Paul Scally

Paul Scally is a London-born businessman who has been the chairman of association football club Gillingham since 1995.

Scally had become wealthy through the sale of a photocopier business before he bought the "Gills" for the sum of £1 in 1995, taking the club out of administration shortly before they would have been placed in liquidation. Prior to buying the club he had been a fan of Millwall, a club regarded by fans of the "Gills" as among their fiercest rivals. His tenure has witnessed the most successful period in the club's history, with two promotions, two Wembley play-off finals and four FA Cup victories over top division opponents, and their highest league finish of 11th in the Championship. The last few seasons have seen less success on the field with two relegations returning them to League Two.

He has also overseen the radical redevelopment of the club's once crumbling Priestfield Stadium, with three new permanent stands and one temporary one transforming it into an all-seater arena, together with other non-footballing facilities such as a banqueting suite. The club's fortunes both on and off the pitch took a downhill turn from about 2004, arising mainly from an overspend on the new stands and facilities and the loss of anticipated income following the collapse of ITV Digital. Many fans feelfact|date=August 2008 the ground development was mismanaged by Scally and that ITV Digital's collapse was not the prime reason for the club's debts.

Scally has often shown himself to be unafraid of taking controversial positions. For example, he has made no secret of his desire to relocate the club, possibly to a location away from the Medway Towns (though still within Kent), saying "The future of this football club is not at this stadium and everyone accepts that is a fundamental point." [cite web|url=http://www.kent-online.co.uk/sport/default.asp?article_id=26458|title=Scally: My future rests on stadium plans |last=Cawdell|first=Luke|date=unknown date|accessdate=2006-12-22] He dismissed manager Tony Pulis immediately after he lead the team to a Wembley play-off final in 1999, which brought about a protracted court dispute. He has also become involved in a number of disputes, most notably with several other Football League clubs over player-transfer disputes, the Kent Messenger Group of newspapers (whose reporters he banned from the ground for several years, but who now sponsor the 'Medway Stand'); and Alan Liptrott, ex-chairman of the Gills Independent Supporters Club, with whom he had several very public disagreements, the largest over the ownership of an internet domain name, which led to Scally imposing a lifetime ban from Priestfield on Liptrott. [cite web|url=http://www.gillingham-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=11713|title=Scally Bans GSC|last="Footymad"|first=|date=2001-06-30|accessdate=2006-12-22] [cite web|url=http://www.footballfanscensus.com/popup.html?id=24|title=Fans Comments on Banning from Grounds|last=Football Fans Census|first=|date=unknown date|accessdate=2006-12-22] However, on 2007-02-08, Scally unexpectedly lifted the ban after approximately six years. [cite web|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gillingham/article.asp?article_id=30764&startrecord=7|title=Liptrott 'stunned' as Priestfield ban is lifted |last=kentonline.co.uk|first=|date=2007-02-08|accessdate=2007-02-12]

Scally is the sole owner of Priestfield Developments Ltd., a company formed in 2007 with the sole purpose of purchasing Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium for £9.8m as part of the restructuring of the club's debts.

References