Overview
- MSP Sports Capital bought a majority stake in the New Zealand SailGP team on Friday, June 19, making the Black Foils the final one of 13 SailGP national teams to move into private ownership.
- Pete Burling and Blair Tuke will remain co‑CEOs of the Black Foils, who are set to return to competition in Halifax in a brand‑new F50 after a high‑speed crash in February that injured several crew members.
- SailGP co‑founder Sir Russell Coutts called the sale a key milestone for the league’s strategy of shifting teams to third‑party owners, and MSP leaders framed the deal as a bid to win championships for New Zealand.
- Financial terms were not disclosed, but MSP’s track record of sports investments, including a recent McLaren stake sale and lending to Everton, highlights growing private equity interest in elite sailing.
- The deal secures the Black Foils’ immediate participation and signals broader commercial momentum for SailGP while leaving valuation, governance details, and long‑term impacts on team budgets unspecified.