The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 102: Rebuilding a Forgotten Club
Sabine City Football Club was called exactly that: Sabine City Football Club. Its predecessor had been Sabine City’s only professional football team, but for certain reasons later on, the company responsible for operating it went bankrupt. With no one willing to take it over, it went from a professional club to an amateur one.
After that, still no one wanted to take it over, and it remained in a half-abandoned state. There were rumors that the previous company had used player transfers through this professional club to launder money on a frantic scale. Later, because of disputes over how the private proceeds were divided, players who had participated in the process came forward and exposed the operation, which led to the company’s collapse.
But there was almost no public reporting on any of that. The story on the market was simply that the operating company had been poorly managed and ruined itself. Quite a few people even sighed over it.
The lack of buyers was not merely because of certain problems with the club itself. Running a club required a great deal of money. Not every company could afford to play with a professional club. The annual investment ran from several hundred thousand Federation dollars on the low end to over a million on the high end, but the returns it brought could also be astonishing.
First, the operators of a professional club could receive many local policy preferences and support, including partial tax relief, as well as dedicated sports subsidies from City Hall and the state government.
Second, a successfully operated club could bring a company an extremely valuable public image. As long as the team managed even a passable record, people would support it and the company behind it.
This also touched on certain social issues. For instance, cities with professional teams tended to have higher public order rates than cities without them. Perhaps people often chose to stay home and watch games instead of going out to commit crimes. Or perhaps supporting a team gave them somewhere to vent their emotions.
There was also the matter of a city’s image. A city with a professional sports team gave people a sunny, healthy impression. At the very least, it made outsiders feel that the people in that city cared about health, exercise, and life.
In short, it was a good thing.
When William’s car had just stopped outside the club entrance, the club manager was already waiting there. He took the initiative to open the car door for William, bending slightly at the waist with a touch of flattery.
Beside him stood a woman in her thirties wearing business attire and glasses. Her expression looked somewhat unwilling.
William glanced at this woman who had plainly been dragged into the arrangement, then looked away. Ever since the economy had gone bad, bringing an attractive woman along to business talks had become a kind of convention, as if doing so could improve the odds of success. By now, it had evolved into a social problem of its own.
William stood straight, and with his handsome appearance added to that, the woman who had come to receive him seemed to soften a little. She also seemed less concerned about her open neckline and too-short skirt.
He first looked toward the club manager. The man reached out with both hands, clasped William’s hand, and shook it vigorously. “I’m Kane, the club manager. When I heard from the Intermodal Authority that you were coming today, I was so excited I didn’t sleep all night. After so long, sunlight has finally fallen on us again!” His voice trembled slightly, as if he were genuinely overcome.
The woman beside the manager looked a little sickened by such naked flattery. Her eyes were full of contempt.
Yesterday, the state Intermodal Terminal Division had called them and told them that a major boss would be visiting the club today, and that there was a chance he might restart Sabine City’s professional football program. In an instant, everyone in the club had erupted.
Without sponsorship, the club could not keep good athletes. Without good athletes, the club was quickly dismantled, leaving behind only some older athletes who had nowhere else to go.
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