Owners Club Newsletter - March 15th
NWSL San Diego sells for record price, Saudi PIF launches ATP/WTA takeover bid, Mercury13 acquires Como's women's club, MLP/PPA merger finally complete
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News & Highlights:
Ron Burkle Sells NWSL’s San Diego Wave FC At Record-Breaking Price
Saudi Arabia’s PIF launches ‘US$2bn’ takeover bid for ATP and WTA tours
Mercury 13 Acquires Women’s Football Club Based Near Lake Como
Major League Pickleball and PPA Tour complete long-awaited merger
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Deals
Recent Sports M&A News and Developments
Ron Burkle Sells NWSL’s San Diego Wave FC At Record-Breaking Price - Forbes - March 14th
Ahead of the 2024 NWSL season kickoff, majority owner Ron Burkle has agreed to sell San Diego Wave FC to Lauren Leichtman and her husband Arthur Levine, founding partners of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, to mark the largest sale for an NWSL club with a valuation of $113 million.
Saudi Arabia’s PIF launches ‘US$2bn’ takeover bid for ATP and WTA tours - Sports Pro Media - March 13th
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made a US$2 billion offer to merge the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tours, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper says ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi presented the offer to representatives from the Masters series of events following a meeting to discuss a rival Grand Slam-led ‘premium tour’ proposal.
Mercury 13 Acquires Women’s Football Club Based Near Lake Como - BNN Bloomberg - March 4th
Mercury 13, an investment group targeting women’s football clubs, has reached its first deal, purchasing a controlling stake in FC Como Women in northern Italy.
Como Women, which is in seventh place in the country’s top division, plays in the region around Lake Como, known for jet-set visitors and residents like George Clooney and Richard Branson. The team plays in a stadium in Seregno, about 14 miles south of the lake, and draws an average crowd of 1,700 spectators per match.
The new owners are planning to tap into both the local community and the “millions of international tourists that visit Lake Como every year,” said Mercury 13’s founder, Victoire Cogevina Reynal.
Drake, LeBron James Make PGA Tour Investment - Front Office Sports - March 4th
Drake is trading his views from the six for the back nine. LeBron James is expanding his sports portfolio.
The Canadian rapper and NBA star are among a group of celebrities who were part of a recent investment of as much as $3 billion into the PGA Tour but whose attachment was unreported before Monday. Additional investors: actor Chris Pratt, famous for his roles in Marvel and Jurassic Park franchises; James’s business partner, Maverick Carter; and James’s agent, Rich Paul. (James’s investment is reportedly separate from the investment by Fenway Sports Group, in which James owns a small stake.)
Major League Pickleball and PPA Tour Complete Long-Awaited Merger - CNBC - March 1st
Major League Pickleball and the Professional Pickleball Association have completed their long-awaited merger agreement and infused new capital into the sport, the leagues announced Thursday.
The deal will unite the two largest pickleball organizations into a holding company, but the PPA Tour and MLP will retain their own distinct brands and formats. It wasn’t immediately clear what the new company will be named.
Brentford Owner Looking for New Investment in the Club - yahoo!sports - February 21st
Brentford say the search for new investment is "essential" in its continuing quest for progress. Owner Matthew Benham has presided over a meteoric rise for the west London club. Brentford were in League One when Benham took full ownership, although his financial involvement dates back to the period when they were in the fourth tier.
Since then, the Bees have risen through the leagues and are currently in their third successive Premier League campaign.
However, Benham feels greater investment is needed. It is thought that Brentford have employed leading bankers Rothschild to analyse the current investment and explore new investment interest that could lead to a full or partial sale.
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