CVC Builds Out Sports Division Amid Crowded PE Market

The private-equity firm whose investment holdings include Spanish soccer league LaLiga and the Women’s Tennis Association is expanding its sports business through a dedicated division led by veteran sports-industry executives.

Rumors that Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners was planning a sports-specific division date back to July, when Sky News reported the firm had hired Goldman Sachs, PJT Partners, and Raine Group to assist with a deal to bring its sports assets together under a new entity called SportsCo.

The unit, now called Global Sport Group, is led by chair Marc Allera, whose experience includes serving as chair of Jagex, a British video game maker backed by CVC, as well as more than three years as chair of TNT Sport—a  joint venture between BT Sport and Warner Bros. Discovery that broadcasts the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and more in the U.K. and Ireland. Allera previously served more than nine years as CEO of U.K. communications company EE. 

Allera was initially brought on in May, although back then the idea was just “a concept” and “nothing had formally come together,” a spokesperson for CVC tells Front Office Sports. The actual formation of Global Sport Group happened more recently and was “unveiled this week.”

In addition to LaLiga and WTA, CVC’s sports holdings include French soccer governing body Ligue de Football Professionnel, which oversees leagues including Ligue 1, sports-focused investment firm Bruin Capital, the Gujarat Titans, a cricket franchise in the Indian Premier League, and more. The sports assets have a combined value of about $13.6 billion, according to multiple reports.

Also involved in the leadership group for Global Sport Group are Michelle Wilson and George Barrios, former WWE executives who also helm investment firm Isos Capital Management. In 2021, a special purpose acquisition company backed by that firm acquired bowling alley operator Bowlero. Both of their LinkedIn pages say they started as directors for Global Sport Group this month.

Barrios said in a LinkedIn post that he is “excited” to join Global Sport Group. “The opportunity to help shape and expand one of the most ambitious sports ventures out there is incredibly energizing,” he wrote.

CVC, which is publicly traded on the Euronext exchange, was one of the firms approved to invest in NFL teams, although it and Blackstone removed themselves from that group in May. 

There is another similarly named sports-related entity called Global Sports Group, which bills itself as a sports agency and marketing firm. A representative for that company tells Front Office Sports there is “no relation” between it and CVC’s new entity.

The leadership team at CVC’s Global Sports Group did not respond to requests for comment.

Private-equity players are increasingly interested in sports as an asset class, and as part of that interest, some of the biggest firms in the world have launched separate, sports-specific divisions. Before CVC, in February, Ares Management formed a sports arm. Ares owns a 10% stake in the Miami Dolphins, a significant equity stake in MLS team Inter Miami, and is invested in League One Volleyball, among other sports holdings.

CVC and Ares are competing against an ever-growing set of PE rivals. Arctos and Dynasty Equity are examples of firms that focus exclusively on sports. In August, NMS Capital Group launched NMS Sports, which aims to invest in companies and pro sports teams across the U.S. and Europe. 

Other major PE firms invest in sports but have not yet launched dedicated divisions. As examples, Carlyle Group owns NWSL team the Seattle Reign and just recently entered into an agreement with Oracle Red Bull Racing to become the first investment firm whose name and branding will be on a Formula One race car, while Sixth Street Partners is among the new minority owners of the Celtics.