The Toronto Investment Group (TIG) has hailed Cliftonville as a "special club" after members voted in favour of accepting a takeover proposal from the Canadian consortium.
The move was rubber stamped at an Extraordinary General Meeting on Wednesday night. It follows weeks of extensive negotiations involving TIG, Cliftonville officials and fans.
Further talks are now expected with legal representatives to complete the historic deal for the North Belfast club.
TIG said they were "incredibly delighted" to get the members' backing and added they are "enthusiastically eager to get started". The consortium could come in as early as this summer.
The group said in a statement: "The Toronto Investment Group (TIG) are incredibly delighted to receive the news this evening that the membership’s majority have voted in favour for a change in the ownership structure of this historic institution that is Cliftonville Football Club. We look forward to working with the Club and its stakeholders over the coming weeks to conclude this transaction.
"Cliftonville Football Club is a very special Club and by this vote, we recognise the significance of the trust the members have placed in our group. We appreciate and embrace the historical and present value it represents to the members, the players, the community, Belfast, Ireland and beyond, as we work to further develop and realise the Club’s full potential."
The move sees Cliftonville follow in the footsteps of clubs including Larne, Linfield, Glentoran and Coleraine who have all gone full-time, with some also receiving significant investment.
TIG added: "We look forward to being in Belfast again soon and are enthusiastically eager to get started, not only to continue the tradition, but ensure we build upon the Club’s impact on the community and athletes it serves in the years and decades ahead.
"Yours Faithfully, Ron Davidson, John Muffolini, Drew Green, Conor Devine. The Toronto Investment Group (TIG)."
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