Auckland FC’s majority owner, Bill Foley, is ready to add a professional rugby club to his growing portfolio of sports investments.
The Black Knight Football Club, which already owns a string of football clubs around the world, is also interested in buying an NBA basketball franchise in Las Vegas, where the business owns the Vegas Golden Knights NHL ice hockey team.
The Guardian newspaper reports that billionaire Foley (81) is set to take control of top-tier English rugby club Exeter Chiefs in a multimillion-pound deal that’s been struck with Exeter’s chairman, Tony Rowe.
Rowe (77) told the Guardian: “I’ve put in an extraordinary amount of money to keep the club alive, but it’s not fair on my family.
“The time has come where we’ve got to be very sensible about our futures.”
The deal will go through if approved by more than 75% of the club’s membership of about 700, at their annual general meeting on May 8 (NZT).
The Black Knight Football Club owns more than 80% of A-League club Auckland FC, and its investors include Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan.
Meanwhile, the NBA have announced a plan to expand by adding a new franchise in Las Vegas.
“It’s really exciting to have the NBA designate Las Vegas as a future home for an NBA expansion franchise,” Foley told 8 News Now.
“Las Vegas deserves it; local residents deserve it, I believe it’s really exciting.”
Foley, whose net worth is estimated at more than US$2 billion (NZ$3.5 billion) by Forbes Magazine, said he and potential investor partners were ready.
“We have people who are interested in investing. But we haven’t really followed through with what the league is yet. Soon, it’s going to be time to follow up with the NBA and the commissioner and let them know of our expressions of interest because we are interested..
“It’s a long process, we understand that.”
Foley says the Golden Knights’ home game venue, the T-Mobile Arena, would benefit from a US$300 million upgrade.
“Having an NBA team here and having them play at T-Mobile is just a great solution for the town.
“That gives us plenty of time with ourselves, along with MGM and AEG, the other owners of the arena, to make the improvements necessary to make it NBA-ready.”
Current football portfolio
The BKFC’s football interests include:
England: 100% ownership of English Premier League club Bournemouth.
New Zealand: 82% share in A-League club Auckland FC.
France: 100% stake in French Ligue 1 club FC Lorient.
Portugal: Majority stake in Primeira Liga club Moreirense Futebol.
Croatia: A reported 25% stake in top-tier Croatian club HNK Rijeka.
United States: A strategic partnership with Major League Soccer’s Orlando City.
Japan: A strategic partnership with J1 League club Kyoto Sanga.
BKFC previously held a 25% stake in Scottish Premiership club Hibernian but sold the holding back to the club’s majority shareholder, the Gordon family, in late 2025.
This story was first published on April 20, 2026.