Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has recently sold a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club to Dynasty Equity, and the co-founders of Dynasty Equity Don Cornwell have provided insights into their investment decisions.
FSG, the owners of Liverpool, had been seeking a partial sale of the club and ultimately closed a strategic common equity minority investment deal with Dynasty Equity in November 2022, valued between £80-160 million.
Dynasty Equity, established in late 2022 by Don Cornwell and Jonathan M. Nelson, chose Liverpool as their inaugural investment.
Liverpool, being one of the most iconic sports teams globally, was an attractive choice for the New York-based firm.
Don Cornwell on Dynasty Equity’s investment in Liverpool
Don Cornwell, speaking at the Sportico Invest in Sports Conference via the Liverpool Echo, elaborated on the rationale behind Dynasty Equity’s investment.
He highlighted that their decision was influenced by the way FSG managed the club and the trustworthiness associated with it.
Cornwell, the CEO of Dynasty Equity, explained,
“When we started Dynasty we wanted the firm to be viewed as global, and so early on as we were looking for potential first deals it was important for us that it was something to put our brand on the map, but most importantly we wanted to make sure it was a good deal.
What does a good deal mean? World-class asset; world-class management team. Most importantly for us was one where we had deep relationships and a lot of trust. We are taking a minority stake so we are putting a lot of trust in the folks that are shepherds of that capital, and Liverpool, our partners have known the squad there for over 40 years, I have known people there for over 20 years, so there was a lot of trust.”
Cornwell emphasized the importance of this trust during the process of finalizing the deal. He stated,
“Over the course of the summer, as we were putting the deal together, you could feel that trust. For us as a first investment, we didn’t want to be in the situation where we deployed capital and then had to hope that nothing was going to go wrong. Here we have a lot of confidence that things are going in the right direction.”
In summary, Dynasty Equity’s investment in Liverpool was driven by their confidence in the club’s management under FSG and the trust they had built with the organization over many years.
They considered Liverpool a world-class asset and a prime opportunity for their debut investment, showcasing their commitment to making well-informed and secure financial decisions.
Liverpool is my Religion and Anfield is my Church. 17th May 1996 the date I had my blood coloured red. The one you love the most you can not live without it and that is football to me.
