| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route 21:01 - Aug 18 with 2386 views | jasondozzell |
With all the good and bad that brings
This piece on Pompey is worth a watch. Not so much for the hooliganism aspect but the idea of what a club is to a community as opposed to an asset.
Interesting times to be a Town supporter.
[Post edited 18 Aug 21:02]
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:06 - Aug 18 with 1927 views | urbanpenguin |
I mean I love football as part of my life, but I can't get on board with the guy that said "without Portsmouth what's the point to life?". And the same if it was Ipswich, or England, or Norwich, whatever. That's a bit weird, no? |  |
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:11 - Aug 18 with 1864 views | FrimleyBlue |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:06 - Aug 18 by urbanpenguin |
I mean I love football as part of my life, but I can't get on board with the guy that said "without Portsmouth what's the point to life?". And the same if it was Ipswich, or England, or Norwich, whatever. That's a bit weird, no? |
Football can be what ever it needs to be to people
I use twtd as an escape. When i went thro my idiot period and yes i am well aware im still in it lol. But anyway. When i wasnt on here. I suffered. |  |
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:11 - Aug 18 with 1864 views | blueislander |
What do you mean by private equity Premier League? ? All the clubs have investors/owners so to that extent they are private equity owned. Or are youu thinking that private equity firms will invest in the Premier League itself? This would mean that they have succumbed to the Infantino business model for FIFA. That seems highly unlikely given their strident opposition to Infantino. [Post edited 18 Aug 21:14]
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:13 - Aug 18 with 1847 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:06 - Aug 18 by urbanpenguin |
I mean I love football as part of my life, but I can't get on board with the guy that said "without Portsmouth what's the point to life?". And the same if it was Ipswich, or England, or Norwich, whatever. That's a bit weird, no? |
It is and yet it's also not isn't it?
Passion.
As football becomes more and more just another leisure pursuit, the sporting equivalent of a cinema trip, with pacified fans sipping from giant drinks and chowing down on fanzone fare, we might come to miss the earthier days. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:22 - Aug 18 with 1754 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:11 - Aug 18 by blueislander |
What do you mean by private equity Premier League? ? All the clubs have investors/owners so to that extent they are private equity owned. Or are youu thinking that private equity firms will invest in the Premier League itself? This would mean that they have succumbed to the Infantino business model for FIFA. That seems highly unlikely given their strident opposition to Infantino. [Post edited 18 Aug 21:14]
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I mean that private equity is now the dominant force at top of the game.
You've gone from local businessmen done good
To billionaire owners wanting a plaything
To petro dollars
To private equity funds
It's going to change the face of the game further [Post edited 18 Aug 21:23]
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:29 - Aug 18 with 1676 views | blueislander |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:22 - Aug 18 by jasondozzell |
I mean that private equity is now the dominant force at top of the game.
You've gone from local businessmen done good
To billionaire owners wanting a plaything
To petro dollars
To private equity funds
It's going to change the face of the game further [Post edited 18 Aug 21:23]
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It has been that way in the top two divisions for around 20 years. Along with Sky TV is has brought obscene amounts of money into the game. Whether that is a good thing is a matter for debate. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:30 - Aug 18 with 1667 views | FrimleyBlue |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:22 - Aug 18 by jasondozzell |
I mean that private equity is now the dominant force at top of the game.
You've gone from local businessmen done good
To billionaire owners wanting a plaything
To petro dollars
To private equity funds
It's going to change the face of the game further [Post edited 18 Aug 21:23]
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But thats the explosiveness of the game
Just think your recent posts about the past and where we are now
IF we stay up this season. I cant imagine the summer window we will have next summer. | |
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:32 - Aug 18 with 1657 views | Bigalhunter |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:13 - Aug 18 by jasondozzell |
It is and yet it's also not isn't it?
Passion.
As football becomes more and more just another leisure pursuit, the sporting equivalent of a cinema trip, with pacified fans sipping from giant drinks and chowing down on fanzone fare, we might come to miss the earthier days. |
It’s weird that as an increasing number of the world’s elected politicians sink further into the sewer of racism, denial and division our national game drifts headlong into the world of superficial U.S- influenced entertainment. |  |
| Sometimes I giggle about the frothing lunatic who’s put me on ignore and now has to constantly log out to see what I’ve said. Beneath that counterfeit persona lurks the same pitifully desperate egomaniac. | | Poll: | September 2025. Which one? |
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:37 - Aug 18 with 1621 views | urbanpenguin |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:13 - Aug 18 by jasondozzell |
It is and yet it's also not isn't it?
Passion.
As football becomes more and more just another leisure pursuit, the sporting equivalent of a cinema trip, with pacified fans sipping from giant drinks and chowing down on fanzone fare, we might come to miss the earthier days. |
I think there's a useful gap between passion and addiction, whether that's substance, culture, or anything else | |
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:41 - Aug 18 with 1566 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:29 - Aug 18 by blueislander |
It has been that way in the top two divisions for around 20 years. Along with Sky TV is has brought obscene amounts of money into the game. Whether that is a good thing is a matter for debate. |
Of course. But the manner of that money has changed.
The huge TV deal from Sky came into clubs that were still more or less the same as they had been for 100 years. The money was welcomed of course. United became a PLC etc. But clubs were still essentially football clubs.
Now it is the owners who have the big money. They are there because of the further money they can generate. I'm not sure clubs see themselves as football clubs anymore. Not even brands. They are corporations now.
Where it goes is anyone's guess. But Ipswich is at the mercy of it as much as anyone. [Post edited 18 Aug 21:46]
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:43 - Aug 18 with 1565 views | bsw72 |
Was driving home from work tonight listening to 5 live, and had an hour on Arsenal then an hour on Spurs. Was very interesting listening to the Arsenal supporter talking about how when they won the league the night that City failed to beat Bournemouth the amount of people who went to the Emirates and how so many people were outside of their front doors.
She said it was probably more special than winning it on a match day as so many of the local community were able to join the spontaneous party than those lucky enough to be in the ground.
Arsenal have been owned by Kroenke for 15 years, and has maintained it’s community roots, I speak with Man City fans, old school Maine Road fans, City have maintained their community standing and in fact enhanced it. I would say that Ipswich has become a community club more since the Gamechanger takeover than it was under Evans. I will balance that with the way that Man Utd have been treated by the Glaziers and now Ratcliff, a supposed sports fan.
My point is that with the right owners who are sympathetic to the history and community ties a club has it is possible to have both private equity investment and a community club.
Foreign investment is no better or worse than a local businessman, a club can be treated poorly by either and vice versa. |  | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:43 - Aug 18 with 1536 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:30 - Aug 18 by FrimleyBlue |
But thats the explosiveness of the game
Just think your recent posts about the past and where we are now
IF we stay up this season. I cant imagine the summer window we will have next summer. |
As much as it's exciting, there's something kind of crass about the whole 'we'll spend billions' thing isn't there? Financial muscle as entertainment. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:45 - Aug 18 with 1503 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:37 - Aug 18 by urbanpenguin |
I think there's a useful gap between passion and addiction, whether that's substance, culture, or anything else |
A fair point.
But I do think that the almost religious aspect of football in working class heartlands of the 20th century will be a cultural loss as the game continues its financialisation.. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:46 - Aug 18 with 1491 views | blueislander |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:43 - Aug 18 by bsw72 |
Was driving home from work tonight listening to 5 live, and had an hour on Arsenal then an hour on Spurs. Was very interesting listening to the Arsenal supporter talking about how when they won the league the night that City failed to beat Bournemouth the amount of people who went to the Emirates and how so many people were outside of their front doors.
She said it was probably more special than winning it on a match day as so many of the local community were able to join the spontaneous party than those lucky enough to be in the ground.
Arsenal have been owned by Kroenke for 15 years, and has maintained it’s community roots, I speak with Man City fans, old school Maine Road fans, City have maintained their community standing and in fact enhanced it. I would say that Ipswich has become a community club more since the Gamechanger takeover than it was under Evans. I will balance that with the way that Man Utd have been treated by the Glaziers and now Ratcliff, a supposed sports fan.
My point is that with the right owners who are sympathetic to the history and community ties a club has it is possible to have both private equity investment and a community club.
Foreign investment is no better or worse than a local businessman, a club can be treated poorly by either and vice versa. |
Fine post. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:53 - Aug 18 with 1443 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:43 - Aug 18 by bsw72 |
Was driving home from work tonight listening to 5 live, and had an hour on Arsenal then an hour on Spurs. Was very interesting listening to the Arsenal supporter talking about how when they won the league the night that City failed to beat Bournemouth the amount of people who went to the Emirates and how so many people were outside of their front doors.
She said it was probably more special than winning it on a match day as so many of the local community were able to join the spontaneous party than those lucky enough to be in the ground.
Arsenal have been owned by Kroenke for 15 years, and has maintained it’s community roots, I speak with Man City fans, old school Maine Road fans, City have maintained their community standing and in fact enhanced it. I would say that Ipswich has become a community club more since the Gamechanger takeover than it was under Evans. I will balance that with the way that Man Utd have been treated by the Glaziers and now Ratcliff, a supposed sports fan.
My point is that with the right owners who are sympathetic to the history and community ties a club has it is possible to have both private equity investment and a community club.
Foreign investment is no better or worse than a local businessman, a club can be treated poorly by either and vice versa. |
Good points.
I think there is some truth in that. Although I'm very sceptical of some of the 'community' aspect. It's PR in some part for clubs... Very slickly done of course.
I can see the investment here and the resurrection of the Foundation etc. has been very good. But I'm also perhaps cynical enough to know that it's part of a spreadsheet and PR exercise spoken about in a meeting room.
Because we've had price hikes, membership costs etc. Mascot packages. Money is the bottom line.
The club had three people beaming images onto the town hall again after promotion. But ironically you've got paving slabs that are crumbling in the same town centre. Maybe that needs help first...
I'm not knocking the club's efforts but I do think that you could do a lot more if the community was actually front and centre.
A club isn't a corporation. And that's going to increasingly be the tension in the game. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:01 - Aug 18 with 1399 views | PioneerBlue |
Not inevitable its here. What was the Cobbold funding model, PE, Marcus Evans, PE, GC20, PE, now Portman Holdings or whatever it is called, all PE. There are also a few shares contributing nothing at all by way of financing in the hands of fans. | |
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:02 - Aug 18 with 1387 views | urbanpenguin |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:53 - Aug 18 by jasondozzell |
Good points.
I think there is some truth in that. Although I'm very sceptical of some of the 'community' aspect. It's PR in some part for clubs... Very slickly done of course.
I can see the investment here and the resurrection of the Foundation etc. has been very good. But I'm also perhaps cynical enough to know that it's part of a spreadsheet and PR exercise spoken about in a meeting room.
Because we've had price hikes, membership costs etc. Mascot packages. Money is the bottom line.
The club had three people beaming images onto the town hall again after promotion. But ironically you've got paving slabs that are crumbling in the same town centre. Maybe that needs help first...
I'm not knocking the club's efforts but I do think that you could do a lot more if the community was actually front and centre.
A club isn't a corporation. And that's going to increasingly be the tension in the game. |
Yes to all this, but as a counter i can see there is value to being "used" in this way.
I run a cultural charity, we are in some way beholden to hyper-capitalist property structures, and we are aware of that in what we offer, but also I am aware that what we can offer in the cracks of neoliberalism are way beyond what would otherwise be possible and also genuinely impactful and powerful. I see it as less a deal with the devil and more understanding the devil's dance moves and stepping in the right places to not get my toes crushed, while still looking good on the dancefloor.
I am a sceptic, naturally. I am a cynic when it comes to modern funds buying historic football clubs. That is not to say that I do not think (short- and long-term) value cannot arrive, but that it has to be understood as part of a huge, capital system and we are basically collateral on a spreadsheet at this stage.
I thought about this last week when I saw the club put the work of Blue Action in Berlin front and centre on their socials, but well aware of how they treat them away from the social media optics. [Post edited 18 Aug 22:04]
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:04 - Aug 18 with 1370 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:01 - Aug 18 by PioneerBlue |
Not inevitable its here. What was the Cobbold funding model, PE, Marcus Evans, PE, GC20, PE, now Portman Holdings or whatever it is called, all PE. There are also a few shares contributing nothing at all by way of financing in the hands of fans. |
I wouldn't call Cobbolds, or Evans PE.
I mean technically I suppose you could argue that.
But I'm talking private equity in terms of American funds. These are serious orgs whose entire business centres around asset and value extraction on a huge scale.
Evans was a businessman who invested in the club. But nowhere near what this lot are. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:08 - Aug 18 with 1344 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:02 - Aug 18 by urbanpenguin |
Yes to all this, but as a counter i can see there is value to being "used" in this way.
I run a cultural charity, we are in some way beholden to hyper-capitalist property structures, and we are aware of that in what we offer, but also I am aware that what we can offer in the cracks of neoliberalism are way beyond what would otherwise be possible and also genuinely impactful and powerful. I see it as less a deal with the devil and more understanding the devil's dance moves and stepping in the right places to not get my toes crushed, while still looking good on the dancefloor.
I am a sceptic, naturally. I am a cynic when it comes to modern funds buying historic football clubs. That is not to say that I do not think (short- and long-term) value cannot arrive, but that it has to be understood as part of a huge, capital system and we are basically collateral on a spreadsheet at this stage.
I thought about this last week when I saw the club put the work of Blue Action in Berlin front and centre on their socials, but well aware of how they treat them away from the social media optics. [Post edited 18 Aug 22:04]
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Dancing with the devil! I like it!
That's a really good point. And the investment alone in the infrastructure here will benefit lots of people for a long time. Minibuses, sessions for youngsters, equipment etc, outreach...
I can see how important it would be for charities like yours to understand it and use the opportunities it offers.
Agree about the collateral point and the need for realism about it all.
I had the same thought about blue action! | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:13 - Aug 18 with 1306 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:04 - Aug 18 by jasondozzell |
I wouldn't call Cobbolds, or Evans PE.
I mean technically I suppose you could argue that.
But I'm talking private equity in terms of American funds. These are serious orgs whose entire business centres around asset and value extraction on a huge scale.
Evans was a businessman who invested in the club. But nowhere near what this lot are. |
You’re using the wrong terminology. PE just means an organisation, group or individual that invests money in a company that isn’t publicly traded. Your point seems more about where the PE comes from - large US corporates. [Post edited 18 Aug 22:25]
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:19 - Aug 18 with 1272 views | jasondozzell |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:13 - Aug 18 by SuffolkPunchFC |
You’re using the wrong terminology. PE just means an organisation, group or individual that invests money in a company that isn’t publicly traded. Your point seems more about where the PE comes from - large US corporates. [Post edited 18 Aug 22:25]
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Yes, the highly organised venture capital firms originating in the US..
And particularly the asset management types. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 22:21 - Aug 18 with 1267 views | bsw72 |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:53 - Aug 18 by jasondozzell |
Good points.
I think there is some truth in that. Although I'm very sceptical of some of the 'community' aspect. It's PR in some part for clubs... Very slickly done of course.
I can see the investment here and the resurrection of the Foundation etc. has been very good. But I'm also perhaps cynical enough to know that it's part of a spreadsheet and PR exercise spoken about in a meeting room.
Because we've had price hikes, membership costs etc. Mascot packages. Money is the bottom line.
The club had three people beaming images onto the town hall again after promotion. But ironically you've got paving slabs that are crumbling in the same town centre. Maybe that needs help first...
I'm not knocking the club's efforts but I do think that you could do a lot more if the community was actually front and centre.
A club isn't a corporation. And that's going to increasingly be the tension in the game. |
Don’t confuse a clubs role in the community versus local and national government (re the paving slab comment).
Of course the community work is part of PR and calculated but the underlying reason is almost irrelevant as a club does not have to do it these days as fan money in the top couple of divisions makes little difference to the books compared to TV and sponsorship revenues. Whether we like it or not football has changed since the FA introduced the Premier League, else we would have crumbling, run down stadia, sub standard pitches and poor training facilities.
The community engagement with the club has always been about building and maintaining a fan base to fill the ground and maximise atmosphere and match revenue. I remember being signed up to the Junior Blues club 40+ years ago. Was part of the PR back then. Nothing has really changed, it’s still about capturing fans early to then build on that as they grow into adults and bring their kids etc, it’s just less important the higher the league and non match day revenues, so the fact we are seeing more community engagement when not really needed financially is a good thing.
There seems to be a somewhat romantic view of football in the past while the truth as I remember it was how awful some of the grounds were, the standard of pitches and as a result matches were pretty bad.
Professional sport is a business, I’ve seen the same transformation in Rugby League with the introduction of Super League backed by Sky. Same with the Women’s Super League and WSL2. Investment has encouraged fan base and growth, leading to where the England Women’s team is now positioned. Starting to see it across netball now as well. Top flight sport now demands top
Flight investment. | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 01:09 - Aug 19 with 994 views | stonojnr |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 21:11 - Aug 18 by blueislander |
What do you mean by private equity Premier League? ? All the clubs have investors/owners so to that extent they are private equity owned. Or are youu thinking that private equity firms will invest in the Premier League itself? This would mean that they have succumbed to the Infantino business model for FIFA. That seems highly unlikely given their strident opposition to Infantino. [Post edited 18 Aug 21:14]
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their opposition to Infantinos ideas, are that he's the one making the money from it not them.
be assured if the opportunity ever arose for Premier League clubs to do similar, the Prem would be all over it like a rash if they thought they could make money from it.
remember game 39... | | | |
| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 08:19 - Aug 19 with 788 views | DJR |
Here's a good article on private equity involvement in football.
https://bspeclub.com/private-e
"Private equity investment in professional football has expanded dramatically over the past decade, reshaping club ownership and league financing globally, with over €10bn invested by PE firms into European football since 2016. European football clubs—once regarded as trophy assets for billionaire owners—are increasingly seen as institutional-grade investments by financial sponsors. This surge in interest reflects a convergence of factors: record valuations and revenue growth in top leagues (with Premier League broadcasting rights alone exceeding £10bn for the 2022–2025 cycle, according to Statista), an abundance of available private capital, and a shifting mindset that football organisations can be run as profitable, growth-oriented businesses rather than merely prestige projects."
"Private equity investors enter the football industry with clear and deliberate strategic objectives. Their goal is to grow enterprise value within a defined investment horizon, typically through revenue expansion, operational efficiency, and eventual monetisation via exit."
This has been the model at Ipswich with the pension fund growing their investment and recently stepping back a bit (and presumably making a return on their investment) as other private equity investors got involved.
From last December.
"Ipswich Town Football Club can today announce changes to its ownership structure.
The majority shareholder is to become Portman Holdings LLC, following a transfer of shares from ORG Portfolio Management, who remain a key stakeholder. Alongside ORG, Portman Holdings LLC is comprised of further investments from the Three Lions fund and Clara Vista Partners, both of whom are also existing investors. This newly-formed group is the majority owner of Gamechanger 20 Ltd, the parent company of Ipswich Town Football Club.
Bright Path Sports Partners, Ed Sheeran and the Three Lions fund will continue to maintain their current holdings.
Since the club was bought in 2021, ORG, which continues to be headed by Ed Schwartz, has managed funds for PSPRS (the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System) and acted as the club’s majority shareholder. Whilst being diluted in their holding, PSPRS retain their investment in the club, with shares transferred from ORG to new majority shareholder Portman Holdings. "
I suppose the difference with private equity involvement in, say, the water industry is that there is presumably much less interest in dividends and more interest in preserving and enhancing the underlying asset rather than making it sweat. [Post edited 19 Aug 8:45]
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| As we travel further on the inevitable private equity prem football route on 08:28 - Aug 19 with 760 views | BloomBlue |
Private equity is/was inevitable, the money is there so it will bring in more money. I don't have a problem with that, its what fans want. Fans demand clubs spend more on players demand bigger grounds etc, and want it now not in 10 years. To do that investment now in facilities and players it requires those with deep pockets.
Overall I think thats fine, for me the concern is when/if investment exceeds the current income, so what's next.
We know if they could actually stop people circumventing restrictions on streaming they would implement more of that re watching games. Ultimately I think it will go down that route, and then question is will the Private Equity need grounds with supporters in it and the cost associated with that, then no I don't think they will.
Having a game streamed without a ground with fans will be much more profitable - why sell to 30,000 when you can sell it to 50,000 without police etc costs. Will it kill football, yes I think it will, will the private equities who got in early and sold for a profit care its killed football, no.
We've seen it with some high street companies, PE moves in short-term profit equals mid-term administration and then full closure, even those who had a large customer base |  | | |
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