EFL Championship side Watford Football Club to sell stake in club via digital investment platform Republic
Original source: Watford Football Club
England's professional football club Watford Football Club , also known as the Club or the Hornets, has partnered with leading global investment platform Republic to make approximately 10% of the club's shares available to investors, including the club's loyal fans. The partnership enables share purchases to be made through Republic's online platform and its European partner platform Seedrs.
The funds raised from the equity sale will be used specifically to strengthen Watford Football Club's men's first team, including investment in player recruitment, training and coaching. This will help improve the team's overall performance and further consolidate Watford Football Club's brand value. Watford Football Club is a nearly 150-year-old British football institution that is proud of its illustrious history. The team plays at the iconic Vicarage Road in Greater London and has competed in the prestigious English Premier League for six of the past decade, the world's most watched and highest value football league. In the 2022/2023 season, Premier League revenues reached £6.1 billion, a significant increase from £2.6 billion a decade ago.
Watford Football Club has undergone a significant transformation in recent years and now has industry-leading facilities, an internationally recognized player recruitment program, and strategic partnerships with a number of major brands. These initiatives have driven the club's long-term stable development both on the pitch and commercially. In 2019, the club successfully reached the FA Cup final, demonstrating its competitive strength. In the 2022/23 season, Watford's total revenue reached £66 million and pre-tax profits reached £24.1 million. According to relevant reports, this result ranks first among English football clubs outside the Premier League, highlighting Watford's excellence in financial management and business operations.
Sir Elton John, a loyal fan of Watford Football Club as a teenager, currently serves as the club's honorary life chairman. In the 1970s and 1980s, as chairman and owner of the club, he led the team to achieve a leap from the fourth tier to the first tier. In his honor, the club's East Stand is named Rocketman, which has dressing rooms and players' tunnel.
Through its partnership with Republic, Watford FC aims to attract a wider group of investors than traditional equity financing, in particular giving fans the opportunity to own part of the club's history, tradition and future. In addition to digital equity, investors can also choose to receive tokens and enjoy exclusive offers. Watford FC also plans to facilitate the trading and circulation of these tokens in the future.
Scott Duxbury, Chairman and CEO of Watford FC, said that they are always exploring new ways to help the club achieve its development plans and are very proud to be the first major football club in the UK to offer true ownership shares to a wide range of investors, including fans, through digital equity. He further stressed that they are determined to return to the Premier League and believe that this innovative and inclusive approach will help them achieve this goal.
Republic is an industry leader in democratizing ownership opportunities for clubs and has extensive experience in bringing together clubs' communities and other investors to help enhance brand value, sporting success and commercial performance. The platform has worked with a number of clubs around the world, from AFC Wimbledon in the UK to Orange County SC in the United States.
Republic President Andrew Durgee said: "We are delighted to launch another exciting sports investment opportunity on the Republic platform. This sale is the largest digital equity offering to date, enabling real ownership shares in English football clubs to be unlocked. As a platform, we are committed to making sports ownership more accessible to fans and professional investors."
As part of the equity offer, the club is valued at £175 million and the aim is to raise approximately £17.5 million. The price per share has been set at £12.44 and the minimum investment for investors to purchase shares through the Seedrs platform is 4 shares for a total of £49.76 and the minimum investment for investors to purchase shares through the Republic platform is 8 shares for a total of £99.52. Investors interested in purchasing shares in Watford Football Club can register with Republic and register to participate in the offer.
Fladgate LLP acted as legal advisor to Watford Football Club, while PSG Digital acted as digital finance advisor to the club.
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation for the sale or purchase of any securities. Please note that past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments, including those in football, involve risk and there is no absolute guarantee of profit.
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About WatfordFootball Club
WatfordFootball Club began life in 1881 as Watford Rovers and has been writing its own chapter in football history ever since, with many memorable moments in recent times. The club's nickname, the Hornets, is derived from the distinctive yellow and black kit colours adopted in the 1970s. In 2012, the club was purchased by the Pozzo family and is currently owned by Gino Pozzo alone.
The men's first team currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, and is aiming for a return to the world-renowned Premier League, with Watford having competed against the football world's biggest powers in the world's most watched top league for six of the past decade. Meanwhile, Watford Women's Football Club recently played within the FA Premier League structure, competing in the FA Women's Championship and winning the FA Women's National League play-off final. Watford Football Club has reached the final of the prestigious men's FA Cup twice in the past 40 years, in 1984 and 2019. In addition, the club has competed in the UEFA Cup and has enjoyed glory years in the top 30 of the English football pyramid.
About Republic
Republic is a global financial enterprise headquartered in New York City that focuses on providing digital business banking services to businesses and operating a network of platforms for retail customer investing. The company is backed by leading institutions such as Morgan Stanly, Valor Equity Partners, Galaxy Interactive, Hashed, AngelList, and has a portfolio of more than 2,000 companies and a community of nearly 3 million members from more than 150 countries. Through its investment platforms, funds, and the Republic family of companies, Republic has deployed more than $2 billion in capital. Republic has operations in multiple regions around the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Singapore.
About Seedrs (part of Republic)
Seedrs, part of Republic, is Europe’s leading online private investment platform, enabling individual investors to invest in startups, growth companies, and (when eligible) participate in top venture capital funds. Seedrs also helps aspiring entrepreneurs from all sectors raise capital from its community, angel investors, and institutional investors. Since its launch in 2012, Seedrs has funded over 2,200 deals, participating in funding rounds totaling over £2.8 billion. Following Republic’s acquisition of Seedrs in 2022, Seedrs is now one of the world’s largest private investment platforms, with nearly 3 million global members. The combination of Seedrs and Republic provides investors and entrepreneurs with unprecedented access to global capital and investment opportunities.
This article is from a contribution and does not represent the views of BlockBeats
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Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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