The commissioner of the league bringing American college football to Wembley Stadium believes the inaugural 2026 match can boost its profile amid interest from private equity.
The Big 12 American football league, a collegiate US conference part of the NCAA, earlier this year reviewed bids from private equity firms for stakes in the competition.
RedBird Capital – owners of AC Milan and investors in Liverpool controllers Fenway Sports Group – was seen as a leader for the capital proposal, while Six Nations investors CVC Capital Partners reportedly considered a $1bn investment.
Those approaches were rejected but Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told City AM that it is important to “have a pulse on what the opportunities are that are out there”.
Private equity interest
“[Our discussions] are well documented. It’s incumbent upon me as the commissioner to explore any and all options to create value for our conference members,” he added. “I’ve done that, we’ve explored different scenarios.
“When I think about private equity, or just investment in general, it starts with a strategic partner – someone that brings more than just capital but subject matter expertise to really grow the enterprise, and we continue to explore all the different options that are out there.
“We’re not prepared to do anything just yet, but being in the exploration mode is certainly critically important and making sure that we have a pulse on what the opportunities are that are out there.”
Yormark is bringing college football to the UK in September next year with a match between Arizona State Sun Devils and Kansas Jayhawks at Wembley dubbed the Union Jack Classic.
It follows the long-standing emigration of annual NFL games to the UK and Ireland, with Dublin also staging a string of college football games in recent years.
College football in London
“It raises our profile, this is one of the greatest countries in the world,” said Yormark, whose brother Michael is president of Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports.
“I had the honour of bringing the Brooklyn Nets here twice, and played at the O2, so I know what it could mean when you think about fan engagement and creating a global profile.
“This is an ideal market. I was in Dublin in August, and I saw a market like that, not just a city, but a country embracing college football. And I think the same can happen here. It’s going to take time, but I think the same dynamic.”
Tickets are on sale, starting at £58.75 at the time of writing, with Yormark hopeful of a 90,000 sell-out. Students are getting paid for the first time and the commissioner says the sport is second to the NFL in popularity Stateside.
“College athletics right now is an amazing growth business, and I’ve been doing it now for three years,” he said. “College football is the driver but you have so many other sports that are contributing to the growth of collegiate athletics.
“Collegiate athletics is reimagining itself, it understands we’re in a business and we’ve got to grow that and monetise that business.”