Arctos Sports Partners, a private equity firm dedicated to the professional sports industry and sports franchise owners recently announced the final close of Arctos Sports Partners Fund II (“Fund II”), the latest iteration of its flagship sports fund.
Fund II, along with co-investment and parallel affiliated vehicles, closed with over $4.1 billion in commitments from a diverse group of global investors, including some of the world’s leading pension funds, retirement systems, endowments, insurance companies, family offices, and global wealth platforms, bringing Arctos’ aggregate sports-related Assets Under Management to approximately $7 billion.
Fund II and its predecessor fund, Arctos Sports Partners Fund I, represent the world’s largest aggregation of institutional capital dedicated exclusively to professional sports franchise investments.
“Arctos was purpose-built to bring more than just capital to our partner teams, leagues, and businesses,” said Ian Charles, co-founder and co-managing partner of Arctos.” By using data science-backed insights paired with deep operational and domain expertise, we are proud to be a trusted partner for major sports franchises and limited partners seeking access to this robust and durable industry. We are all very grateful for the support of our investors and the leagues, owners, and operators who have chosen to partner with us.”
Almost a third of Fund II’s capital has been deployed across several investments, including:
- Smith Entertainment Group, the holding company that owns the Utah Jazz
- Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, the owner of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers
- Paris Saint-Germain FC
- Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
Arctos is currently the only institutional investor approved to invest in multiple teams by MLB, the NBA, the NHL, MLS, global motorsports organizations, and European soccer federations.
“In just over three years, we have seen the demand for sports as an asset class grow tremendously,” said Doc O’Connor, co-founder and co-managing partner of Arctos. “Arctos is uniquely positioned as a growth and thought partner to innovate, unlock opportunity, and transform the markets we participate in. With the success of Fund II, our firm is well-positioned at the forefront of the professional sports ownership market.”
