Stevens & Bolton has advised long-standing clients Bright Path Sports Partners, LLC and Bright Path Ipswich, LLC, a US private equity and advisory firm exclusively focused on raising and deploying Native American capital into professional sports franchises, facilities and related opportunities, on the acquisition by Clara Vista and others of the majority stake in Championship football club Ipswich Town FC from ORG.
The transaction, which completed at a valuation of approximately £350m — the highest value ever placed on a Championship club — saw the purchaser, Portman Holdings LLC, a US investment consortium backed by Clara Vista and Three Lions, acquire the majority stake while Bright Path retained its c.40% shareholding in the Club.
The Stevens & Bolton team previously advised Bright Path on the English law aspects of its initial investment into the Club, including navigating the regulatory requirements of the English Football League. That earlier advisory work is available here.
The Stevens & Bolton team was led by James Floyd (corporate), supported by Charlotte Lane (corporate), Francesca Messina (corporate) and John Forde (corporate tax).
