If you can't get behind the paywall, The Times article from yesterday is as follows. I've highlighted a couple of bits which I think show why we could be attractive as an investment to US investors.
Premier League is popular but American investors are quietly snapping up EFL clubs too
Quarter of clubs in Premier League and three divisions below have some form of US investment
Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter
Monday March 20 2023, 7.15pm, The Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/topic/premier-league
The Todd Boehly-led takeover of Chelsea had all the ingredients that explain the lure of the Premier League for investors from the United States, with half the top-flight clubs now fully or partly owned by Americans.
But with a lot less razzmatazz, American investors have also been quietly snapping up EFL clubs to the point where more than a quarter of clubs in the Premier League and three divisions below it have some form of US investment.
Gillingham, Plymouth Argyle, Leyton Orient and most recently Lincoln City may not seem an obvious attraction, but a quick look at the sums involved explains why they have become so desirable.
Portsmouth is the classic example, bought by Michael Eisner, the former head of Walt Disney, for £5.67 million in 2017 with a commitment for some stadium improvements.
Remarkably, that means for the £2.5 billion price that Boehly paid for Chelsea — with some much bigger commitments for some stadium improvements — he could have bought 441 Portsmouths. Pompey may have been in League Two, about to be promoted to League One, when Eisner completed his takeover but the potential is there: it is a one-city club within Fratton Park — a stadium that holds more than 20,000 supporters.
Portsmouth was a particular bargain-basement offer but prices have risen considerably since that takeover. League One side Ipswich Town were bought by Gamechanger 20, an American consortium, for £40 million, while Crawley Town, in League Two, were bought by the cryptocurrency group Wagmi for £5 million last year.
The Americans in the EFL are buying potential without the risk — and the stakes can be high. Randy Lerner, the American credit card tycoon, reckons he lost more than £200 million over the ten years he owned Aston Villa, describing English football as sport’s Wild West “where frauds and charlatans were allowed to roam freely”.
One director of an EFL club — one of those with American investors — said: “The top clubs have either been snapped up or are too expensive, so the Americans are also looking at clubs with potential where they don’t have to risk a huge outlay.
“They can get them for a sensible price and the ultimate prize would be to reach the promised land of the Premier League. Even with League One and Two clubs, the idea is that if you are fairly sensible you can improve their situation and then sell your stake.”
One American investor cited a “big city or town, or proximity to London” as being factors in making their choice, as well as the price, which may explain why there appears to be a north-south divide with the majority of EFL clubs with American investment being in the south.
He also confirmed that the prize of reaching the Premier League was a big driver, given that it guarantees at least £200 million in TV money and parachute payments if relegated again.
“There are not many businesses where you can increase your turnover by a factor of ten in a single year,” the investor said. “Clubs such as Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Millwall and Plymouth all have large stadiums and high attendances in the EFL, and people see what Bournemouth have achieved with a much smaller stadium.”
It is not just about the money, said the investor, there is also the romance of taking a club from a low level and the chance of getting to the top — the kind of romance that prompted the Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds to take over the National League side Wrexham in 2021.
The possibility of growth in media rights given the rise of streaming platforms is the main driving force for investors looking at Premier League clubs but that is almost as strong in the EFL.
Domestic TV rights income has remained level or even dipped in the past five years but many Americans are convinced that the next big jump is just around the corner, either driven by the streaming giants taking on the pay-TV broadcasters or clubs being given more flexibility to stream their own matches.
“In soccer, England is where it is at — it is seen as the best league, the one the whole world is interested in,” the investor said. “We think the possibilities for growth are there and not just in the Premier League, and we can be part of that without paying the kind of money that Chelsea cost.”
. However It does answer the pessimists on here, posing the question, who on earth would be interested in buying our 'debt-ridden' club. There are some!
