Manly Sea Eagles owner Scott Penn holds talks over partnership with San Francisco 49ers
On the back of a successful visit to the US, Manly owner Scott Penn has confirmed talks of a potential sale of the Sea Eagles to a major NFL powerhouse.
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Manly majority owner and chair Scott Penn has held talks with San Francisco 49ers president Al Guido over a partnership between the clubs that could result in the NFL giant taking a stake in the Sea Eagles.
Penn confirmed that he and Guido had discussed the potential for a partnership over breakfast only hours before Manly opened the season with a win over South Sydney in Las Vegas last weekend.
The 49ers are one of the most powerful franchises in American sport, having reached the Super Bowl last month only to fall short against the Kansas City Chiefs. They have also expanded their tentacles through their investment arm, buying a stake in English football powerhouse Leeds United.
Guido revealed earlier this week that he was open to the prospect of buying a stake in an NRL club and it can now be revealed that Manly have stolen a march on their rivals after Penn and the 49ers president informally discussed the potential for a deal while the Sea Eagles were in Las Vegas.
“We would definitely be keen to explore some opportunities,” Penn said.
“If there was an opportunity to significantly increase our membership base by selling a minority stake, we would be interested.
“We would certainly be open to a relationship, whether that be equity or some form of partnership.”
Penn revealed he spoke to Guido about the potential valuation of NRL clubs and how the value of sporting franchises around the world was on the rise.
“We talked (about) some numbers around Australian franchises and what they are worth,” Penn said.
“We didn’t really get into specifics. We talked more broadly.”
Penn owns around 75 percent of the Sea Eagles with a further 20 percent in the hands of businessmen Gary Wolman and Andrew Michael.
The Manly District Football Club owns the remaining shares. While Penn is open to selling a stake to the 49ers, he has no desire to surrender his majority ownership of the club.
However, there is a belief that American ownership would allow Manly to lean on the expertise of the 49ers when it comes to stadiums and expanding membership.
The club’s spiritual home at Brookvale Oval – now known as 4 Pines Park – is in dire need of refurbishment but the Sea Eagles have struggled to gain government or private support to fund the work that is needed.
Guido, as head of the 49ers, has been intimately involved in the use of Levi Stadium, as well as its refurbishment.
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Originally published as Manly Sea Eagles owner Scott Penn holds talks over partnership with San Francisco 49ers
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