AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley has said he will replicate the Premier League club’s playbook at newly acquired Prem Rugby team Exeter Chiefs.
Foley’s Black Knight consortium – which features Oscar winner Michael B Jordan – purchased Exeter Chiefs over the summer amid a flurry of inward investment into the English top flight rugby competition.
And he has said he would seek to replicate the success he has had at Bournemouth – who have reached Europa League for the first time despite having a stadium smaller than Foley’s newly acquired club – in Devon.
“We‘ve acquired controlling interest in Exeter,” the American told Talksport. “We took advantage of that situation in that it is close to Bournemouth, it’s drivable, it is the second or third biggest sport in the UK so it has got a wellspring of supporters and we believe we can do something similar to Exeter that we’ve done at Bournemouth.
“We can help the business side bring a little more sophistication, bring in a few people who are focused on sponsorship and high-level ticketing. But more importantly we can do more for the players, we can make the players feel more part of the team.”
Foley ready to unleash Exeter Chiefs
Headed up by the crown jewel of a Premier League team, Black Knight’s wider ownership portfolio includes the Vegas Golden Knights NHL team, A-League football side Auckland, Scottish side Hibernian and French side Lorient, whose president is Black Knight shareholder and father of tennis star Arthur Fery, Loic Fery. The firm also has strategic partnerships with MLS team Orlando CIty and the Japanese side Kyoto Sanga.
Foley’s multi-club, multi-sport empire is not unique – Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has a team in every major US league as well as his holding in the Premier League champions – but various firms, such as former Everton bidders 777 Partners, have got it wrong.
“So [it’s the] same gameplan, same passport to success as we’ve proven with the Golden Knights, with Auckland FC, with AFC Bournemouth,” Foley added.
“Fortunately not everyone copies us quite right, so it’s good. Copying is the most important complement you can give a team and [rivals are] doing that with us – they’re trying.”
It comes amid a small wave of investment into Prem Rugby, with Black Knight’s acquisition of Exeter coming after vacuum cleaner tycoon Sir James Dyson’s investment into Bath and Red Bull’s take over of Newcastle.