December 15 – Premier League Aston Villa’s holding company, V Sports, has secured an investment from east coast US private equity firm Atairos.
V Sports is a joint venture company owned by Egyptian/American billionaire Nassef Sawiris and US billionaire Wesley Edens.
Atairos will become a minority partner in V Sports though the stake and investment sum has not been disclosed.
A company statement said V Sports Sports “will continue to own 100% of AVFC post-closing of the transaction and will continue to have full control of all decisions at AVFC”.
Aston Villa was bought in June 2016 by Chinese businessman Tony Xia bought the club for £76 million. Sawiris and Edens bought Aston Villa when the club was in the Championship in 2018 for an estimated £30 million though by the end of 2022 had invested more than £85 million in the club that has seen the club promoted back to the Premier League in 2019 where it currently sites in third position after 17 games, but only a point behind league leaders Arsenal.
V Sports said the new money will “fund growth and infrastructure investments, with the aim of creating material and sustainable value for AVFC and the broader V Sports network”.
While Sawiris and Edens have invested heavily in Villa, they have also built a network of clubs and partnerships that include a minority stake in Vitoria S.C. in the Portugal’s Primeira Liga as well as formal partnerships with Real Union in Spain, Egyptian Premier League side, ZED FC and Japanese J1 League champions, Vissel Kobe.
In a joint statement Sawiris and Edens said: “This exciting partnership enhances the Club’s financial footing and strengthens its ability to compete in England and in Europe. V Sports is fully committed to further investment in Aston Villa FC and its men’s and women’s teams and looks forward to its continued growth and success.”
Atairos, with offices in New York City and Philadelphia, was launched in 2016 and has $6.5 billion of equity capital. Its investment strategy is broad-based in terms of industries, but focussed on potential for long term growth and management teams that will achieve that.
This is understood to be its first investment in football but has made other sports-based entertainment investments in golf and bowling.
Michael Angelakis, chairman a d chief executive officer of Atairos, said: “Aston Villa is a historic football club with an exceptional management team and significant growth potential. We are strong believers in the long-term global growth potential of the Premier League and Aston Villa’s men’s and women’s teams. We have great respect for Aston Villa’s leadership and look forward to partnering with Nassef and Wes. We are excited to bring our expertise in supporting businesses in the leisure, sports, and live entertainment industries to elevate the Club to even greater heights.”
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