Deal type

Sector

Acquisition by Thames Sports Investment of Reading Football Club

HMT, led by partner Andrew Thomson and associate director Holly Bedford, were delighted to advise Thames Sports Investment (“TSI”) on the acquisition of The Reading Football Club Limited (“RFC”).

TSI is an investment vehicle owned by Anton Zingarevich, who obtained 51% of the share capital from long-standing owner Sir John Madejski.

RFC, a professional English football club established in 1871, is one of the oldest teams in England and was recently promoted to the Barclays Premier League after winning The Npower Championship (the second highest ranking division in the country). The timing of the transaction is therefore quite appropriate, given the club’s forthcoming entrance into the highest echelon of professional English football, and their inevitable reliance on the new owners’ investment capacity and overall leadership to ensure survival when competing against the elite teams.

HMT undertook due diligence for TSI, and also provided tax advisory services throughout the process.

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