BlueCo is a consortium led by
Todd Boehly,
Clearlake Capital
Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a private equity firm founded in 2006 that focuses on the technology, industrial and consumer sectors. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica with affiliates in Dallas, London and Dublin. In 2022, the firm was ...
,
Mark Walter
Mark Walter is an American businessman and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm with more than $325 billion in assets under management and headquarters in Chicago and New York. H ...
and
Hansjörg Wyss
Johann Georg Wyss known as Hansjörg Wyss (born 19 September 1935) is a Swiss billionaire businessman and donor to politically liberal and environmental causes in the United States. He is the founder and the former president and chairman of Syn ...
.
The group was formed as the investment vehicle for the takeover of
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
football club
Chelsea in 2022. Its name is derived from the home colour of
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. Th ...
, its flagship football club, and acts as the club's parent company.
History
Founded in 2022, BlueCo is a consortium that purchase
Chelsea in 2022. It is led by
Todd Boehly, chairman and CEO of
Eldridge Industries
Eldridge Industries LLC is an American holding company headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, with offices in New York City, London, and Beverly Hills. Eldridge makes investments in various industries including insurance, asset management, techn ...
, and
Clearlake Capital
Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a private equity firm founded in 2006 that focuses on the technology, industrial and consumer sectors. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica with affiliates in Dallas, London and Dublin. In 2022, the firm was ...
, it also included
Hansjörg Wyss
Johann Georg Wyss known as Hansjörg Wyss (born 19 September 1935) is a Swiss billionaire businessman and donor to politically liberal and environmental causes in the United States. He is the founder and the former president and chairman of Syn ...
, founder of the Wyss Foundation, and
Mark Walter
Mark Walter is an American businessman and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm with more than $325 billion in assets under management and headquarters in Chicago and New York. H ...
, co-founder and CEO of
Guggenheim Partners
Guggenheim Partners is a global investment and advisory financial services firm that engages in investment banking, asset management, capital markets services, and insurance services.
Organization
The firm is headquartered in New York City ...
. While Walter and Boehly are owners of the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
, the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, and the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
. BlueCo acquired
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
football club
RC Strasbourg Alsace a year later to start multi-club ownership.
Owned Clubs
Chelsea F.C.
In March 2022, former
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. Th ...
owner, Russian oligarch
Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by Western governments in response to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. As a result, the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
disqualified Abramovich as a club director.
and he was forced to put the club up for sale.
On 7 May 2022, Chelsea confirmed that terms have been agreed for a new ownership group to acquire the club. The group which later known as BlueCo was led by
Todd Boehly, chairman and CEO of
Eldridge Industries
Eldridge Industries LLC is an American holding company headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, with offices in New York City, London, and Beverly Hills. Eldridge makes investments in various industries including insurance, asset management, techn ...
, and
Clearlake Capital
Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a private equity firm founded in 2006 that focuses on the technology, industrial and consumer sectors. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica with affiliates in Dallas, London and Dublin. In 2022, the firm was ...
, it also included
Hansjörg Wyss
Johann Georg Wyss known as Hansjörg Wyss (born 19 September 1935) is a Swiss billionaire businessman and donor to politically liberal and environmental causes in the United States. He is the founder and the former president and chairman of Syn ...
, founder of the Wyss Foundation, and
Mark Walter
Mark Walter is an American businessman and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm with more than $325 billion in assets under management and headquarters in Chicago and New York. H ...
, co-founder and CEO of
Guggenheim Partners
Guggenheim Partners is a global investment and advisory financial services firm that engages in investment banking, asset management, capital markets services, and insurance services.
Organization
The firm is headquartered in New York City ...
. Walter and Boehly are owners of the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
, the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, and the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
.
On 25 May 2022, the British government approved BlueCo's £4.25 billion takeover of Chelsea. The transaction received all necessary approvals from the UK government, the Premier League and other authorities, and was completed on 30 May 2022. After the takeover, BlueCo promised to commit £1.75 billion in further investment in the club home stadium
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to:
* Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England
** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066
* Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge
* Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
, the
academy, the
women's Team
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
, academy and women's team home stadium
Kingsmeadow and Chelsea Foundation.
RC Strasbourg Alsace
On 22 June 2023, BlueCo had reached an agreement to become shareholders of French club
RC Strasbourg Alsace.
The agreement would see BlueCo invest in Strasbourg's first teams and academy. It was reported that the consortium had close to a 100% ownership on the club having paid €75 million.
References
{{RC Strasbourg Alsace
BlueCo
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C. chairmen and investors
RC Strasbourg Alsace
Companies based in London
Sports holding companies
Sports management companies