Sports team advises on sale of Huddersfield Town A.F.C.

The effect of the transaction was to make Mr Hoyle the sole owner of the Club. Immediately following Mr Hoyle’s acquisition of the remaining shares in the Club, Mr Hoyle exchanged contracts on the sale of 100% of the Club to Kevin Nagle’s Town FC, LLC.

The sale to Town FC, LLC completed on 22 June 2023 following the receipt of mandatory approvals from the English Football League and Financial Conduct Authority.

The deals involved complex negotiations, settlements and restructuring between several interested parties. A multi-disciplinary team at Walker Morris, led by David Hinchliffe and Christian Slinger, advised Mr Hoyle throughout the transactions. They were supported by Tim Howden and Shaney Stevens-Neale (Sports), Owen Ormond and Oliver Wheeler (Finance), Jeremy Moore and Hannah Levy (Real Estate), Andrew Northage (Regulatory) and Nicola Parkinson and Natalie Gray (Tax).

Commenting on the deal, Dean Hoyle, previous owner of Huddersfield Town A.F.C., said:

“From a personal point of view this ends my tenure after 14 years. It has been a privilege to be Huddersfield Town’s chairman. What a ride! From a mid-table League One team to reaching the Premier League, with many highs and lows in between.

“A special mention and big thank you to the Walker Morris team for all of their hard work on getting both transactions over the line.”

Christian Slinger, Director in the Sports team at Walker Morris, added:

“Congratulations to Dean, Kevin and all involved in the transactions. Really happy that Walker Morris was able to assist in helping all parties reach an agreement. The matter required numerous pieces of time critical work from various departments and my thanks to those involved for all of their hard work.

“Exciting times ahead for Huddersfield Town!” 

Ranked in the top tier by leading independent guides to the profession, the Walker Morris Sports team is known for being one of the few firms in the UK that can genuinely offer the complete sports law service. This latest transaction reaffirms their position as one of the top sports M&A law firms in the country.