Overview
- The club said Thursday that Pittsburgh investors J. Kenneth “Kenn” Moritz and John H. Tippins had taken a stake, which it called the first known US investment in an English professional rugby team.
- Both are principals at Stonewood Capital and will join the Pirates’ board, days after local investor Richard Wastnage also took a seat following his own funding.
- Club leaders said the money will support a decade-long plan to build an academy, grow commercial ties, and pursue promotion to the Gallagher Premiership, England’s top division.
- Neither side disclosed financial terms, though RugbyPass reported the deal was worth millions.
- The move fits a wider wave of new backers in English rugby, including Red Bull at Newcastle, Sir James Dyson at Bath, Steve Zander at Northampton, and a proposed Exeter takeover by the Black Knight group linked to Michael B. Jordan.