The Global Sports Group (GSG) division of private equity investment giant CVC Capital Partners has today unveiled an athlete advisory board.
Through a tie-up with the Roc Nation Sports International (RNSI) agency, the three-person athlete board has been launched to "ensure the voices and perspectives of athletes sit at the centre of the group's planning, league inputs, and long-term strategy."
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The trio of athletes are South African men's rugby union captain Siya Kolisi, Spanish former soccer star David Villa, and Skylar Diggins, a prominent US national team and WNBA women's basketball player.
RNSI will support the board, meanwhile, by utilizing its global network and experience in athlete representation, with the ultimate aim of ensuring the overall GSG strategy is "deeply informed by the players' perspective."
The board will provide feedback to the GSG leadership team and league partners on issues such as athlete engagement and player-fan connection, the commercialization of sport, and pathways for women and youth athletes.
GSG – now, the largest fund in sports equity – was formed in mid-September and is led by Marc Allera, hired by CVC in May after spending almost a decade at UK telecommunications business EE.
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By GlobalDataThe GSG leadership also includes Michelle Wilson and George Barrios, former executives at wrestling’s WWE, who will handle brand, fan engagement, and content responsibilities.
Allera said: "GSG is built on the principle that sport’s long-term success depends on balancing commercial growth with respect for athletes and fans. The athlete advisory board gives us a structured way to bring those voices directly into our decision-making."
In mid-October, it was reported that CVC was in conversations around refinancing its sports asset portfolio.
Sky News reported that CVC was in talks with several firms, including Ares Management, about a debt deal worth billions of dollars for GSG.
CVC holds stakes in French soccer's top-tier Ligue 1 and in Spain's LaLiga, as well as in European rugby union's Six Nations, and its complete sporting assets stable – also including top-tier volleyball and women's tennis – is understood to be worth around £9 billion ($12.07 billion).
