Charles Russell Speechlys advises Arise Capital Partners on its acquisition of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club
min readCharles Russell Speechlys has advised David and Michael Storch and their US based family-owned investment firm, Arise Capital Partners, LLC, on its acquisition of the business and assets of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club Limited, which has been in administration since October last year.
After a period of considerable uncertainty for the Club, its fans and the local community, Arise’s purchase of the Club (and its Hillsborough stadium) ensures that Sheffield Wednesday's future is now stable and filled with optimism as the Club enters a new and exciting era.
This complex transaction involved extensive negotiations with the administrators, Begbies Traynor, The Football League (EFL) and the Independent Football Regulator. As part of the agreed deal, the EFL’s Board exercised its discretion not to impose a 15-point deduction on the Club for next season following its exit from administration, meaning that the Club will begin the 2026/27 season in League One on a level playing field with the other clubs in the division.
David Storch, Managing Partner of Arise and new Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday commented:
“Michael and I are very grateful for the fantastic support of Keir and the Charles Russell Speechlys team on this monumental acquisition. Their impressive sector knowledge and commitment in supporting us to get the deal done added huge value, ensuring we were able to get what was an extremely complicated transaction completed within a tight but necessary deadline. Charles Russell Speechlys help was invaluable in helping us to secure the future of this great and iconic football club.”
Keir Gordon, Head of the Sports Corporate team at Charles Russell Speechlys, commented:
“It is not often that we work on deals involving such emotion, but we are delighted to have been able to support David, Michael and their investors on such a significant transaction that secures an exciting future for the Club and its incredible fans.
The completion of this acquisition highlights the strength of our football club M&A expertise. The transaction is a prime example of the continued interest we are seeing in football and other sports investments from sophisticated private capital investors, particularly from the US. We anticipate continuing interest in investment in football here and across Europe."
The Charles Russell Speechlys transaction team comprised Keir Gordon, Tom Smitham, Iwan Thomas, Sanne Gerdsen and Saskia Beacham-Watts. The wider team included Hanh Nguyen, Roger Elford and Sara Pridgeon (Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency), Mark White and Ben Butterworth (Real Estate), Mike Powner and Tilly Whittingham (Employment), Richard Davies, Jason Saiban and Alex Needham (Commercial), James Stewart (Tax) and Dan McDonagh (Regulatory).
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