COH Sports completes takeover of Sheffield United
The negotiations over the sale of the club have been going on for months
Last updated 23rd Dec 2024
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.