Leeds United Football Club (LUFC) and the San Francisco 49ers announced a new investment by an entity affiliated with the 49ers that increases the stake in Leeds United managed by 49ers Enterprises to 37%.
The new investment also sees Paraag Marathe, 49ers Enterprises President and current LUFC board member, become the vice chairman of Leeds United.
“We are delighted to welcome further investment into our club from 49ers Enterprises and I am confident that this latest partnership will help Leeds United continue to grow and develop into the team our supporters deserve,” said Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani.
“I have always been open to bringing partners on this journey with me, as long as these actions can benefit the long-term strategy of the club.
“Paraag and the team at 49ers Enterprises are uniquely positioned to collaborate with myself, Angus Kinnear, Victor Orta and our management team to help us achieve our goals.”
The announcement builds on a strategic partnership and equity stake initiated in 2018 when 49ers Enterprises purchased 15% of the club from Radrizzani.
The controlling owner of Leeds United since 2017, Radrizzani remains the majority stakeholder of the English Premier League (EPL) club.
“Our 49ers Enterprises team has always shared Andrea’s vision for constructing a powerful and winning club in the most competitive football league in the world, and the experience of the last three seasons has been more exhilarating than we could have ever imagined,” said Marathe.
“The hard work and bold leadership demonstrated by Andrea and his talented team has restored Leeds United’s rightful place in the Premier League and we look forward to playing an even bigger role in supporting their efforts to climb the table this year and into the future.”
Radrizzan added: “Now that we have achieved promotion and made a positive start to the new campaign, there is no better time to be looking ahead to the future, as we aim to take this football club to the next level, initially by becoming an established Premier League side before chasing our dreams of taking Leeds United back into Europe.
“We must also be focused on reaching our potential commercially and developing Elland Road and our training facilities.”