Business News
Squires advises on Villa takeover
Squire Patton Boggs have continued their track record of undertaking key football transactions by advising Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia on the new investment in the club by NSWE. A capital injection and
transaction by NSWE – jointly owned by Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris and American Wes Edens – was recently approved by the English Football League. The club has been owned by Dr.
Xia since 2016. He will become co- chairman and remain on the board. The Squire Patton Boggs team advising Dr. Xia was led from Birmingham by corporate partner and football mergers and acquisitions expert David Hull, corporate partner Mark Yeo and restructuring and insolvency partner Devinder Singh. David Hull said: “We are
delighted to act on another major cross-border investment in the football sector. Aston Villa is one of the firm’s oldest clients, with a long and proud history in top-flight football. This investment will strengthen the club and help it to achieve future success.” The investment in Aston Villa is
one of a number of football-related transactions undertaken by the firm, most recently the sale of Wigan Athletic Football Club in May.
The Business of Sport
Edgbaston Stadium is awarded Ashes opener
Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium has been named as the host venue for next summer’s opening Ashes Test match between England and Australia. The Ashes opener between two of cricket’s great
rivals begins on Thursday 1 August, 2019. Edgbaston has also secured has also been awarded
the Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday 21 September after an agreement was made between Warwickshire CCC, Nottinghamshire CCC and the England and Wales Cricket Board to relocate the event from Trent Bridge. Neil Snowball, chief executive of Warwickshire CCC
and Edgbaston Stadium, said: “England have an outstanding record in Birmingham and we believe that there is nowhere better for Joe Root’s team to start the Specsavers Ashes Series than in front of a full house of passionate fans at Fortress Edgbaston. “We’re also very pleased to have secured the return of
Vitality Blast Finals Day. It’s become one of the biggest days in the British sporting calendar and it’s fantastic to
‘We believe that there is nowhere better for Joe Root’s team to start the Specsavers Ashes Series than in front of a full house of passionate fans at Fortress Edgbaston’
know that Edgbaston will continue as ‘the home of Finals Day’ until at least 2024, having been awarded the five subsequent events from 2020 by the ECB.” In total, Edgbaston will host 11 days of major match
cricket during the 2019 summer, having already been awarded five marquee fixtures in the ICC Cricket World Cup, which takes place in England and Wales between 30 May and 14 July. Tickets for the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston will
initially be available to Warwickshire CCC Members, who have a priority booking window until 12 September.
Ricoh Arena extends Heineken deal
Wasps and the Ricoh Arena have extended their partnership with Heineken that will see Europe’s largest beer and cider business investing significantly at the Ricoh Arena. The Dutch brewer is launching its
own Heineken Lounge for every Wasps home match for the 2018/19 season and beyond as part of a long-term deal. The new facilities will enable
Wasps’ seasonal members to be treated to a pre-match commentary by members of the first team after they have enjoyed a two-course carvery lunch. The package also includes an
exclusive reserved seat on the hospitality balcony, souvenir programme and cash bar. Heineken will also continue to be
Wasps’ official lager and cider partner as part of the deal having won a competitive tender process in 2015. Chris Bell, head of partnerships
at Wasps, said: “We have strengthened our relationship with Heineken to create a new and engaging hospitality experience for our guests. “This is a fantastic addition to our
24 CHAMBERLINK September 2018
Expansion for hospitality firm
St Paul’s Square-based hospitality and event specialists Eventmasters is going from strength-to- strength, with a number of high-profile appointments and a business-wide expansion plan. Having secured a number of
Matchday hosts at Ricoh Arena
‘We have strengthened our relationship with Heineken to create a new and engaging hospitality experience for our guests’
offering, which is the ideal way for businesses to reward members of staff with a day out, particularly those who have an interest in rugby. “We trialled the Heineken Lounge
concept at several home games last season which proved popular, as a result, we will be working with Heineken to incorporate this as a seasonal offering. One of our main
focuses is to work with prestigious brands such as Heineken to deliver a first-class match day experience to the hundreds of thousands of fans that visit the Ricoh Arena every season, along with the hundreds of thousands of delegates and visitors. We look forward to developing the partnership further over the coming years.”
long-term contracts with a host of renowned sporting partners, including, the Royal & Ancient, Cheltenham Racecourse, Tottenham Hotspur FC and the Lawn Tennis Association, Eventmasters have recruited a new business development director, Greg Howell. Greg will be in charge of the expansion at the Birmingham head office and will lead a new sales team. The continued success of
Eventmasters has been assisted by a strong focus on digital marketing. All e-commerce activities are managed by sister company Soar Enterprises Online Limited, also based in St Paul’s Square.
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