EPL Stoke City Board Member Phil Rawlins Sells Club Shares To Majority Shareholder

EPL Stoke City announced on Wednesday that U.S. football club Orlando City President PHIL RAWLINS "had sold his stake in the club and was resigning as director and a member of its board," according to Paul Tenorio of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. Rawlins said that his "commitment to building Orlando City SC and its transition to Major League Soccer made it increasingly difficult to effectively help overseas." Rawlins sold his shares to Stoke Holdings, the company "controlled by the Coates family, the majority shareholder at Stoke City." Rawlins: "When it’s your hometown club and your passion, it certainly wasn't an easy decision or one I took lightly. Really it came down to my time commitment" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/6).