Global investment bank William Blair has completed its purchase of boutique sports advisor Inner Circle Sports in a move that gives the firm an immediate presence in the flourishing world of sports dealmaking. The two companies reached an agreement in April on the deal. Financial specifics were not disclosed.
Rob Tilliss and Steve Horowitz co-founded the firm in 2002, and it carved out a niche facilitating hundreds of deals involving team sales, LP transactions, debt financing and other adjacent M&A activity. Early deals included Wyc Grousbeck’s group buying the Boston Celtics, and Bruce Ratner’s acquisition of the then-New Jersey Nets.
It established an early U.S. presence in Europe, representing Tom Hicks and George Gillett in their Liverpool FC acquisition in 2006 and again four years later, advising Fenway Sports Group’s purchase of the club. It represented Michael Eisner’s 2017 takeover of Portsmouth, as well as Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac when they bought Wrexham.
Recently, Inner Circle advised the Walton family on a minority stake purchase of the Chicago Bulls and United Center. It was also the financial advisor to the group buying the San Diego Padres led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.
