Owners Club Newsletter - February 1st
Orioles ownership changes hands, PGA brings in groundbreaking investment from sport's elite, and Foley & Black Knight enter the Scottish premiership
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News & Highlights:
Counties told to 'show their vision' as ECB revamps women's competitions
PGA Tour secures up to $3 billion from U.S. investors as LIV Golf merger hangs in the balance
Saudi Arabia eye Premiership rugby as four clubs targeted with 'stadiums to be renamed'
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Recent Sports M&A News and Developments
Counties told to 'show their vision' as ECB revamps women's competitions - ESPN - January 31st
"Show us your vision." That's the challenge the ECB has sent down to the 18 first-class counties in a second major overhaul of its professional women's playing structure in five years.
Invitations to tender for one of eight women's professional "Tier 1 Clubs" are being sent to the counties and the MCC on Thursday. It is a move away from the current regional structure which began in 2020, whereby teams contesting the 20-over Charlotte Edwards Cup and 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fall under central ECB control and largely encompass more than one county.
PGA Tour secures up to $3 billion from U.S. investors as LIV Golf merger hangs in the balance - January 31st
A U.S. consortium has agreed to invest up to $3 billion into the PGA Tour, the professional golf organization announced Wednesday.
Under the terms of the deal, the investor, Strategic Sports Group, will become a minority owner in PGA Tour Enterprises, the for-profit entity of the PGA Tour. The group will make an initial investment of $1.5 billion in the PGA Tour.
Saudi Arabia eye Premiership rugby as four clubs targeted with 'stadiums to be renamed' - Daily Express - January 31st
The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund is reportedly in discussions with four top-flight rugby clubs over pouring money into the sport. It is claimed that Premiership sides Gloucester, Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints have all been involved in talks that could see the Saudi sovereign wealth fund take control of stadium naming rights and set up a rugby academy in the Middle East.
Baltimore Orioles Reportedly Being Sold to Two Billionaires - Front Office Sports - January 31st
Baltimore Orioles owner John Angelos is reportedly set to sell the team for $1.725 billion.
Baltimore billionaire David Rubenstein from the Carlyle Group and Ares Management billionaire cofounder Mike Arougheti lead the group that will buy the team, according to Puck. Rubenstein has already been linked to the deal and is set to become the franchise’s primary leader, known in the league as a “control person,” while the level of Arougheti’s participation isn’t immediately known, John Ourand reported. Orioles Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is also part of the group, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Bill Foley set for Hibs investment green light by SFA - The National Scotland - January 26th
Bill Foley is set to be given the green light for his £6m investment into Hibernian.
The Scottish FA is close to formally providing the go-ahead for the American billionaire to purchase his minority stake in the Easter Road club.
SFA chiefs have been considering Hibs' case for the last six weeks, as they assessed the AFC Bournemouth owner's credentials. Owner Ian Gordon and chief executive Ben Kensell met with the SFA board at Hampden on December 14 to table Foley’s proposals.
Project Moonshot: Everything we know about WSL NewCo so far - Sports Pro Media - January 26th
The Women’s Super League (WSL) will still look the same on the field next season but the way the competition is run is going to fundamentally change from the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
English soccer’s Football Association (FA) has run the elite tiers of the women’s professional game in England since the inaugural WSL season in 2011, when there were just eight teams in the top flight, including the likes of Doncaster Rovers Belles and Lincoln Ladies.
However, it was announced in November that a new company will be created to operate the WSL and second-tier WSL Championship following the 2023/24 season, a move which has long been considered necessary for women’s soccer in England to enter the next phase of its commercial growth.
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