And, we, Hull City have changed our name several times at Companies House, as have Hull Fc as recently as last month. Hull City AFC, Hull City FC plc, etc. I was at one shareholders meeting when Chris Needler casually announced we are now to be called Hull City Limited, which was done basically to protect himself from later debts.
Never played under any other name though. Liverpool were originally called Everton FC and Athletic Grounds FC and referred to as Everton Athletic. They only changed because the FA would not recognise another team called Everton. I wonder if their history would have been if that hadn’t happened? Great excitement about the Everton derby with pubs in Hull full of Everton Athletic fans?
You’re right, there are plenty of company directors who do this sort of thing. It’s called ‘phoenix trading’. There is some protection against it in law which could result in a director being disqualified (I’ve disqualified many for this in a previous role), and directors can be made personally liable for debts if there is evidence of this practice, but in reality, creditors like yourself rarely get a great deal back. Without wanting to get too technical, there’s also laws to prevent directors putting companies into liquidation and using the same trading name. S216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 offers this protection but in reality, the deed is usually done before directors get caught out. See https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/section/216/2013-06-06#:~:text=216%20Restriction%20on%20re%2Duse%20of%20company%20names.&text=(c)in%20any%20way%2C,or%20a%20fine%2C%20or%20both. But lamby is right, a company cannot just change its name to avoid debts. The debt goes against the company number and is payable until the company goes into liquidation. Administration is a different sort of insolvency and it’s quite technical to explain whether debts are payable, without going into loads of legal stuff. Anyway, that’s my insolvency geek fest over with, you will be glad to hear…
People are conflating a new company being created (which, naturally, has a new name) with a company merely changing its name (which, as noted, we've done, and plenty of other businesses do regularly). The latter cannot avoid the payment of debts, the former by definition does as the new company is a new entity. Well explained by WAFD.
harrogate have so far lost 10 home games but only 5 away games. they have 20 home points but 30 away points. their goals at home and away are not too different, at 21-29 and 22-26. harrogate are 14th but only top placed mansfield (33 points) have a better away record. harrogate's away record would have been better still had they not lost 9-2 at mansfield in mid-february.
Well the name change seems to have also made some of us fairly knowledgable and long standing supporters the notion that it was due to administration/winding up. That can’t be great for the brand?
You on about Bournemouth? They changed their name in 1971. They went into administration in 1997. So the notion their name change had anything to do with administration is completely wrong. Winding up is different to administration. We also went into administration. Bury and Halifax Town were wound up which means they no longer exist.
I see Reading owner has now sold their training ground to Wycombe, Dai Yongge has been a disaster for them, how lucky we were to miss that owner.
I have never been a company director nor the Secretary of State so neither. I have been known to be pedantic though.
