Tony Bloom, English entrepreneur and owner of top-tier English Premier League soccer side Brighton, has bought a 19.1% stake in Australian A-League soccer club Melbourne Victory.
The deal, which allows Bloom to increase his ownership share over time, comes just over a week after the A-League club split with beleaguered Miami-based investment group 777.
Go deeper with GlobalData
777 Partners purchased a minority 19.9% stake in the A-League team in October 2022 – however, the Miami-based group's investment spree in clubs around the world soon gave way to crises and accusations of fraud before it collapsed last year, with creditors A-Cap taking control of its soccer portfolio.
Bloom, who has been majority owner and chair of Brighton since 2009, is also an investor in Belgian Pro League soccer club Union Saint-Gilloise (holding a 25% stake), and in addition, has an involvement with Scottish Premiership soccer club Hearts.
Bloom said: "As a passionate football supporter, I am excited to have the opportunity to become a shareholder in Melbourne Victory, one of the most successful clubs in A-League history.
"My investment reflects my confidence in the club's vision and leadership, and I see tremendous potential in the club for further growth and success, on and off the pitch.
"The club's leadership know that I am available to them whenever needed to help in driving continued progress and success for Melbourne Victory."
"My wife is from Australia and, whenever possible, the two of us and our children enjoy spending time there each year. I am especially delighted that we now have a 'home club' in Australia to support."
Victory chairman John Dovaston added: "We are extremely excited to bring someone of Tony's caliber not only into Melbourne Victory, but of course, into the A-League.
"Tony's wealth of experience and expertise in football is well recognized, with Brighton & Hove Albion being widely regarded as one of the best-run teams in the EPL.
"While the investment is independent of Tony's other footballing interests, we are confident that being able to leverage Tony's network at Brighton and beyond will help propel Melbourne Victory forward with a further strengthened capital base."
With the investment, Victory join fellow A-League teams Auckland FC and Melbourne City in having investors who own Premier League teams, with Auckland funded by Bournemouth owner Bill Foley, and Victory’s local rivals City are tied with Manchester City.
Victory's men's team will continue their domestic season on March 15 (tomorrow) when they face the Western Sydney Wanderers. The side currently sit fourth in the 13-team A-League table, playing their home games at the 30,000-capacity AAMI Park venue.
Brighton have gone from a third-tier side playing in a stadium they did not own, when Bloom took over, to a team competing in pan-European UEFA competitions now. As such, Bloom is generally considered one of the shrewdest Premier League owners.
