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Sheffield United’s new owners reveal their plans, and ambitions to supporters

Sheffield United’s new owners reveal their plans, and ambitions to supporters, now that the takeover is finally complete.

The negotiations over the sale of the Championship league leader have been going on for months but now the long wait is over and the Blades can look forward to a positive future.

The new owners of Sheffield United take over from Prince Abdullah who’s had an association with them for over a decade, but now they move on to to new ownership they are entrepreneurial duo Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy as co-chairman of Sheffield United.

SHEFFIELD UNITED STATEMENT

Sheffield United Football Club is under new ownership.

COH Sports, a group of successful entrepreneurs, business partners and friends, established to invest in sporting opportunities, is delighted to confirm the acquisition of the Blades.

COH Sports is led by Steven Rosen, the Founder and Chairman of Resilience Capital Partners, and Helmy Eltoukhy, Co-Founder and Chairman of biotech Guardant Health.

Steven and Helmy will join the Board of the Club as co-Chairmen with immediate effect.

The new ownership supports the current management team, including Stephen Bettis and Chris Wilder, and the new ownership is confident they can provide the right structure that allows the talent at the Club to thrive in the long-term.

COH Sports is committed to enhancing the current organisation with the highest of quality in areas of need, to further improve the Club both on and off the pitch.

As well as purchasing the Football Club, the deal also includes Sheffield United Women, SUFC Hotel Ltd and all real estate. COH Sports has formally acquired the 100 per cent share capital of Blades Leisure Ltd – the parent company of Sheffield United Football Club – from United World Holdings Ltd.

Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy said:

“We are honoured and humbled to become the new owners of this historic Football Club. We are excited to embark on this journey and our work begins today to deliver long-term success for Sheffield United over a sustained period of time.

“Like all Blades fans we want to see the Club competing in the top-flight of English football consistently, not just on a one-off basis, and we have been encouraged by the strong start to this season.

“The team has been performing strongly and we are committed to supporting the management team to continue this progress.

“We want to take this chance to assure the supporters that we understand the huge responsibility that comes with owning Sheffield United. The club is rooted in the fabric of this great city and our fans are the beating heart who back the team no matter what. Our fans will be at the heart of what COH stands for, and we are deeply committed to ensuring Sheffield United is accessible and affordable for our supporters.”

COH Sports is committed to organic and sustainable growth in all areas of the Club. At the heart of the group’s plans will be a best in class scouting network, data, analytics and to ensure Sheffield United is match fit for the future. COH Sports would like to thank Prince Abdullah and the directors of Blades Leisure Limited for their commitment to the sale process.

About COH Sports

COH Sports is a group of successful entrepreneurs, visionaries, business partners and friends who have been looking for the right opportunity to invest in and bring their experience into English football, and found Sheffield United to be exactly the right fit. It is named COH Sports because it recognises the value of bringing together the entrepreneurial spirit of California and the hard-working industrial culture of Ohio. Its background and capital comes from a variety of industries and it is that diverse experience that helps make it a great team.

The COH Team

Steven Rosen

Steven Rosen is the Founder and Chairman of Resilience Capital. He’s also a Co-Founder of Zanite Corporation and Gammite Ventures, and the Manager of Azurite Management LLC.

Steven has a significant background in business and innovation. Throughout his career, he has been deeply involved in the corporate landscape, serving on the Boards of Directors for several public and private companies including Flex Jet Holdings, Inc., Park Ohio Industries, Crawford United Corporation and many others.

Steven actively contributes to his community through initiatives like The Pathways to Resilience Vocational Program and has held leadership roles in organisations like the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center and University Hospitals Cancer Center.

Helmy Eltoukhy

Helmy Eltoukhy PhD, is a scientist, entrepreneur and investor, best known for his contributions to next generation DNA sequencing and advancing state of the art cancer testing technologies. Dr. Eltoukhy is the Co-Founder and currently Chairman and Co-CEO of Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH). Under his leadership, Guardant Health launched breakthrough blood tests for cancer patients, cancer survivors and recently the first FDA-approved first-line blood test for the early detection of cancer. In 2024, Guardant was named one of the 100 World’s Most Influential Companies by Time Magazine. In 2023, Guardant launched a collaboration with the Royal Marsden in London to help test over 10,000 lung cancer patients annually across England in partnership with the NHS.

Dr. Eltoukhy has received several honours and awards during his career. He was named to Time Magazine’s inaugural 50 Most Influential People in Healthcare (2018), Fortune’s 40 under 40 (2017), named one of the Top 50 Healthcare CEOs (2021), a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and included on a list of Fortune’s top healthcare investors (2022). He is a general partner at Green Sands Equity, a trustee of the SETI Institute, and is on the boards of a number of healthcare-related non-profit organisations.

STATEMENT FROM STEVEN AND HELMY

The wait is over and we are delighted and honoured to be the new owners and custodians of Sheffield United Football Club.

Sheffield United is a historic Club that represents the passion of the great, hardworking city it embodies. It’s also one that resonates with our own background – being similar to the great midwestern US city of Cleveland, where Steven is from.

We are excited to focus on building a team and the wider club, day in and day out, that is playing in the top flight of English football on a consistent basis.

That is where Sheffield United belongs.

We know what you all bring to the team: the most passionate support in the country; loyalty, heart and soul. We have been hugely impressed by the support and noise at Bramall Lane especially during our great win over our city rivals.

We wanted to let you all know what we will bring to the team. We are committed to improvement at all levels and continuing to strongly support the competitiveness of the Club. We will be sharing more on this in due course.

We believe in this team, we believe in this Club and we believe in Sheffield.

We understand the importance of what we’ve taken on and the important part it plays in the lives of the supporters. We take that role seriously and are committed to serving the best interests of the Club.

We are very excited to get started and look forward to working closely with Stephen, Chris and all the staff to continue the great run and deliver a fantastic result for the season.

In the meantime, we wish you all a Happy Christmas and please continue your amazing support through our challenging run of games over the festive period.

Up the Blades!
Steven and Helmy

STATEMENT FROM UNITED WORLD

After months of challenging negotiations, we are pleased to announce that earlier today, United World Group completed the sale of Blades Leisure Limited, the parent of The Sheffield United Football Club Limited, to COH Sports Limited. We wish the new owners every success in leading United to the Premier League and beyond.

We have been involved in the Club since 2013, when we were languishing at the bottom of League One. Six years later, we assumed full ownership and that year won promotion to the Premier League for the first time during our tenure. During its maiden season in the Premier League, United placed 9th on the league table. Our second year in the EPL was beset by COVID and relegation but by the end of the 2022/23 season, we were back in the EPL and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup for the second time. We are once again atop the table 4 points clear of automatic promotion and poised to achieve promotion to the Premier League.

While the Club has experienced ups and downs on the pitch in recent years, we leave the Lane knowing that the Club has never been stronger than it is right now. Our investments in the Academy and young talent have all come together this season to see us sitting atop the table with an average squad age of 23 years and 9 months and a squad full of international players. Our revenues have increased 10-fold and all of our real estate assets are under the Club’s umbrella. Less apparent to fans but vitally important for the future of the Club are the investments we have made in fixed assets. The hotel has been entirely refurbished and brought into compliance with safety codes and is now under Hilton management. After years of trying, we have succeeded in buying Cutlers’ Corner and Boundary Corner and now own the entire Bramall Lane footprint. The Club has also purchased a new training ground in the highly desirable Dore neighbourhood of Sheffield. The new First Team Training Ground will accommodate a new first team building as well as four full pitches, six 5×5 pitches and other facilities. This acquisition will enable the Academy to qualify for Cat I status, another important milestone in the long-term growth of the Club.

We depart with mixed feelings. There are many things we won’t miss. Owning and managing a football club is much more challenging than you might imagine. We shall, however, miss the wonderful and devoted staff at the Lane who selflessly keep our Club running smoothly day-in and day-out and who create a safe environment for you to enjoy matches. We’ll miss the coaches and trainers who have supported us, challenged us and helped us bring winning teams to the Lane and to keep them healthy. We’ll also miss the players, who have excited us and brought us so many memorable moments. Most of all, however, we’ll miss you, the fans. A club is nothing without its fans and the greatness of our Blades is a testament to your loyalty and support. Owners and boards come and go but you persist, vibrating the Lane with The Greasy Chip Butty Song and bringing down the Kop with every Blades goal scored.

We’re filled with gratitude and appreciation that you have allowed us into your house these past few years. UTB!

HRH Prince Abdullah bin Mosa’ad
Owner

Yusuf Giansiracusa
Chairman

Fans gave their reaction as the Sheffield United’s new owners reveal their plans, and ambitions to supporters…

@jablot218: Let’s hope it goes better than recent American takeovers at EFL clubs, we’ll see I suppose, good luck and don’t let us fans down ⚔️🔴⚪️⚫️

@JackWalters92: Great news! Welcome all to the club. Hopefully the beginning of a new era on and off the field. ⚔️🇺🇸

@evalfmoop: Thanks to @Saudi49er for what you have done

@Telblades: Let’s hope this is a good thing. I’m sceptical about this and don’t usually trust the Americans as I’ve not seen a good American owner yet. The grass isn’t always greener. Be careful what you wish for. #twitterblades

@turnipblade: Exciting times to be a Blade. Top of the league and new ownership.

@Bailey_SUFC: Took long enough 🤣. Fantastic news this just in time for the January transfer window as well, exciting times ahead hopefully ⚔️

@TomBlade1889: I do believe PA gave his all and truly cares for this football club. Unfortunately just didn’t have the required wealth to enable us to be sustainable at the highest level and take the next steps forward. I hope, like PA, the new owners have their heart in the right place. #sufc

@unitedite: Glad the takeover is sorted. We needed change. Whether it’s the right change, time will tell. There have been highs during PA’s tenure, some I would argue in spite, and the club off pitch is in a better state. But running the finances so close and -2 show the need. #twitterblades

@Sufc_alex07: Santas come early kids!!!!! #twitterblades #sufc

@BladesInAnOut: Finally we’ve been took over, It’s looking good for us in the next couple of years but we can’t just forget what prince did for us when he helped us from getting from L1 to 9th in the Premier League and just a sound guy Dem American Blades 🇺🇸⚔️ #twitterblades

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