June 26, 2025
We’re delighted to have advised Tony Bloom, majority owner and Chairman of English Premier League team Brighton & Hove Albion, on another football club acquisition. Tony’s latest football investment sees him obtain a minority shareholding in Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian FC.
The agreement sees Mr Bloom become a 29% shareholder in the club.
Commenting on the deal, Mr Bloom said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be investing in Hearts. I firmly believe in the club’s ability to disrupt the pattern of domination of Scottish football which has been in place for far too long. This great club has a bright future and I look forward to seeing that unfold in the months and years ahead.”
Heart of Midlothian CEO Andrew McKinlay stated: “It is with great pleasure that I can now, on behalf of everyone at Heart of Midlothian, officially welcome both Tony and James [Tony’s board representative] to the club. Today’s announcement is the culmination of our fans’ belief and support, and I thank them for their backing. When Tony’s investment proposal became public in May, it captured the imaginations of our supporters, as demonstrated by Foundation of Hearts members voting 98.5% in favour of it.
“A tremendous amount of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to turn a proposal into a reality and I’d like to thank everyone involved for delivering what is a hugely significant moment in this club’s history.”
The Wiggin team was led by Head of Sports and Partner, David Hinchliffe and Legal Director, Christian Slinger, who were primarily supported by Tim Howden and Shaney Stevens-Neale.
Mr Bloom added, “I would like to thank the Wiggin team again for all of their hard work on this transaction. As with the Melbourne Victory deal, David, Christian, Tim and Shaney have done a great job.”
David Hinchliffe, Head of Sport at Wiggin, commented: “We are extremely proud of getting another investment over the line for Tony and his team. It will be fascinating to see if Hearts can really disrupt the two-team dominance in Scottish football over the coming years.
“We are seeing a huge volume of work in the multi-club ownership space. As a firm with experience on the transactional, regulatory and contentious side of multi-club ownership, we are uniquely placed to advise owners and clubs on this area and have a global network of contacts and advisors to assist us.”
Wiggin’s Sports team are leading experts in football M&A work in the UK and across the globe, having advised on deals in England, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, France, Spain and Australia.
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