New Zealand Rugby: Silver Lake's investment definitively approved

The entry of the American investment fund Silver Lake into the capital of New Zealand Rugby, via an initial investment of NZ$200m (€121.6m) in a new commercial company (NZR CommercialCo) valued at NZ$3.5bn (€2.1bn), has been approved by the 26 provincial federations and the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board, announced the body on 02/06/2022.

This agreement had initially been validated by the Federation's board of directors and that of the New Zealand Professional Rugby Players' Association (NZRPA), initially opposed to the project, on 17/02/2022.

Of the NZ$200m invested by Silver Lake, "NZ$7.5m will go to rugby clubs, NZ$2m into Māori Rugby, and NZ$20m into Provincial Unions. There will also be a NZ$60m contribution to a new Legacy Fund," said the Federation. Investments will also be made to support the growth and development of the game as well as infrastructure. Finally, a reserve fund will be established " to safeguard the game against any future financial disruptions."

"Later in 2022, an additional co-investment will be offered to New Zealand-based institutional investors so that…