Key Takeaways
- • Pitchwise Holdings, a US investor consortium that includes the family offices of KKR co-founders George Roberts and Henry Kravis, has agreed to take a 42% stake in Spanish football club Valencia CF at a €1.25bn valuation, according to the Financial Times.
- • The deal includes a €100mn capital injection into the club, which has been owned by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim for more than a decade and has been seeking new shareholders since 2025.
- • The €1.25bn enterprise value includes debt raised to fund construction of the new 70,000-seat Nou Mestalla stadium, including €322mn of financing arranged last year.
- • The transaction adds to private equity activity in Spanish football, following Apollo's majority acquisition of Atlético Madrid in March at a valuation of about €2.5bn.
Summary
A group of US investors, including the family offices of KKR co-founders George Roberts and Henry Kravis, has bought a 42% stake in Spanish football club Valencia CF at a valuation of €1.25bn, according to the Financial Times. The buyer is Pitchwise Holdings, a consortium that also includes Penner Sports Group, the sports investment company of Walmart chair Greg Penner and his wife Carrie and owner of the Denver Broncos NFL franchise. The agreement includes a capital injection of €100mn into the club.
Pitchwise is led by Ann Rodriguez, a sports executive and former chief operating officer at the WNBA, and Corey Woolfolk, a former footballer turned biotech investor. Valencia has been controlled by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim for more than a decade and has been seeking new shareholders since 2025. Under his ownership, the club's sporting fortunes have declined: it has not qualified for European competition since 2019 and currently sits 19th of 20 teams in La Liga.
The club's enterprise value includes debt taken on to fund the Nou Mestalla, a 70,000-seat stadium that is being prepared as a possible venue for the 2030 FIFA men's World Cup. Construction began in 2007 but was halted for 16 years, and the design was revised several times during that period. The enterprise value also reflects €322mn of financing arranged last year. Once the team relocates, the current Mestalla, which sits on prime city-centre real estate, will be demolished for redevelopment.
The deal comes as private capital continues to flow into Spanish football. Apollo acquired a majority holding in Atlético Madrid in March at a valuation of about €2.5bn, Sixth Street has investment arrangements with both Real Madrid and Barcelona, and CVC Capital Partners invested about €2bn in La Liga's commercial business in 2021.
Pitchwise is led by Ann Rodriguez, a sports executive and former chief operating officer at the WNBA, and Corey Woolfolk, a former footballer turned biotech investor. Valencia has been controlled by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim for more than a decade and has been seeking new shareholders since 2025. Under his ownership, the club's sporting fortunes have declined: it has not qualified for European competition since 2019 and currently sits 19th of 20 teams in La Liga.
The club's enterprise value includes debt taken on to fund the Nou Mestalla, a 70,000-seat stadium that is being prepared as a possible venue for the 2030 FIFA men's World Cup. Construction began in 2007 but was halted for 16 years, and the design was revised several times during that period. The enterprise value also reflects €322mn of financing arranged last year. Once the team relocates, the current Mestalla, which sits on prime city-centre real estate, will be demolished for redevelopment.
The deal comes as private capital continues to flow into Spanish football. Apollo acquired a majority holding in Atlético Madrid in March at a valuation of about €2.5bn, Sixth Street has investment arrangements with both Real Madrid and Barcelona, and CVC Capital Partners invested about €2bn in La Liga's commercial business in 2021.
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