Watford FC to sell stake in English Championship club via digital investment platform Republic

June 4, 2024, British professional football team Watford Football Club has partnered with investment platform Republic to sell around 10% of the club to investors, including fans. The shares will be sold through Republic’s online platform and its European subsidiary Seedrs.

The funds rऐsed from the equity sale will be used to invest in player recruitment, training and coaching for all teams of the club, improve the performance of all aspects of the team, especially the mens first team, and further develop the Watford FC brand.

A nearly 150-year-old British football institution, the Hornets play at the iconic Vicarage Road in Greater London and have played in the world’s most watched and influential English Premier League for six of the past ten seasons, with revenues reaching £6.1 billion in the 22/23 season, up from just £2.6 billion a decade ago.

In recent years the club has undergone a transformation and now boasts industry-leading facilities, an internationally recognised player recruitment programme and a range of strategic partnerships with leading brands. This has resulted in strong performances both on and off the pitch, highlighted by an appearance in the 2019 FA Cup Final and revenues of £66m and pre-tax profits of £24.1m for the 2022/23 season, reportedly the highest of any English football club outside of the Premier League.

Watfords Honorary Life Chairman and famous football fan Elton John was chairman and owner during the Hornets promotion from the Fourth Division to the First Division in the 1970s and 1980s. The East Stand, where the players dressing rooms and tunnel are located, is named after the Rocket Man.

By partnering with Republic, Watford FC hopes to attract a wider range of investors than traditional equity financing, especially enabling fans to own a part of the clubs history and future. In addition to digital equity, investors can also choose to receive tokens and gain access to exclusive offers. Watford FC also plans to facilitate the trading of tokens in the future.

“We are constantly looking for ways to help Watford FC grow and achieve our plans and are proud to be the first UK football club to offer a true ownership share to a wide range of investors, including fans, through digital equity,” said Scott Duxbury, Chairman and CEO of Watford FC. “We are determined to return the club to the Premier League and believe this is an innovative and inclusive way to help achieve that goal.”

Republic is a leader in democratizing football club ownership, with a proven track record of bringing together club communities and other investors to help increase brand value, sporting success and commercial performance. The platform has worked with clubs around the world, from AFC Wimbledon in the UK to Orange County SC in the US.

“We are delighted to launch this exciting sports investment opportunity on the Republic platform,” said Andrew Durgee, President of Republic. “This sale is the largest digital equity offering to date and will usher in a new era in the distribution of UK football club ownership shares. As a platform, we are committed to making sports ownership more accessible to fans and professional investors.”

As part of the equity offer, the club is valued at £175 million and plans to raise around £17.5 million. The price per share is set at £12.44, with a minimum investment of four shares for £49.76 for investors buying through the Seedrs platform and eight shares for £99.52 for investors buying through the Republic platform.

Fladgate LLP acted as legal advisor to Watford FC and PSG Digital acted as digital financial advisor to the club.

The information provided is for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes an offer or solicitation to sell or buy any security. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. All investments, including football investments, involve risk and returns are not guaranteed.

For more information, see:   Republic.com/terms .
Disclaimer:   rep.pub/watford-disclaimer
risk warning:   rep.pub/sports-risks

About Watford FC

Watford FC was founded in 1881 as Watford Rovers and has played a number of memorable roles over the years. The Hornets were nicknamed after the clubs yellow and black home kit in the 1970s. In 2012 the club was bought by the Pozzo Family and more recently by Gino Pozzo.

Currently playing in the second tier of English football, the EFL Championship, the men’s first team aspires to return to the world-renowned Premier League. They have competed against many of the global football superpowers in the world’s most watched top-tier competition for six of the past ten seasons. Meanwhile, Watford Women FC has recently played in the English Football Association’s Premier League system, competed in the FA Women’s Championship, and won the FA Women’s National League play-off final. Watford men’s team have reached the final of the prestigious FA Cup knockout rounds in 1984 and 2019, have also played in the UEFA Cup for the past 40 years, and have almost always been in the top 30 of the English football pyramid.

About Republic

Headquartered in New York City, Republic is a global financial कंपनी that operates a digital merchant bank for enterprises and a crowd-investing platform. Backed by Morgan Stanley, Valor Equity Partners, Galaxy Interactive, Hashed, AngelList and other leading institutions, Republic has a portfolio of more than 2,000 companies and a community of nearly 3 million members from more than 150 countries. Republics investment platforms, funds and companies manage more than $2 billion in total, and Republic has operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Singapore.

About Seedrs (a subsidiary of Republic)

Seedrs is a leading European online private investment platform that allows individual investors to invest in startups, growth companies, and (if eligible) top venture capital funds, while also enabling entrepreneurs across industries to raise funds from its community, angel investors and institutional investors. Since its launch in 2012, Seedrs has funded more than 2,200 transactions and participated in more than £2.8 billion in total financing. With Seedrs acquisition by Republic in 2022, it is now a subsidiary of the worlds largest private investment platform, with nearly 3 million members worldwide. The combination of Seedrs and Republic provides investors and entrepreneurs with better global capital and investment opportunities.

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