BURNLEY, England – Burnley became the newest American-owned Premier League club when they were taken over on Wednesday.
ALK Capital’s sports investment arm, Velocity Sports Partners, has bought an 84% stake in the north-west of England club from British entrepreneurs Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz.
Burnley ‘s glory days are long overdue – winning the English championship in 1921 and 1960 – but he is playing his fifth straight season in the richest league in the world.
ALK managing partner Alan Pace replaces Garlick as chairman of the team, which is based just north of Manchester. He was previously Head of the Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer team. Garlick and Banaszkiewicz, will remain on Burnley ‘s new board of directors.
Unlike squads in the rest of the league, Burnley has players from the UK and Ireland largely more than the rest of the world. Of the 13 players used by manager Sean Dyche in a 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Tuesday, only Erik Pieters is Dutch from outside the British Isles.
But the change in ownership could lead to an expansion of the club’s scouting and transfer network. In August, ALK invested in two London-based football technology companies – AiScout and Player LENS – which are involved in data analysis and predictive evaluation of players.
“Today marks a new era for Burnley,” said Pace, “as we become leaders of this historic football club and build on the impressive work of Mike Garlick, Sean Dyche. and all at Burnley to make him a financially stable Prime Minister. A league club that is the cornerstone of the local community. ”
Burnley are 16th in a 20-team position, five points above the relegation zone after 15 games of the 38-game season.
“With a rich heritage, a great academy, and a passionate fan base, this club has strong foundations to build on,” said Pace. “This is the start of an exciting journey for the whole Clarets family.”
American investors also own Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Liverpool and Manchester United.