Key Takeaways
- • MSP Sports Capital acquires majority stake in New Zealand's Black Foils SailGP team, completing the league's transition to full private ownership across all 13 national franchises, marking a structural shift from the centrally-owned model under which SailGP launched.
- • All 13 SailGP teams now owned by strategic third-party partners, with MSP's acquisition of the Black Foils representing the final piece of the league's privatization strategy and demonstrating institutional capital's growing appetite for professional sailing franchises.
- • Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, two-time Olympic champions, retain operational control as Co-CEOs of the Black Foils, ensuring continuity of on-water and off-water management under MSP's ownership structure.
- • MSP Sports Capital, founded by veteran sports operators Jahm Najafi and Jeff Moorad, adds SailGP to portfolio that includes McLaren Racing, Everton FC, and the X Games League, leveraging deep expertise across MLB, NBA, NFL, Formula 1, and European football to build championship-winning franchises.
- • SailGP positioned as one of fastest-growing sports leagues globally, with the Black Foils recognized as a flagship franchise, indicating strong growth trajectory and investor confidence in the Rolex SailGP Championship's commercial potential.
Summary
MSP Sports Capital has acquired a majority stake in the Black Foils, New Zealand's SailGP team, in a landmark transaction that completes the Rolex SailGP Championship's structural transformation into a fully privately-owned league. The deal marks the first time MSP has invested in SailGP and represents the final piece of the league's shift away from the centrally-owned operating model it launched under toward a distributed private ownership structure. All 13 national teams competing in the championship are now owned by strategic third-party partners, a significant milestone for the professional sailing league founded by Oracle's Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts.
The Black Foils, led by Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, will continue to operate under existing leadership, with both co-founders remaining as Co-CEOs responsible for daily operations both on the water and in business functions. Burling emphasized the importance of the partnership, stating that MSP represents "world-class partners with an understanding of elite sport and what it takes to build something that lasts." Tuke highlighted the team's original ambition to develop the Black Foils into a world-class sporting brand and noted the team's growth trajectory under the new partnership structure.
MSP Sports Capital, headquartered in Manhattan and led by founder-operators Jahm Najafi and Jeff Moorad, brings substantial expertise across multiple professional sports sectors. The firm's portfolio spans McLaren Racing in Formula 1, Everton FC in English Premier League football, and the X Games League, with leadership backgrounds encompassing MLB, NBA, NFL, and European football. Najafi characterized SailGP as one of the fastest-growing sports leagues globally, while CEO Jeff Moorad outlined MSP's strategic objectives: securing championships, representing New Zealand at the highest international level, and building upon the country's established sailing culture.
The privatization of SailGP's team ownership structure represents a deliberate strategic evolution that allows individual franchises to pursue differentiated growth strategies while maintaining league-wide coordination. This transition mirrors similar developments in other professional sports where distributed private ownership has enabled more aggressive capital deployment and operational flexibility compared to centralized league management models.
The Black Foils, led by Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, will continue to operate under existing leadership, with both co-founders remaining as Co-CEOs responsible for daily operations both on the water and in business functions. Burling emphasized the importance of the partnership, stating that MSP represents "world-class partners with an understanding of elite sport and what it takes to build something that lasts." Tuke highlighted the team's original ambition to develop the Black Foils into a world-class sporting brand and noted the team's growth trajectory under the new partnership structure.
MSP Sports Capital, headquartered in Manhattan and led by founder-operators Jahm Najafi and Jeff Moorad, brings substantial expertise across multiple professional sports sectors. The firm's portfolio spans McLaren Racing in Formula 1, Everton FC in English Premier League football, and the X Games League, with leadership backgrounds encompassing MLB, NBA, NFL, and European football. Najafi characterized SailGP as one of the fastest-growing sports leagues globally, while CEO Jeff Moorad outlined MSP's strategic objectives: securing championships, representing New Zealand at the highest international level, and building upon the country's established sailing culture.
The privatization of SailGP's team ownership structure represents a deliberate strategic evolution that allows individual franchises to pursue differentiated growth strategies while maintaining league-wide coordination. This transition mirrors similar developments in other professional sports where distributed private ownership has enabled more aggressive capital deployment and operational flexibility compared to centralized league management models.
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