Anthony Precourt

Jay Anthony Precourt Jr.[2] (born c. 1969–70) is an American investor and sports team owner. He is the CEO of Two Oak Ventures (formerly Precourt Sports Ventures), a group that owns future Major League Soccer club Austin FC and formerly owned Columbus Crew SC, an MLS soccer organization. He is also a managing partner of Precourt Capital Management, a private investment management firm based in San Francisco, California.

Anthony Precourt
Born
Jay Anthony Precourt Jr.

1969/1970 (age 50–51)[1]
Alma materPepperdine University (BA)
Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business (MBA)
Spouse(s)Agatha Matosek
Children3

Education and career

Precourt was raised in Denver, Colorado, and went to high school in Connecticut.[3] He graduated from Pepperdine University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College with a Master of Business Administration.[4] Precourt entered the corporate finance business with stints at Merrill Lynch, Alex. Brown & Sons, and WHV Investment Management.[5] He then started his own private equity firm, Precourt Capital Management, in 2008, focusing on the energy sector.[4][5]

MLS ownership

Precourt, who had a stated interest in soccer, formed Precourt Sports Ventures LLC in 2012 and looked to invest in Major League Soccer.[6] The firm bought the Columbus Crew SC from Clark Hunt for $68 million, then a record for a MLS franchise.[7][8] At the first Crew match he attended, several months before the sale was finalized, the scoreboard at Mapfre Stadium caught fire and delayed kickoff for hours.[6][9] Under Precourt's ownership, the Crew hired Gregg Berhalter as its manager and first sporting director;[10] and unveiled an updated brand identity that included a new logo and name with the suffix "SC".[11]

On October 17, 2017, Precourt Sports Ventures announced that it was considering moving the franchise in 2019 to Austin, Texas.[12] The move came as a surprise to Columbus leaders and fans.[13] After offering an apology on Twitter,[14] Precourt was the focus of anger from the team's supporters, culminating in the establishment of the Save the Crew movement.[15]

In December 2018, Precourt Sports Ventures announced they had negotiated an agreement with the City of Austin to build a $242 million stadium on public land at 10414 McKalla Place,[16] following an evaluation of several other city-owned properties.[17] Construction began in 2019[18] and the stadium is expected to be ready in the spring of 2021.[19]

On January 1, 2019, ownership of Crew SC was preliminarily transferred from Precourt Sports Ventures to a group composed of Dee and Jimmy Haslam and Dr. Pete Edwards, who pledged to keep the Crew in Columbus and build a new stadium in downtown Columbus.[20] Austin FC was officially announced as the 27th MLS franchise on January 15, 2019 and is set to begin play in 2021.[21] Precourt Sports Ventures was rebranded as Two Oak Ventures in July 2019, with Precourt remaining as CEO,[22] and six Austin-based owners were added the following month.[23]

Personal life

Precourt lives in San Francisco, California,[7] with his wife Agatha and three children.[6] His father is Jay Precourt, a former oil executive.[2][4] He also owns a home in Austin, Texas.[21]

References
  1. Bell, Jeff (July 30, 2013). "Columbus Crew sold to Precourt Sports Ventures, which pledges to keep team in Columbus". Columbus Business Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  2. "Alumnus Jay Precourt commits $30 million to fund energy efficiency institute". Stanford University. October 5, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  3. Precourt, Anthony (September 5, 2013). "Things We Love: Anthony Precourt edition". Columbus Alive (Interview). Interviewed by Justin McIntosh. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  4. Anderson, Will (October 18, 2017). "Who is Anthony Precourt? Get to know the man who might bring an MLS team to Austin". Austin Business Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  5. "Anthony Precourt, Investor-Operator and Chairman - Columbus Crew SC and MAPFRE Stadium". Columbus Crew SC. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  6. Thomas, Ian (July 27, 2015). "Precourt takes thoughtful approach in remaking Crew". Sports Business Daily. p. 3. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  7. Jardy, Adam (July 30, 2013). "Crew under new ownership". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  8. Ozanian, Mike (August 1, 2013). "Columbus Crew Sold By Hunt Sports Group For Record $68 Million". Forbes. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  9. McCarthy, Kyle (February 3, 2014). "Stoppage Time: Columbus chairman and investor/operator Anthony Precourt". Fox Sports. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  10. Jardy, Adam (November 6, 2013). "Gregg Berhalter named coach". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  11. Abnos, Alexander (October 8, 2014). "Columbus Crew unveil new logo, brand identity at downtown event". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  12. Erickson, Andrew (October 18, 2017). "Without a Downtown stadium, Crew likely to bid adieu". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  13. Newpoff, Laura (October 18, 2017). "MLS, Crew SC have been working on Austin relocation plan for months". Columbus Business Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  14. Joseph, Andrew (October 19, 2017). "Furious Columbus Crew fans blast owner's Twitter apology for trying to move club". USA Today. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  15. King, Andrew (November 1, 2017). "Columbus playoff triumph foreshadows an awkward 2018". FourFourTwo. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  16. "Statement from Precourt Sports Ventures". MLS2ATX. June 29, 2018. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  17. Lyttle, Kevin (March 1, 2018). "Strong 'no Guerrero' message to stadium debate". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  18. Sanders, Austin (September 13, 2019). "City, Austin FC Break Ground on New Soccer Stadium". The Austin Chronicle.
  19. "City of Austin, Precourt Sports Ventures announce stadium deal agreement". Major League Soccer. December 19, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  20. Patrick Guldan and Pat Murphy (December 28, 2018). "Crew SC officially sold to Edwards, Haslam". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  21. Bils, Chris; Bohls, Kirk (January 15, 2019). "Austin FC officially announced as 27th MLS club with 'local roots'". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  22. "Two Oak Ventures to own and operate Austin FC and attract local investors". MLSsoccer.com. July 17, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  23. Bils, Chris (September 13, 2019). "Two more investors round out Austin FC minority owners". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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