Welcome to Montegnée

Over the next few months our European sports writer Matt Birch will be making several trips to Liège to bring you all the latest updates and developments direct from Bradford City`s new partner club Royal Racing FC Montegnée. In this first report we will take a look at the background of the club and the initial impressions of Chairman Paul Topping and of the massive project that is underway at the club.

Many comparisons can be drawn between the cities of Liège and Bradford as well as between Bradford City and Royal Racing FC Montegnée.
The first thing a visitor notices upon arriving in Liège is the run down and derelict buildings on the one hand and on the other hand the massive redevelopment, in particular the impressive new railway station which once complete will be the focal point of the regeneration of the city. Relate this to the city centre of Bradford and the comparisons are striking. Both cities are amongst the largest in their respective countries and both until recently relied heavily on the traditional industries and thus have recently endured financial crises with Liège council being virtually bankrupt in the 90s.
Looking at the two football clubs there are also numerous similarities. Both clubs have had their hey-days in the top flight (City`s being rather more recent than the glory days of Montegnée in the 30s) and both have suffered massive recent slumps with Montegnée suffering two relegations in the last two years and now find themselves in the provincial league for the first time in their history. The clubs` precarious financial positions are also mirrored – much has been publicised about City`s recent spells administration, while Montegnée were days away from liquidation before Topping stepped in to buy the club in February and wipe the enormous debts clear.
On the flip side of the coin, whilst both city`s councils try and wake up to the new millennium, both football clubs are also entering exciting new eras with this joint venture playing a very predominant role.

When looking for a football club to purchase, Topping had two main criteria to bear in mind. The first has already been highlighted in the fact that Montegnée were financially in a position where they were actively seeking a takeover. The second and most important criterion is a phrase which in these days of non stop reality tv may seem overused but in this case it cannot be underestimated, and that is “Location, location, location”. There is not one country within the EU which has as relaxed immigration laws as Belgium. For football clubs this is a massive loophole which a number of clubs are using to get overseas talent qualified to play in Europe, where a three year residency (in some cases only a two year residency is necessary) in Belgium automatically qualifies for a EU passport. Arsenal and Manchester United are probably the two highest profile clubs to have partnerships with Belgian clubs to exploit this loophole, though neither project comes anywhere close to that which Montegnée are setting up.
The other great benefit that Montegnée has on its side is its location within Belgium. The city of Liège is located on two borders making it within an hour`s drive of key cities in French Belgium, Flemish Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany and not out of reach of France and Luxembourg. This easy access opens up many new avenues for a venture of such a grand international scale.

All of the above becomes redundant however if the correct structures are not put in place to get the scheme off the ground. In this respect despite the financial difficulties, Montegnée already had a good base upon which to build. With its own training complex measuring 22 acres, numerous training pitches and an academy running all the way from the age of five upwards, Montegnée have for years been supplying players for numerous division 3 and 2 teams as well as top flight teams such as Standard Liège. And with six million euros earmarked for the development of the training complex, for four state of the art 4G artificial pitches and for the club`s own university, this complex promises to be the envy of even most English Premiership clubs.

So what do we make of Paul Topping, the man behind the whole scheme? A likeable family man who is not afraid to get his hands dirty, first to open the gates on the morning of match day and the last one to close up in the evening. Warm, welcoming and judging by the reports from the fans on the terraces, every single one of them had a positive personal story to tell about the man, no mean feat in such a short space of time. But behind all the niceties beats a fierce drive, passion and determination. This project is clearly the culmination of a lifetime`s experience, his baby and his one ground breaking statement to the footballing world and he has all the elements to make sure it is a resounding success. Topping could have very easily retired to his Valencia mansion but instead has put back his retirement, enrolled at the local university for French classes and most tellingly is putting his own money where his mouth is. If this project fails then it all falls down on one man alone.

In the next report we will go into finer detail about the exact ins and outs of the project, and for City fans more importantly we will find out exactly what it all means for Bradford City and what City can expect to gain from the partnership but for now we shall close with some modest words from Paul Topping, when asked how he would sell the project to Bradford City fans he said “I don`t need to sell anything, the proof of the pudding will come in the tasting”.