Massie-Taylor remembers how low the bar was to buy into the Prem in his first few, stressful years. “It was ‘do you exist, have you got a criminal record, do you actually have any money?,” he says.
But Red Bull’s arrival, sealed and delivered in August 2025, marked a sea change.
Since then Black Knight – the owners of Premier League side Bournemouth – have bought up Exeter Chiefs, billionaire industrialist Sir James Dyson has taken a 50% share of Bath and financier Steve Zander has made a multi-million pound investment into Northampton Saints., external
More outside investment is expected soon, with Gloucester and Leicester among those in conversations.
“Investor interest in the league has increased significantly in the last 12 months, certainly the last six,” says Massie-Taylor, who convened a summit for prospective buyers in London in June and is heading to the United States in October to press flesh and make the case.
His confidence is shared by more impartial experts.
Matthew Wheeler helped broker Red Bull’s takeover of Newcastle, but his specialist investment group A&W Capital has made deals across a variety of sports and media.
“I don’t think you’re drunk from the Kool-Aid to have belief in the Prem, there definitely is a momentum behind it,” he says.
Andrew Umbers is a co-founder of Oakwell Sports Advisory, which had a similar role in Exeter’s takeover.
“We put Exeter in front just over 110 sports investors and we had interest probably from around 30,” he says. “That interest came from North America, Asia and continental Europe.”
It is quite the difference from when Massie-Taylor would entertain enquiries from anyone with proof of identity, a clean chargesheet and a positive bank balance.
What is behind the turnaround?
There are a few factors that are happy coincidence, rather than canny design.
The value of sports teams generally has risen steeply. The sale of the LA Lakers for a record $12.5bn (£9.3bn) this summer is the prime example.
Wheeler puts the spike down to the guaranteed eyeballs sport attracts in a fragmented media world, its relative resistance to disruption by artificial intelligence as a product and the prestige and scarcity value of owning a sports team.
Prem Rugby was also on an upward growth trajectory before the Covid pandemic hit. Even with the loss of three teams, a return to normality has allowed the league to rediscover that groove.
A brand of the heft of Red Bull getting involved in the league, undoubtedly sparked interest elsewhere.
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