Carlisle United supporters urged to vote in favour of takeover deal

An American businessman has spoken to supporters for the first time about his plans to invest in Carlisle United.

Tom Piatak, a logistics firm owner from Florida, is hopeful that his takeover of Carlisle United could to be completed by mid-October.

At the meeting with the trust on Sunday 24 September Mr Piatak presented his family's plans and vision for the club.

He also publicly called on Purepay to resolve the club’s debt situation, to which he received a hugely positive response.

The potential takeover is subject to a vote which is being tabled by the Carlisle United Official Supporters Club (CUOSC) between now and Wednesday evening.

This is a key part of the Piatak takeover process which the Trust’s board are unanimously urging members to vote in favour of.

Nearly 200 supporters attended meeting in person, with a further a further 200 CUOSC members watching via an online live stream.

The American businessman, who is also a military veteran, attended the meeting alongside five family members.

Piatak told the Trust's members he was “confident” the debt situation – previously described as a significant hurdle to the deal – could be resolved.

Carlisle United currently have a £2.6 million debt to Purepay - a legacy of loans from Philip Day's Edinburgh Woolen Mill.

A conclusion to the long-running debt saga has not been achieved, despite the club's repeated efforts to agree a repayment plan on the debt in recent months.

Piatak said that it could “present a problem” should there remain no communication with Purepay.

The Jacksonville-based logistics businessman, alongside his family, has attended numerous games at Brunton Park in recent months.

Earlier this month the Carlisle United Official Supporters Club (CUOSC) stated that the talks of the potential takeover have been "very encouraging."

Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson has previously spoken of the optimism that he feels regarding the potential investment.