Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley rides in a convertible during a Vegas Golden Knights victory parade on the Las Vegas Strip Saturday, June 17, 2023. The Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday to win the Stanley Cup Final.
Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 | 3:09 p.m.
Golden Knights governor Bill Foley has agreed in principle to purchase an ownership interest in The Hibernian Football Club Limited of the Scottish League, it was announced today.
Foley’s bid for a minority stake was approved by the Scottish Football Association and will move forward to Hibernian’s annual General Meeting set in February.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but BBC reports Foley’s share will not exceed 29.99%. The report says talks between Hibernian and Foley have gone on for the past few months.
The Gordon family is the majority shareholder, run by Kitty and Ian Gordon. Kitty Gordon’s husband, Ron, who was chairman of the team, died last February.
“We look forward to partnering with the Gordon family and other shareholders to accelerate the success of Hibernian FC and BKFC,” Foley said in a statement. “We believe this partnership, with our commitment to invest in player development and infrastructure, can help BKFC (Black Knight Football Club) and Hibernian FC reach new levels of success and help Scottish football continue to grow.”
Hibernian becomes the fourth soccer club purchased by Foley in the past 13 months. It started with a 100% ownership stake in AFC Bournemouth of the Premier League in December 2022; one month later, Foley purchased a minority stake in FC Lorient of French Ligue 1.
In November, Foley was awarded an expansion team for the A-Leagues in Auckland, New Zealand that will begin play next season.
Hibernian, which plays in Leith, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, is seventh in the Scottish Premiership table at 6-8-8 this season.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on X at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
