Walker Morris Sports Law Team advises on sale of AFC Bournemouth
20th December 2022
Sports lawyers at Walker Morris have advised on the sale of AFC Bournemouth to a partnership led by American businessman and philanthropist, William P. Foley II.
The deal involves the sale of 100% of the shares in AFC Bournemouth Limited – the entity which holds the share in the Premier League.
Walker Morris advised A.FC.B. Enterprises Limited and ultimate owner Maxim Demin on the sale.
A multi-disciplinary team, led by David Hinchliffe and Christian Slinger – both from the Sports Team, advised. They were supported by Stephen Morris, Tim Howden, India Seaton and Shaney Stevens-Neale (Sports), Simon Cuerden (Corporate), Nicola Parkinson (Tax), Owen Ormond (Finance), William Oakes (Finance), Andrew Maclean (Real Estate), Hannah Levy (Real Estate), Charlotte Smith (Employment), Adam Melling (Employment), Matthew Lingard (IP), Shelley Quinn (Commercial), Ruth Bamford (Pensions), Katie Le Boutillier (Planning), Andrew Northage (Regulatory) and Grace Stirrat (Regulatory).
Commenting on the deal Nicholas Rothwell, former director of AFC Bournemouth, said:
“It’s the end of an era for us. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Club and are excited to see where Bill and his team take the Club from here. We believe the Club could not have passed on to better hands. A huge thank you to Walker Morris – especially David Hinchliffe and Christian Slinger – for all of their hard work on the transaction. Their support was greatly appreciated throughout.”
Commenting on the deal David Hinchliffe, Head of Sport at Walker Morris, said:
“We are extremely happy to have been able to get this deal done for Max and his advisers. It has been a pleasure to work with them over the past few years and Max leaves the Club in a really good place. This is an exciting time for AFC Bournemouth and I am looking forward to seeing what plans Bill and his team have in store.
“From a Walker Morris perspective, opportunities to be involved in Premier League M&A transactions are fairly rare, so it has been a privilege to play a key role in another deal in this space.”
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.
