Deal update
Northridge advises founders on sale of StatsBomb to Hudl
Northridge acted for the founders of StatsBomb, a global sports data and analytics business, on the sale of the company to Hudl, a leading provider of cloud-based technology connecting video and data for the sports industry.
Founded as a blog in 2013 and based in Bath, StatsBomb has grown into a global data business, offering advanced sports data solutions primarily for football and, more recently, American football. StatsBomb services customers across professional sport, as well as media, betting and gaming operators in over 35 countries.
Hudl’s strategic acquisition of StatsBomb will combine detailed in-game athlete data with video to provide teams with deeper insights and take their analytics capabilities to the next level.
The transaction forms part of Northridge’s longstanding relationship with StatsBomb having advised the business on a range of corporate, commercial and employment matters since its inception.
The Northridge deal team included Mike Herbert, Jamie Feldman, George Willis, Scott Treleaven, Lucy Bayley, Kingsley Boateng, Ed Dickinson, Chris Johnson, Oliver Levett, India Gommo and Ruaridh Brown. Northridge worked as an integrated team with Winslows (Matthew Wentworth-May and JD Gosh) who supported on tax and share schemes and Park Place (Richard Firth and Adam Trevisani) who provided corporate finance advice.
Completion of the deal builds upon the firm’s strong experience of working with high-growth businesses operating at the intersection of sport and technology and, more broadly, advising on industry-leading transactions across the breadth of the sports sector. For example, earlier this year, Northridge acted for the sports marketing agency, Two Circles, on its acquisition of Let It Fly Media, a US-based creative agency known for its work in sports video production and storytelling.
The transaction is also reflective of the positive movement in the sports investment / M&A landscape more broadly including, for example, a returning appetite for venture capital and private equity investment in the sports technology space.
“This deal reinforces StatsBomb’s commitment and belief in the power of data in sport. We know data driven teams make better decisions on and off the field of play. Pairing StatsBomb’s unique data and statistical models with Hudl’s video capabilities will enable superior match analysis, scouting, and player recruitment. By bringing StatsBomb into Hudl’s suite of best-in-class products and services, we’re helping sporting organizations streamline how they uncover immediate actionable insights.”
Ted Knutson
StatsBomb CEO and Co-founder
"We have worked closely with the Northridge team over several years and have relied on them to provide high-quality legal support and industry-specific insight across a range of areas as we have scaled the business. Northridge acted as our lead advisers on the transaction and their support was invaluable in guiding us to completion of this deal. Working with the Northridge team has been a pleasure throughout our journey; they are all highly skilled in their field and are always able to guide us calmly and empathetically to solutions."
Charlotte Randall
StatsBomb Co-founder
