Plymouth Raiders is under new majority ownership – by an educational corporation owned by a Turkish billionaire.
The unusual move comes with purchase of controlling stake from Raiders’ existing bosses by BAU Global, a multi-national business with a network of higher education institutions in a number of cities around the world, including Plymouth.
The wealthy president of BAU Global, Mr Enver Yücel (pictured), currently owns one of Turkish Super League teams, Bahcesehir College, who have reached the latter stages of this season’s BCL
And they are understood to have sanctioned fresh investment, including the arrival of new signings Matt Scott and Ryan Richards, with current owners Richard Mollard and Ross Mackenzie set to retain a minority interest.
Mackenzie said: “Our sole focus since 2017 has been to build a sustainable business and provide a platform for growth on and off court for the Plymouth Raiders, and Richard and I have both been committed to that core goal.
“BAU Global have had a significant presence here in Plymouth for some time, working in partnership with Plymouth University, and then with the acquisition of MLA College, who specialise in distance learning, so their commitment to continued investment in Plymouth is only reaffirmed by their partnership with the Raiders.
“They have a clear passion for basketball at Europe’s highest level and share our passion and vision to create something special with one of the UK’s oldest professional clubs, so we are confident the fans will be in for an exciting journey as our partnership grows.”
Yücel will be become the new Plymouth Raiders Club President with Mollard and Mackenzie continuing their roles on the board, but will be joined by the senior members of MLA College and BAU Global, Dr. Basak Akdemir, Coskun Ince, and head coach Paul James.
Yucel said: “We are delighted to be involved with Plymouth in general and with the Raiders in particular. Through this partnership we will help to encourage participation in sport for all ages and abilities, promote basketball as a great participation activity and also as a family friendly event to attend.
“We are particularly enthusiastic to encourage the linking of sport and education and of course we want to develop the Raiders into a BBL winning team.â€
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