Image Credits: Imago Images
Manchester United owners, The Glazer family, are being joined by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and RedBull in a new sporting investment.
The Glazer family bought Manchester United back in 2005 and remain majority owners following Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group bought 27.7% of the club. Ratcliffe’s stake in the club bought the section which controls football operations, leading to the INEOS owner being very hands on with a redesign of the club, both on the pitch and with its sporting directors.
Alongside United, the Glazers also own NFL side Tampa Bay Buccaneers which they bought in 1995, and cricket team Desert Vipers who play in UAE’s ILT20 competition.
Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their purchase of Wrexham back in February 2021. Since their purchase, the acting pair have catapulted the Welsh club to being a global brand thanks to their Welcome to Wrexham documentary on Disney+.
Now though, both parties as well as a host of other potential investors are lining up for a new sporting opportunity.
A new sporting opportunity for Reynolds and the Glazers
As of September 2024, the England and Welsh Cricket Board are looking to sell stakes in eight different teams across the Hundred franchise. The sale will run as a three-month auction-style process ending in December 2024. The aim of the sale is to generate funds to reboot the competition in 2025.
The ECB have said they’ve spoken to the 10 team owners in the Indian Premier League, as well as approaching NFL team owners in America to try and build an interest in the investments.
However, The Telegraph has released a list of potential investors that are still interested in the venture.
Who’s looking to invest in the Hundred?
Firstly we have the Glazer family. With three sporting teams already in their portfolio, it’s no surprise that the Glazers are still interested, looking to pick up another cricket team alongside the Desert Vipers.
We also have Reynolds and McElhenney looking specifically at Cardiff-based club, Welsh Fire, adding to their collection of sporting clubs based in Wales. Welsh Fire is expected to draw the lowest value bids of the eight teams, with the ECB trying to invite the acting pair to a Welsh Fire game in the upcoming Hundred tournament.
Satya Nadella, the CEO and chairman of Microsoft, is also interested, being a co-owner of an American cricket team, the Seattle Orca’s who play in the USA’s Major League Cricket.
Tom Brady and Knighthead Capital who own Birmingham City are also looking at extending their Midlands collection of clubs, looking at investing in Birmingham Phoenix, attending their sell out opener vs Oval Invincibles.
RedBull who own Salzburg and Leipzig are also interesting in investing after entering into a small commercial deal with ECB, sponsoring England’s Ben Stokes and Alice Capsey.
Comments from ECB’s Head of Strategy
The proceeds of the sales are going to be used across the 19 first-class counties, with ECB hoping for it to provide “seed funding for the financial sustainability of the whole sport.”
The head of strategy Vikram Bannerjee recently commented: “We must continue to maintain best v best of players, both English and from around the world,”
He continued: “We must continue to turbo-charge the women’s game. The Hundred has done brilliant things for women’s sport but we can’t rest on our laurels.
“We also want to move into more of a tribalism. Football is the example. Everyone talks about their favourite team. I’m an Aston Villa fan for my sins and have travelled up to Middlesborough, down to Bournemouth and wherever else to watch them. That is where we want to get the Hundred to, with fans of London Spirit travelling across the country rather than seeing it as just a day out.”
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