NBA, MLS, NFL… The American fund Arctos is now a well-known player in the world of sport.
A player mainly focused on North America, where
“more than 98% of teams make money”
, as noted by Alastair Seaman, general manager of Arctos, who has no intention of turning away from his region geographical preference.
There is also no question of missing out on good opportunities in European football.
“You have to try harder, but we apply the same objectives, a rigorous approach based on criteria to isolate the best teams in their category
,” he explained this Thursday, in London, during the Financial Times Business of Football Summit, specifying to target the clubs which have the greatest vocation to export across the Atlantic.
“We think that out of the 200 best clubs in Europe, 10 to 15 clubs are “investable”
, he swears
.
“Investable”, meaning attractive opportunities around which we can build strategic partnerships with teams
.
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Among these clubs, Arctos has already found its happiness in football by putting, directly or indirectly, marbles in Liverpool and Atalanta.
But also in Paris.
The strategic partnership between the American entity and QSI was formalized on December 7.
Ultimately, Arctos' stake could rise to 12.5% of Parisian capital.
A participation which is not intended to become a majority.
This has always been clear and Alastair Seaman reaffirms it in this interview:
“We do not believe we can control or operate a business better than those who are already best-in-class operators.
It will always be a minority franchise
,” he insists.
Said Alastair Seaman then explains the reasons which make Paris Saint-Germain an interesting club in his eyes:
“There is an incredible functioning of the academy there.
They created an academy and a training center and invested more than 350 million euros in facilities which, in our opinion, have no equivalent in world football (the PSG Campus in Poissy, Editor's note).
It sits at the top of the most prolific catchment area for talent in world football.
The combination of these strengths, combined with a strong commitment to becoming more sustainable and moving away from a galactic, star-led project, and closer to a younger, hungrier, more French-oriented team, you gives a very good combination and unlocks financial efficiency
.
Read alsoParc des Princes: the underside of the battle between Anne Hidalgo and PSG
The thorny issue of the Parc des Princes
We know that Arctos does not invest in Paris to trade players.
The idea is rather to target infrastructure.
And so, of course, the stadium.
Remember that PSG wants to buy the Parc des Princes and says it is ready to invest €500 million to renovate and expand it.
Issue ?
Paris City Hall refuses to sell the Porte de Saint-Cloud enclosure.
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has therefore clearly established his intention to look for a new playing field. In Paris or elsewhere.
In any case, it will be in the west of Paris according to our information.
This is the only certainty we can have at the moment...
“There is also enormous potential around the stadium
,” underlines Mr. Seaman, drawing on Arctos' previous experiences in matter in the USA, whether in the NBA (Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings), MLB (Chicago Cubs) or NHL (Tampa Bay Lightning).
And added:
“The possibility for PSG to do that in the Paris suburbs is very strong.
"It's an ongoing process, we're actively working on it with them, and I think it's a key strategic imperative for them to also accept us as a capital provider
. "
Alastair Seaman further notes that the
“Parc des Princes has been full for 150 matches”
and that
“the revenue per seat is the highest in European football.
There are many unmet demands that could be met by new development.
Ultimately this is where it becomes simplistic.
There is only one big team in Paris, so there is a de facto monopoly on one of the most visited cities in the world.
This has led to a brand strength that we believe has managed to escape the league and itself.
There aren't many franchises capable of doing that, who have a monopoly on a city as important as Paris.
It’s rare in European football.”
And as what is rare is precious, Arctos will have paid €400 million when its shares reach 12.5% of the capital of PSG according to our information.