January 17 – A US consortium, fronted by actual property investor Al Tylis and Membership Necaxa govt Sam Porter, and that includes Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (pictured), has acquired over 99% of Colombian soccer workforce Membership Deportivo Seguros La Equidad.
The deal, finalised on Thursday, marks one other daring step within the group’s efforts to broaden its international soccer portfolio. For Reynolds and McElhenney, La Equidad represents the subsequent chapter of their soccer possession journey, which started with the acquisition of Welsh membership Wrexham AFC in 2021.
What began as a raffle on a modest Nationwide League workforce has became an exceptional success. Beneath their stewardship, Wrexham earned promotion to the English Soccer League and have become a worldwide phenomenon, buoyed by the critically acclaimed Disney+ docuseries ‘Welcome to Wrexham’. The challenge not solely revitalised the membership but in addition turned it right into a family identify for worldwide audiences, notably in the USA.
The acquisition of La Equidad provides South America to the consortium’s rising footprint. The Colombian facet, which completed thirteenth within the league final season, joins a portfolio that additionally features a minority stake in Mexican membership Membership Necaxa.
Reynolds and McElhenney invested in Necaxa in April 2024, aligning with Tylis and Porter, who had acquired round 50% of the Mexican membership in 2021. That partnership additionally created a reciprocal settlement, with Necaxa taking a reported 5% stake in Wrexham.
The Necaxa deal introduced in different notable buyers, together with former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil, MLB star Justin Verlander, and actress Kate Upton. Now, with La Equidad, the group is extending its ambitions additional, eyeing untapped alternatives in Colombia’s passionate soccer tradition.
“I’m happy to substantiate that Al Tylis, our funding companions, and I’ve efficiently acquired Membership Deportivo La Equidad,” Porter mentioned in a press release. “That is an unbelievable alternative to reinforce the membership’s development in each facet and to change into an integral a part of Colombian soccer.
“We’re privileged to collaborate with an excellent group of buyers, together with Eva Longoria, Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Shawn Marion, who’ve been instrumental in our challenge at Membership Necaxa in Mexico. Collectively, we’re dedicated to elevating the Membership to its highest potential.”
This newest acquisition underscores the consortium’s intent to duplicate the Wrexham mannequin in new markets, combining strategic funding with a aptitude for storytelling and fan engagement. As La Equidad embarks on this new period underneath US possession, all eyes will likely be on how the group’s modern method can elevate the membership each on and off the pitch.
The acquisition additionally displays a broader pattern of North American buyers concentrating on Latin American soccer golf equipment. For Reynolds and McElhenney, whose attraction and enterprise acumen have already confirmed a successful mixture, La Equidad presents yet one more canvas to broaden their legacy on this planet of soccer.
Contact the author of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1737145961labto1737145961ofdlr1737145961owedi1737145961sni@g1737145961niwe.1737145961yrrah1737145961