Overview
- Black Knight Football Club is in line to acquire Premiership side Exeter Chiefs, with the deal contingent on a members’ vote at an extraordinary general meeting in May.
- Approval is expected to require about 75% support from roughly 700 eligible members, and the club allows proxy voting for those who cannot attend.
- The bidder is led by American businessman Bill Foley and includes actor Michael B. Jordan, adding Exeter to a portfolio that features AFC Bournemouth, Auckland FC, and stakes in Hibernian and FC Lorient.
- Black Knight board member Ryan Caswell attended Exeter’s match and sat with chairman Tony Rowe, signaling direct talks between the parties.
- Rowe has urged new funding for years, and the potential sale comes as English rugby draws fresh investors such as Red Bull at Newcastle and James Dyson at Bath under a shift toward a more closed, franchise‑style top tier.