A pair of New York-based investment managers have joined the board of Rochdale Football Club as part of a reshuffle following the departure of the chairman last week.
Dan Altman and Emre Marcelli, the club’s third and fourth largest shareholders, have taken on the positions after the resignation of Andrew Kilpatrick was confirmed.
Rochdale have also confirmed that they are actively seeking external investment to "pursue our greater ambitions".
Andrew Kelly has agreed to stand in as interim chairman until a permanent replacement is elected.
Mr Kelly has been a director at The Dale since 2006, with a special interest in developing the academy.
Mr Altman has been working in professional football since 2014 and as the owner of North Yard Analytics, has advised multiple clubs in the Premier League, Major League Soccer, and other competitions around the world.
He is also the creator of smarterscout, an online scouting platform covering more than 50 leagues with advanced player and squad analytics.
Mr Altman will be helping to guide RAFC’s search for a sporting director.
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Mr Marcelli is a fund manager and credit risk expert and after a lengthy career in consumer finance and capital markets, he opened his own fund in New York.
He will be working with Tony Pockney and Nick Grindrod to oversee the club’s finances and identify investment opportunities.
Rochdale have also confirmed that they have lost more than £2m in revenue in the 51 weeks since paying supporters have been allowed inside the Crown Oil Arena.
The investment in Rochdale by Mr Altman and Mr Marcelli, which was confirmed last year, came before Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhnney bought Wrexham AFC.
A statement said: "During this period, we have continued to meet our commitments to staff and suppliers at a time when the majority of our income streams have been decimated.
"Also, because the club has been playing behind closed doors (now 19 games this season), we have been unable to take full advantage of the government's furlough scheme; in order to continue playing football, we require the vast majority of our staff to be at work.
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"In adherence with the salary cap management scheme, conscious of the impact of Covid-19, and recognising that the club's shareholders could not provide additional funds, we started the 2020/21 season with the lowest playing budget since we were promoted back to League One in 2014.
"We acknowledge that we have fought a relegation battle in the past few seasons, but we are determined once again to maintain our League One status."