KKR founders among investors buying 42% of Valencia; club valued at US$1.4 billion

[SINGAPORE] Pitchwise Holdings – a consortium of US investors – has acquired a 42 per cent stake in Spanish football club Valencia from majority shareholder Meriton Holdings, which values the club at an enterprise value of 1.25 billion euros (US$1.4 billion).

The transaction includes a 100 million euros capital injection from Pitchwise that will be immediately available for direct investment into the club, said Valencia in a statement on Friday (Oct 23). The deal allows Singapore billionaire Peter Lim’s private investment company Meriton Holdings to maintain its majority control while bringing in prominent institutional backers, including the family offices of KKR co-founders George Roberts and Henry Kravis, and Penner Sports Group.

The partnership is designed to guide the club through a critical infrastructure transition as it prepares to move into the 70,000-seater Nou Mestalla stadium ahead of Spain co-hosting the 2030 Fifa World Cup. “There has been no shortage of interest in Valencia; the Pitchwise team was the only partnership I was keen to pursue,” said Valencia president Kiat Lim, who is Peter Lim’s son. “With Ann, Corey, George and Pitchwise Holdings, I am confident that we are entering a new era and we can achieve great things for Valencia.”

Peter Lim bought a 70.4 per cent stake in Valencia in 2014 through Meriton for 100 million euros. That stake was increased to 91.5 per cent by the end of 2024, according to Spanish publication AS.

Spanish radio network Cadena Cope in February 2025 reported that the elder Lim, in his conversation with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, acknowledged that Valencia was for sale and the asking price for his majority stake was 400 million euros.

Meriton will remain the majority shareholder of the La Liga club. Kiat Lim will continue in his role as president.

The stake sale and investment comes at a time when Valencia is struggling in La Liga, the top league in Spain. The club – which has won six La Liga titles and seven major European trophies (including the Uefa Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup) – is currently second-from bottom in 19th place and at risk of dropping to the second tier.

Pitchwise is led by sports executives Ann Rodriguez and Corey Woolfolk, who will join Lim in a new ownership group to oversee operations. The 1.25 billion euro enterprise valuation encompasses all the club’s assets, including the men’s and women’s teams, the current 49,000-seat Mestalla, and the Nou Mestalla development.

Pitchwise consortium

The incoming Pitchwise consortium is built on a foundation of private family offices and institutional capital tailored for patient, values-driven sports ownership.

The operational reins will be held by Rodriguez, an executive with over 25 years of experience with major brands like Atlanta United, the WNBA, and the LA28 Olympic committee, and Woolfolk, who merges a decade-long US professional football career with a background in venture capital and biotech.

They are backed by formidable American financial muscle. George Roberts said that the Pitchwise investors view this partnership as “the most exciting opportunity in European football”.

The consortium also features Penner Sports Group, a Denver-based holding company founded in 2022 by Greg and Carrie Penner, whose portfolio includes the NFL’s Denver Broncos and a minority stake in Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies.

The 100 million euros in immediate new capital is expected to be instrumental in navigating the club’s most significant milestone in a century: the completion of the Nou Mestalla. The new stadium was officially budgeted at 322 million euros (US$377 million) and is set to be completed by summer 2027.

Rodriguez and Woolfolk acknowledged that the club’s potential – fueled by an illustrious history and a passionate fanbase – requires a highly focused investment strategy to navigate modern football’s competitive landscape.