Few industries are quite as appealing or as prestigious as English soccer, and Mr. Thompson has a piece of it. But while his team might be small, Mr. Thompson is of the view that it is, at least, as perfectly formed as any minor-league English soccer club could hope to be. Mr. Thompson has spent considerable sums of money modernizing the bathrooms, the club shop and the private boxes. “We have done most of the hard yards,” Mr. Thompson said. After a cancer scare last year led him to reassess his priorities, Mr. Thompson has, reluctantly, decided that he has to “hand the baton” to someone else.

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Persons: Geoff Thompson, Thompson, South Shields, Mr Organizations: Shields F.C, Premier League, English Locations: South