By STEVE DOUGLAS
The Associated Press
June 30, 2026 - 10:51 am
English rugby nine Exeter Chiefs is present American-owned aft being bought by a U.S. concern institution whose expanding portfolio already includes Premier League squad Bournemouth.
Black Knight Rugby, a caller subsidiary of Cannae Holdings, has completed the 100% acquisition of the Chiefs, Exeter announced Tuesday.
Exeter was European rugby champion successful 2020 and English champion successful 2017 and ‘20.
As good arsenic Bournemouth, Cannae Holdings — fronted by American businessman Bill Foley — besides owns different shot teams Lorient (France), Moreirense FC (Portugal) and Auckland FC (New Zealand), on with the Vegas Golden Knights successful the NHL.
Bournemouth finished successful sixth spot successful the Premier League past play and qualified for European contention for the archetypal time.
“We person a proven way grounds of gathering palmy sports and amusement brands, similar Black Knight Football’s web of clubs, and we mean to bring that aforesaid attack to Exeter,” Foley said.
Exeter’s members voted by a bulk successful May to licence the merchantability of the club. A fewer days earlier, Cornish Pirates, which plays successful English rugby’s 2nd tier, announced a woody with Pittsburgh-based steadfast Stonewood Capital Management.
They are the archetypal known U.S. investments successful English pro rugby.
There is already immense U.S. concern successful English soccer, with Manchester United, Chelsea and the past 2 winners of the Premier League — Arsenal and Liverpool — among the heavyweight teams with American owners. Wrexham is besides co-owned by Hollywood celebrities Rob Mac and Canadian-born Ryan Reynolds.
Big-business investors from the United States person besides bought stakes successful England’s newest cricket competition, The Hundred, implicit the past year.
English rugby mightiness beryllium seen arsenic a much charismatic proposition present aft it was announced successful February that automatic promotion and relegation betwixt the apical 2 tiers would beryllium scrapped and replaced by a criteria-based enlargement and demotion model.
English rugby leaders said the erstwhile strategy “was not delivering fiscal sustainability (and) discouraging semipermanent investment.”
Exeter mislaid to Northampton Saints successful the playoff last of the Prem — the recently named apical league — this month.
English (US)·