Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment funds (“Ares”) has acquired a minority stake in the France SailGP Team, joining a consortium of investors in the team, including international football superstar Kylian Mbappé.
SailGP managing director Andrew Thompson described the news as an 'exciting milestone for SailGP'.
"The investment in our French team by an organization with a stellar portfolio of first-rate sports properties underlines the strength of SailGP’s global league model and reinforces the commercial potential of our teams.
"Ares brings both institutional capital and deep strategic insights – they’ll be a highly-valuable collaborator in growing the French team and the Rolex SailGP Championship more broadly.”
Jim Miller, Co-Lead of Ares’ Sports, Media and Entertainment strategy, added that the company was 'thrilled to enter the league'.
"With the team’s expanding ecosystem of dedicated athletes, sponsors and fans, alongside Ares’ experience investing in premier global sports teams, we are eager to lend our capabilities as the team continues to build on its momentum.”
A leading global alternative investment manager, Ares Management has an extensive track record in sports, media and entertainment investment. Its investment in the France SailGP team expands its existing portfolio of professional sports team investments, which includes Inter Miami CF, McLaren Racing and Atlético de Madrid.
The news follows a string of recent high-profile acquisitions, including the sale of the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team to a consortium of investors and Italian sports industry leaders, and acquisition of the BONDS Flying Roos (Australia) by Hollywood moguls Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.
Sportsology Capital Partners has also been introduced today as part of the French ownership group, alongside Ares and Mbappé’s Coalition Capital.
Led by French Olympian Quentin Delapierre, the France SailGP Team is operated by K-Challenge and supported by Accor, one of the world’s leading hospitality groups.
The team sits sixth on Rolex SailGP 2025 Season standings, after a podium finish earlier this month in New York.
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