Leeds United, a team that has recently been relegated from the Premier League, is working hard to return to the top of English football with the help of an unexpected source from the United States. The team is currently competing in the EFL Championship and has sold a minority stake in the club to Ackerley Partners, a Seattle-based holding company and venture capital firm that also owns a minority stake in the NHL’s Kraken.
The new capital will be used to enhance both the commercial and football operations of the club. This move represents another step in the Americanization of English football as 49ers Enterprises, the strategic investment arm of NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, completed its long-planned takeover of Leeds United in July. 49ers Enterprises has been overhauling the club’s functions, swiftly remaking the club’s board of directors and is considering whether to bring in another new investor.
Leeds United’s hopes for promotion are holding firm as they are currently sitting in third place in the EFL Championship, just one point above relegation. The team has won six out of their last seven matches and if they manage to get promoted back to