'Every sporting club is asking for that': Baxter on investment plans

Rob Baxter admits he is in the dark about Black Knight Sports and Entertainment’s plans for Exeter Chiefs, despite sitting on the board of Gallagher PREM outfits holding company Exeter Rugby Group PLC.

The Chiefs’ 700 members will next Thursday vote to decide if the club will be sold to AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley and become part of his multisport investment empire that includes French club Lorient and New Zealand’s Auckland FC.

Foley also owns the NHL franchise the Vegas Golden Knights, who won the prestigious Stanley Cup for the first time three years ago, and his investment vehicle, Cannae Holdings, is behind the club’s takeover.

Cannae’s chief executive, Ryan Caswell, was at the recent defeat to Northampton Saints and is looking to develop on and off the pitch, including new training facilities and improvements around the stadium to build on the club’s success over the years.

But Baxter says he hasn’t had any discussions about their plans and doesn’t expect to hear about them before the vote at a special general meeting.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Exeter Chiefs

07:30

10 May 26

Bath

All Stats and Data

“Clearly, if anyone’s coming in, they’re doing their due diligence at this stage, because obviously it’s a big deal. But I’m not involved in that process. At the moment, I’m just rugby, rugby, rugby.

“We haven’t had a board meeting since the game you’re talking about. So there’s no further information for me, and I don’t think we have a board meeting before the SGM.

“We have other directors, obviously, working on it on a daily basis with Tony (Rowe). Mark Champion and Chris Over and these guys, but it’s not a process that I’m involved in on a day-by-day basis.

“If they turn around and say that (new training facilities), I would be delighted because clearly that’s one of the next steps for us investing in all sorts of things across the academy, across facilities, every sporting club is asking for that,” he said.