Brentford owner Benham weighs up minority investment in Bees Sport Business Brentford have received multiple offers of minority investment from American groups who value the club at around £400m. Owner Matthew Benham has been seeking additional investment for over a year. Rothschild was appointed to oversee the sales process but City AM understands that the merchant bank is no longer working on the Brentford deal. The [...]
Premiership Rugby ringfenced again as Ealing and Coventry fail RFU tests Sport Business Championship leaders Ealing have failed the RFU’s minimum standards audit and will be denied promotion to the Premiership, which will retain its existing 10 teams next season. Third-placed Coventry have also failed the audit, which was conducted by the RFU’s Professional Rugby Board, in a development that is likely to increase tensions ahead of next [...]
Eyebrows raised as Manchester United skip tender to hire Foster for stadium Sport Business Manchester United are set to confirm Sir Norman Foster’s firm as architects of their planned £2bn, 100,000-seat stadium without running a formal tender process. The absence of an open tender has caused surprise in the industry, given United are a listed company on the New York Stock Exchange, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also taken [...]
TNT Sports leads UK TV deal race for Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track March 5, 2025 TNT Sports is set to bid for UK TV rights for Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam Track league, which begins in Kingston, Jamaica next month. The four-time Olympic champion has signed 48 international athletes, including Team GB Olympic silver medalists Josh Kerr and Matthew Hudson-Smith, and sprinter Daryll Neita, for the inaugural season of Grand [...]
Ahead of the Game: Rangers’ US takeover could hinge on EFL talks February 26, 2025 Rangers’ takeover by US investors could depend on talks between EFL clubs about loosening regulations which prevent the dual ownership of clubs in different competitions – including the Premier League and Scottish Premier League – at their divisional meetings this week. No vote will take place as the issue is not a formal agenda item, [...]
Ahead of the Game: Tottenham in crosshairs as Ratcliffe eyes more cuts February 19, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are set to continue cutting their investment in sport beyond Manchester United with the company’s commercial deal with Tottenham Hotspur unlikely to be renewed. Spurs signed a five-year contract with Ineos Grenadier as their official 4×4 vehicle partner in 2022, having previously partnered with Ineos Hygienics as official hand sanitiser [...]
PSR is dead, long live PSR: Premier League clubs agree to keep hated rules February 13, 2025 Premier League clubs have agreed to continue with the existing profit and sustainability rules (PSR) for one more season amid concerns over a legal threat from the PFA and the ongoing legal challenges from Manchester City. At a meeting in London earlier today the 20 clubs unanimously agreed to continue trialling new Squad Cost Ratio [...]
Ahead of the Game: Six Nations TV rights tender hit by delay February 12, 2025 The Six Nations TV tender has been put on hold due to delays in finalising the format of the new global Nations Championship, which will launch next year. The 12-team tournament will definitely take place, with each nation playing three games in each hemisphere followed by play-offs in London, but the Six Nations and Sanzaar [...]
Making it Raine: US bank to earn £10m from Hundred franchise sales February 5, 2025 The Raine Group is on course to bank around £10m in commission from its role in the sale of the eight Hundred franchises. City AM has learned that the New-York based bank will earn fees worth two per cent of the price paid for 49 per cent stakes in the franchises sold by the England [...]
Tennis: Wimbledon to keep to tradition with Monday start January 31, 2025 Wimbledon have ruled out following the three other Grand Slam tournaments by expanding to 15 days. The US Open confirmed yesterday that the final Slam of the year at Flushing Meadows will run for 15 days this year, with the men’s and women’s singles first rounds beginning on Sunday 24 August and the men’s final [...]