Twenty places will be shared equally between committee members of the main fans’ organisations: BSA, BST, MSG, TKs, BASIL, Yorkshire Seasiders and Leyland and Chorley Seasiders.The majority of places are available to the wider fan base, by application to the club’s new Supporters’ Liaison Officer Steve Rowland.The club stated: “If the event is over-subscribed, there will be a random draw to help decide on those in attendance, cross-referenced to the attendance list from the March fans’ forum to give priority to those who did not attend the earlier forum.”Sadler, a lifelong Blackpool fan, was confirmed as the new owner two weeks ago, purchasing 96.2 per cent of the club’s sharesThe 49-year-old held senior roles in finance and in 2007 set up an asset management business, Segantii Capital Management, in Hong Kong, where he remains chief investment officer.Born and raised in Bispham, Sadler is a lifelong fan of the club, having watched his first game at Bloomfield Road in 1977, aged eight.He was also present at Wembley on May 22, 2010 to witness the club gain promotion to the Premier League.Since 2014, he has been the proud owner of Sir Stanley Matthews’ 1953 FA Cup winner’s medal, currently on loan to the National Football Museum in Manchester.A former Warbreck High pupil, Sadler was a regular in the old West Paddock throughout the 1980s, watching the likes of Eamonn O’Keefe and Paul Stewart, as well as his all-time favourite Andy Garner.