Company Insights Abu Dhabi United Group Business of Sport Abu Dhabi United Group Overview The Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment is a private equity firm headquartered in the UAE. It is owned by the UAE’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Abu Dhabi United Group was established in 2008 when Sheikh Mansour took over Manchester City Football Club. Its primary focus lies in its 81 percent majority stake in City Football Group (CFG), a global organisation that oversees the operations of Manchester City, Mumbai City, Melbourne City, New York City, and other international football clubs. CFG’s management is currently entrusted to Newton Investment and Development LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sheikh Mansour. Beyond its footballing interests, Abu Dhabi United Group maintains a substantial real estate portfolio both domestically and globally. In Manchester alone its investments surpass £1 billion, with a primary focus on property and higher education. ADUG says it is committed to urban revitalisation. In partnership with Manchester City Council, it has embarked on a 10-year initiative to redevelop the eastern part of the city and aims to construct 6,000 affordable housing units in the area. Abu Dhabi United Group News Business of Sport Green light for Manchester City stadium upgrade Manchester City FC has won planning permission to expand and upgrade its stadium, meaning the $384 million project can get under way. The English footbal club is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group. It unveiled proposals earlier this year to increase the size of the Etihad Stadium’s North Stand by 7,700 people, to accommodate a […] July 28, 2023 Business of Sport Oman Air signs sponsorship with Chelsea FC Oman Air has signed a three-year sponsorship deal to become the global airline partner of English Premier League football club Chelsea. The sultanate’s flag carrier is looking to capitalise on Chelsea’s international following. The partnership will include co-branded livery, joint promotional content and corporate social responsibility campaigns. Financial details around the deal were not disclosed. […] July 6, 2023 Opinion Sustainability The Gulf can spearhead sustainability through football The beautiful game is a formidable tool for increasing Arab soft power June 21, 2023 Business of Sport Italy’s Serie A football league targets Middle East backers Italy’s Serie A is targeting investment opportunities from the Middle East, as the football league becomes increasingly attractive to global lenders and private equity giants. The Gulf region has sizeable interests in English football, including Saudi-backed Newcastle United and Manchester City FC, which is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group. Qatar Sports Investments is also […] June 17, 2023 Business of Sport Newcastle Utd’s shirt kicks off sponsorship rules debate Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is believed to be in talks to award Newcastle United Football Club’s latest shirt sponsorship deal to a little known sports entity it owns. While the move means the country has decided to leave its major powerhouse brands on the bench, experts believe the deal may still fall foul of […] May 25, 2023 Business of Sport Abu Dhabi owners reveal $361m Manchester City stadium upgrade Manchester City FC, majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, this week accelerated plans to expand its stadium in the north west of England by launching a formal consultation on the $361 million project. As well as increasing the size of the North Stand by 7,700 people to create a new capacity of 60,000 at the […] March 2, 2023 Analysis Business of Sport Middle East continues to dominate football’s rich list Nine of the top 20 clubs in football’s rich list have investment links to the Middle East – and analysts are predicting that Gulf ties will increase in the next few years. Abu Dhabi’s Manchester City retained the No 1 spot in the latest edition of the Deloitte Football Money League, with revenue of €731 […] January 23, 2023 Business of Sport Qatar’s next big match: a Premier League club to call its own Qatar’s reported plan to buy a Premier League football club is the natural next step for the host of the 2022 World Cup, sports business analysts have told AGBI. Less than a month after Argentina lifted the Fifa trophy at the Lusail stadium, Qatar Sports Investment is said to be turning its attentions to English […] January 10, 2023 Analysis Business of Sport Ronaldo will be first of many Saudi superstar signings Cristiano Ronaldo was officially revealed as an Al Nassr player on Tuesday night amid a cacophony of noise and a sea of yellow and blue. And as fans inside the 25,000-seater Mrsool Park chanted his name, Ben Gordon, a sports diplomacy expert at Dentons Global Advisors, said that Saudis should get set for more superstar […] January 4, 2023 Analysis Business of Sport Ronaldo’s signing goes beyond money for Saudi Arabia Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr “is less about money and more about the Saudi Arabian geopolitical economy”, says a leading sports academic. The 37-year-old forward agreed to join the Saudi Pro League last week in a deal that will run until 2025 and is expected to earn him over $200 million a year. It […] January 2, 2023 Posts navigation 1 2 Next
Business of Sport Green light for Manchester City stadium upgrade Manchester City FC has won planning permission to expand and upgrade its stadium, meaning the $384 million project can get under way. The English footbal club is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group. It unveiled proposals earlier this year to increase the size of the Etihad Stadium’s North Stand by 7,700 people, to accommodate a […] July 28, 2023
Business of Sport Oman Air signs sponsorship with Chelsea FC Oman Air has signed a three-year sponsorship deal to become the global airline partner of English Premier League football club Chelsea. The sultanate’s flag carrier is looking to capitalise on Chelsea’s international following. The partnership will include co-branded livery, joint promotional content and corporate social responsibility campaigns. Financial details around the deal were not disclosed. […] July 6, 2023
Opinion Sustainability The Gulf can spearhead sustainability through football The beautiful game is a formidable tool for increasing Arab soft power June 21, 2023
Business of Sport Italy’s Serie A football league targets Middle East backers Italy’s Serie A is targeting investment opportunities from the Middle East, as the football league becomes increasingly attractive to global lenders and private equity giants. The Gulf region has sizeable interests in English football, including Saudi-backed Newcastle United and Manchester City FC, which is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group. Qatar Sports Investments is also […] June 17, 2023
Business of Sport Newcastle Utd’s shirt kicks off sponsorship rules debate Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is believed to be in talks to award Newcastle United Football Club’s latest shirt sponsorship deal to a little known sports entity it owns. While the move means the country has decided to leave its major powerhouse brands on the bench, experts believe the deal may still fall foul of […] May 25, 2023
Business of Sport Abu Dhabi owners reveal $361m Manchester City stadium upgrade Manchester City FC, majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, this week accelerated plans to expand its stadium in the north west of England by launching a formal consultation on the $361 million project. As well as increasing the size of the North Stand by 7,700 people to create a new capacity of 60,000 at the […] March 2, 2023
Analysis Business of Sport Middle East continues to dominate football’s rich list Nine of the top 20 clubs in football’s rich list have investment links to the Middle East – and analysts are predicting that Gulf ties will increase in the next few years. Abu Dhabi’s Manchester City retained the No 1 spot in the latest edition of the Deloitte Football Money League, with revenue of €731 […] January 23, 2023
Business of Sport Qatar’s next big match: a Premier League club to call its own Qatar’s reported plan to buy a Premier League football club is the natural next step for the host of the 2022 World Cup, sports business analysts have told AGBI. Less than a month after Argentina lifted the Fifa trophy at the Lusail stadium, Qatar Sports Investment is said to be turning its attentions to English […] January 10, 2023
Analysis Business of Sport Ronaldo will be first of many Saudi superstar signings Cristiano Ronaldo was officially revealed as an Al Nassr player on Tuesday night amid a cacophony of noise and a sea of yellow and blue. And as fans inside the 25,000-seater Mrsool Park chanted his name, Ben Gordon, a sports diplomacy expert at Dentons Global Advisors, said that Saudis should get set for more superstar […] January 4, 2023
Analysis Business of Sport Ronaldo’s signing goes beyond money for Saudi Arabia Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr “is less about money and more about the Saudi Arabian geopolitical economy”, says a leading sports academic. The 37-year-old forward agreed to join the Saudi Pro League last week in a deal that will run until 2025 and is expected to earn him over $200 million a year. It […] January 2, 2023
