Pre-season tours: Inside the economics of football’s summer money-spinners Sport Business Football’s summer tours have turned into travelling commercial platforms bringing together big fees, sponsors, merchandise, media and global fan growth, explains Simon Dent. For most football supporters, pre-season used to mean low-key friendlies against a local non-league team, some heavy-legged players and a chance to see the new signing for 30 minutes. For clubs, it [...]
Southampton sponsors could sue over £170m Spygate verdict Sport Business Southampton could face legal action from sponsors for reputational damage after they were kicked out of the Championship play-off final over “Spygate”, lawyers have warned. An arbitration panel dismissed Southampton’s appeal against their expulsion from the £170m Wembley showdown after the club admitted multiple counts of spying on opponents. Leading sports lawyers believe the Saints [...]
Hollywood consortium revives bid for Cardiff after Ospreys owners’ deal fails Sport Business A Hollywood-backed consortium is ready to revive its bid to buy Cardiff Rugby and “do a Wrexham” after the collapse of Ospreys owner Y11 Sports & Media’s takeover, City AM understands. Y11’s bid to buy Cardiff from the Welsh Rugby Union was officially called off today after three months of talks, with the WRU saying [...]
Football clubs are starting to build out their legal benches April 9, 2026 As they say, if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. With the popularity of sports ever-growing, it is no surprise that lawyers are flooding into legal work involving sports. Even the driest M&A deal can be a little more exciting when it involves deals for your favourite [...]
KSI, Dagenham and Redbridge and the rise of the passion investor in sport March 13, 2026 KSI’s move into football club ownership at Dagenham and Redbridge reflects the rise of “passion investors”, writes Stuart Pinnington of investor services firm IQ-EQ. Last week, YouTuber-turned-influencer KSI announced he had acquired a minority stake in non-league side Dagenham and Redbridge. Known to many football fans for his “Race to Division 1” Fifa video game [...]
Reynolds and Mac sell stake in Wrexham AFC to major sport investors December 8, 2025 Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds have sold part of Championship football club Wrexham AFC to Apollo Sports Capital. The sports investment company recently acquired a majority stake in LaLiga giants Atletico Madrid and will now add a minority holding in the Welsh team – Reynolds and Mac will continue as controlling owners. Reynolds and Mac [...]
Selhurst Park among 22 stadiums for 2035 Women’s World Cup November 28, 2025 Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace, Birmingham City’s planned new stadium and Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground are set to host games at the Women’s World Cup in 2035. They are among 22 venues – along with the more established likes of Wembley, the Principality Stadium, Hampden Park and Windsor Park – proposed by the football [...]
Exclusive: Reading in talks over Welcome to Wrexham style docuseries August 26, 2025 Reading could be the latest EFL club to make a “Welcome to Wrexham”-style documentary series. Owner Rob Couhig is understood to have been approached by several production companies since completing his takeover of the League One club in May. The discussions have yet to involve broadcasters or streaming services, but Couhig has been told that [...]
Snoop Dogg, Reynolds and Modric: What’s luring stars to Welsh football? August 3, 2025 From Wrexham to Swansea and, perhaps soon, Cardiff: is the need for narratives leading the rich and famous to Welsh football? Two years ago, an American couple at Crewe train station asked me if they were on the right platform. They’d travelled from the other side of the world to go on a football pilgrimage. [...]
Why the Football Governance Bill is good news for investors and fans alike July 12, 2025 Two big forces have been reshaping football and the sporting landscape in England: the surge in regulation, and the tidal wave of investment. With the Football Governance Bill soon to enter law, the question remains if, and how well, these two forces can coexist. The stated intentions of the bill are clear enough. Make sure [...]