Preferred Chelsea bidder Todd Boehly outlines importance of affordable tickets and fan engagement as he speaks out on his sporting philosophy at a conference in Los Angeles
- Todd Boehly, part-owner of Los Angeles Dodgers, could take over at Chelsea
- He has been speaking in Los Angeles about running sporting institutions
- Boehly’s consortium were chosen as preferred bidders late last week
Todd Boehly, the man in the driving seat to take over at Chelsea, has lifted the lid on his sporting philosophy as he closes in on buying the Stamford Bridge club.
Boehly, part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was an invited speaker at the four-day Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles.
With his bid at a critical stage, Boehly was tight lipped but his remarks on running a major and successful sporting institution will be of huge interest to Blues fans
Todd Boehly has been speaking of his philosophy of running sporting institutions, days after his consortium was named as the preferred bidder for taking over Chelsea
Raine Group, the bank overseeing the Chelsea sale, recommend Boehly as their preferred bidder at the end of last week
He also alluded to how the Dodgers have the most affordable ticket prices in Major League Baseball, which may also be music to the ears of supporters in west London.
‘There’s nothing like sports to excite passion,’ Boehly said, according to We Ain’t Got No History. ‘And if you have passion, then you have people who care about things.
‘And if you have people who care about things, you have great opportunity. And really, it’s about curating that experience, that access, that opportunity.
‘For example, we’ll have four million people coming out to Dodger Stadium this year. So, our goal is to give them the best possible experience. We still have the most affordable tickets in the league basically, for a stadium that’s full regularly.
‘In some sports like the NFL, they share all the media money. In baseball, you’re really a derivative of your local market.
‘The Premier League’s similar. If you look at the way it works, to be one of the big brands, you have a structural advantage. And for us, we’re always looking for structural advantages.’
Boehly is also a part-owner of Major League Baseball side Los Angeles Dodgers
Chelsea, who are third in the Premier League, lost 1-0 against Everton at the weekend
Boehly’s consortium was named as the preferred bidder to take over at Chelsea last week by the Raine Group, the American bank who are overseeing the sale. He has partnered with fellow Dodgers owner Mark Walter, the Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.
Boehly saw off competition from consortiums fronted by Stephen Pagliuca and Sir Martin Broughton and even a late £4billion bid from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Chelsea are currently third in the Premier League table, despite a 1-0 defeat by Everton on Sunday. They are also in the FA Cup final, where they take on quadruple-chasing Liverpool on May 14 at Wembley.
The club has been up for sale since early March, with current owner Roman Abramovich making the move shortly before being sanctioned by the British government over his ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin.