Opinion: Sport has become a mainstream asset with new developments creating new opportunities

OPINION - By Charlotte Lewis-Williams, DLA PiperSport today is more than a global pastime – it is a powerful intersection of commerce, culture and technology, a magnet for private capital, a testing ground for regulation, and a laboratory for innovation.Across the sports sector, investors, governing bodies, clubs and brands are navigating a new era defined by opportunity and complexity. Private equity is reshaping ownership models and valuations, while evolving legal and regulatory frameworks are redrawing the boundaries of governance and accountability. At the same time, media rights and sports data are fuelling an ongoing battle for audience attention in the digital economy.The landscape of investment itself is shifting – from the institutionalisation of football ownership to the rapid commercial rise of women’s sport and the evolution of stadiums into multi-use, tech-driven destinations that blur the line between sport, entertainment and real estate.PE investment in sportsThere has been a dramatic increase in investments in sports over the past decade by PE firms, venture capitalists and sovereign wealth funds.  Key drivers for this include the substantial opportunities for revenue growth through entertainment events and concerts hosted at stadiums, media rights, sponsorships, and merchandising.PE investors do need to balance the need for short-term returns on their investment with the heritage and continuity that’s intrinsic to sports clubs and their communities. Whilst PE can professionalise and optimise management, it needs to balance its commercial objectives with maintaining fan loyalty and avoiding backlash from fans and stakeholders. Exiting sports investments can be a challenge due to high valuations and an often-limited pool of potential buyers. Traditional PE exits, such as IPOs, are difficult and might not add significant value.  To combat these issues, the potential for continuation funds and need for longer holding periods could be considered as viable ways to achieve successful exits.Many sports leagues are reviewing and updating their rules around PE investment.  In the UK, given the penetration of PE investments in Premier League football clubs, the new Independent Football Regulator has been set up with the intention of ensuring the long-term financial stability and sustainability of English football clubs. It will be interesting to see how the balance evolves between regulatory attitudes and the growing presence of PE investments in sports.  Institutional investment in sportsSports clubs are increasingly attracting institutional capital, drawn by steady cash flow, brand loyalty and growth in under-penetrated markets. This interest has transformed sport from a speculative play into a credible long-hold investment category. Funds are now more comfortable viewing clubs through the lens of infrastructure and IP management, rather than emotional ventures.As institutional investors become increasingly involved in football, governance at club level is undergoing a notable transition. This evolution reflects a broader shift towards corporate-style management, emphasising strategic planning, and performance-driven oversight – departing from the more informal, relationship-based governance often associated with traditional or family-style ownership.Institutional capital typically brings expectations of more formalised and accountable decision-making processes. This is evident in more complex board structures, clearer reporting lines, and the implementation of performance metrics across all levels of a club’s operations.Another hallmark of institutional involvement is the emphasis on data and analytics. Whether applied to player recruitment, match strategy, fan engagement or commercial operations, data-driven decision making enables a more objective and quantifiable approach to evaluating performance and investment outcomes.Institutional investors commonly approach club ownership with a defined investment horizon. When effectively managed, this approach can support sustainable investment in infrastructure, talent development, and commercial expansion – ultimately benefiting both the club and its supporters.Multi-club ownershipMulti-club ownership (MCO) has become a preferred structure for strategic investors seeking scalable exposure to football assets. MCOs offer clear benefits in diversification, operational efficiency and commercial leverage. But they also raise important questions about competition integrity and preserving supporter identity.MCOs allow investors to mitigate against relegation risk and regulatory change by spreading exposure across a portfolio of clubs in different markets. This approach is particularly attractive to North American investors, who are more accustomed to franchise models that don’t involve promotion and relegation. MCOs also help navigate an evolving regulatory environment.  From a commercial perspective, MCO provides investors with scale in sponsorship negotiations and brand partnerships.Despite these advantages, MCO also poses challenges. There’s growing concern over how shared ownership may affect competitive integrity, particularly when clubs under common control compete in the same tournament. UEFA have mitigated some of the issues associated with this approach by prohibiting any individual or entity from having decisive influence over more than one club participating in UEFA competitions.There’s also a risk that commercial efficiency comes at the expense of local club identity. While MCOs can deliver strategic growth, they also raise questions about homogenisation, community engagement and long-term fan loyalty.The future of ownershipAs football continues to attract increasingly sophisticated capital, the future of ownership will be shaped by professionalism, strategic growth and operational scale. But amid structured, data-driven decision-making, long-term investment horizons and global branding ambitions, one constant remains: the importance of fan support and the club loyalty that comes with it.Investors will appreciate that the emotional loyalty, cultural identity and generational support of fans are the foundation of football club’s value and will continue to be a club’s key value driver.Matchday atmosphere fuels both matchday and media revenues. Generational support drives merchandise sales. And community relevance sustains a club’s legitimacy. For investors, this means actively monitoring fan trust, sentiment and engagement as critical indicators of long-term value alongside traditional KPIs relating directly to football club valuations and financial performance.Women’s sports: sponsorship, strategy and growthWhere women’s sports have historically been undervalued and data has previously been overlooked, with the evolution of content and media, women’s sports are more accessible than ever before, and the mass appeal of women’s football in particular has tremendous growth potential.Sports as an asset class is now increasingly viewed as an infrastructure play, rather than just a vanity investment, with investors often focussing on long-term contractual revenues to underpin credit assessments. As men’s sports have matured, women’s sports can build on the business knowledge and professionalisation of that asset class.Benefitting from increased viewership due to a digital native fanbase and the continued growth of youth and school participation, grassroots teams and emerging leagues, women’s sports have never been so popular or entertaining. This represents a unique opportunity for investors, within a full commercial ecosystem, to drive operation and profitability and to further commercialise revenue streams such as media/broadcasting, matchday/ticketing, commercial, security, health and welfare.Intensity and quality of competition are key in sports entertainment: the calibre and bankability of women’s football is evident, but investors are increasingly looking