Touchdown Deal: Arctos Partners Eyes Stake in NFL Team, Bringing Private Equity to the Gridiron

US private fund management company “Arctos Partners” is considering acquiring a stake in a US professional football (NFL) team.

According to the Bloomberg News Agency on the 29th (local time), Actos Partners has begun negotiations to acquire an interest in the NFL team Buffalo Bills. The Buffalo Bills are based in New York and are a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC). The co-owner is Korean-American Kim Pegula.

Actos Partners began considering a stake purchase because the NFL has opened its doors to Wall Street. In August, NFL team owners allowed private funds to own up to 10% of their franchises. Among the U.S. professional sports leagues, the NFL was the last to allow private fund investment.

NFL team owners have named Actos Partners, Ares Management, Sixth Street and the Blackstone Carlyle CVC Dynasty Equity Rudis consortium as preferred buyers. They also added the condition that they must hold an interest in each individual team for at least six years, and that they can invest in up to six teams each.

The Financial Times (FT) said, “Private funds can invest at least $2 billion (approximately 2.8 trillion won) in the NFL, including loans, divided among multiple teams,” and “The total investment amount is up to $12 billion (approximately 16 It is expected to reach 600 billion won.”

However, Actos Partners and the Buffalo Bills did not issue any specific comments. A Buffalo Bills official said, “We cannot confirm or finalize potential investors until they are approved by the NFL,” and “It’s clear that they are dedicated to their fans.”