It will be a hearty welcome to Enstone for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the two actors behind the rejuvenation of Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC, following the announcement that they are among a group of investors who recently struck a deal with the Alpine F1 team.
Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Investments is one of the investors involved in a €200 million ($218 million USD at current exchange rates) transaction in exchange for a 24 percent equity stake in the Formula One team, which is based in Enstone, U.K. He is co-investing with actors Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenney.
Together, Reynolds and McElhenney recently purchased struggling soccer team Wrexham AFC and produced a documentary about their experience in the Disney+ series, Welcome to Wrexham. Not only was the show a hit, but the soccer team recently earned a promotion to the English Football League thanks to its successes on the pitch.
“Maximum Effort Investments focuses on unlocking value through the power of storytelling, and we believe there is tremendous untapped potential in Alpine Racing,” said James Toney, co-founder of Maximum Effort Investing. “We are eager to help shine a light on this incredible team.”
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In addition, U.S. investment firm RedBird, which is run by former Goldman Sachs banker Gerry Cardinale, was among the investors. The firm also has a connection to English football as the owner of Liverpool F.C., and also has stakes in a variety of professional sports teams.
Finally, this is the first deal for Otro Capital, which is a spin-off of Redbird focused entirely on sports. Its head, Alec Scheiner, said that the arrangement came together over the course of 18 months. He will join the Alpine Racing board as a result of the trade.
“They looked at us like, ‘Maybe you can help us across the verticals where you’ve had success in the U.S.—ticketing, hospitality, sponsorship, licensing, merchandising, content,’” Scheiner told the New York Times.
Alpine reflected that statement and added that its F1 team will benefit from the investment group’s expertise in data and technology, which it calls key enablers of marketing and commercial performance. The deal will not include Alpine Racing SAS, which manufactures engines for the Alpine F1 team.
“This association is an important step to enhance our performance at all levels,” said Laurent Rossi, the CEO of Alpine. “As international players with strong track record in the sports industry, will bring their recognized expertise to boost our media and marketing strategy, essential to support our sporting performance over the long term.”
