Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital Invests In ALK Capital To Grow Premier League And La Liga Clubs

ALK Capital and Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital Reunite in Significant Strategic Investment Across European Football

Long-time partners Alan Pace and Dave Checketts team up again — nearly two decades after leading Real Salt Lake to championship success — to accelerate growth across Burnley FC and RCD Espanyol

ALK Capital, a leading sports investment and management firm, and Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital Fund, announced a strategic investment by the newly launched private-equity fund to advance ALK Capital’s football operations. The partnership enables ALK Capital’s stance as owner of Burnley FC in the Premier League and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona in La Liga, to grow the firm via advances in elite football through data-driven innovation, community engagement, and sustainable, long-term growth. The Sports Techie community blog is eager to follow long-time partners Alan Pace and Dave Checketts as they team up once again to accelerate European football growth by leveraging ALK’s proven record in elite football operations with one of the most ambitious new investment funds in global sport. Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital Fund I was founded by veteran sports executive David W. Checketts and Checketts Partners Investment Management in partnership with The Cynosure Group, anchored by the Eccles family. The fund, which is targeting $1.2 billion in capital commitments, seeks to invest in transformative opportunities across global sport — including professional teams, new leagues, venues, media, and technology — with offices in Salt Lake City and New York City. The reunification between ALK Capital and Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital is sure to generate ample strategic growth opportunities across European football and elsewhere, moving forward.

Burnley Football and Athletic Company Limited (The) Turf Moor Stadium, Home to the Clarets

Reunified Sports Business Partners

Two of Europe’s most competitive football markets will now be influenced by the collaboration which marks a powerful continuation of a relationship that began more than 20 years ago, when Pace served as a partner at Checketts’ Sports Capital Partners and as President of Real Salt Lake. The sports business expert’s, together guided the club to its first MLS Cup Championship and developed one of Major League Soccer’s most admired stadiums and fan experiences.

RCDE Stadium, also known as Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, is home of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona

Quotes

Alan Pace, Managing Partner of ALK Capital, said: “It’s incredibly rewarding to reunite with Dave after our success together at Real Salt Lake. We share the same vision for what great sports ownership looks like — combining integrity, innovation, long-term value creation, and championship culture. Adding the Cynosure team and its founding partners Spencer Eccles and Randy Quarles brings deep experience, trusted relationships, and a successful investment track record, which we believe will enable us to accelerate our growth across Burnley, Espanyol, and the wider ALK network.”

David W. Checketts, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital, said: “Alan and I have known each other for decades — as partners, colleagues, and friends. We built Real Salt Lake from the ground up, and now we can collaborate once again on two of Europe’s most historic football clubs. I’ve long admired what Alan has accomplished with Burnley and more recently with Espanyol. We’re thrilled to join forces to support their continued growth and global ambitions.”

Spencer P. Eccles, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Cynosure Group, added: “This partnership reflects exactly what we strive for at Cynosure — linking arms with exceptional people who combine operational excellence with disciplined, long-term investment. Alan’s leadership at ALK exemplifies the future of thoughtful sports ownership: one that prioritizes a winning culture, a great fan experience, and honors the great heritage of these two Clubs. We’re proud to be a big part of the dream of winning titles!”

So many years defying the impossible.
We are guardians of this indestructible love.

Fighting against the current. Facing pain head-on.
With the strength of an invincible feeling.

Happy 125th Anniversary, @RCDEspanyol! 🤍💙 pic.twitter.com/L7KTgaCq94
— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol_EN) October 28, 2025

The strategic investment unites ALK Capital’s football expertise with Cynosure | Checketts’ experience across the sports industry, strengthening the growth trajectory of both Burnley FC and RCD Espanyol. Together, the firms will work to drive on-field performance, commercial expansion, and sustainable value creation across two of Europe’s most competitive football markets.

The partnership also extends Checketts’ deep ties to Burnley, where he has served as a board member and early investor since ALK’s acquisition of the club in 2020.

Advisors: ALK Capital was advised by Jefferies Financial Group Inc., a global leader in investment banking.

Sports Techie, last year, I wrote about the Lancashire team and how it was the first Premier League club to agree to host trialists sponsored by sports tech company, Nordensa.

Learning that Espanyol is 125-years old in the year 2025 is truly an amazing sport business and football feat.

The entire ALK network is now better positioned to go to new heights under the collaboration between ALK Capital and Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital.

Long-time partners Pace and Checketts, have teamed up again to generate excitement as they did leading Real Salt Lake to a soccer championship almost 20 years ago, with accelerated growth across Burnley FC and RCD Espanyol.

That’s the definition of a win-win.

See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!

Sports Techie Social Media Networks

Sports Techie Twitter: @SportsTechieNET: http://twitter.com/SportsTechieNET

THE #SportsTechie Twitter: @THESportsTechie: https://twitter.com/THESportsTechie

Sports Techie Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/SportsTechie

Sports Techie YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/sportstechie

Sports Techie LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2958439/

Sports Techie LinkedIn (Robert Roble): https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertroble

Sports Techie Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportstechie

Sports Techie Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/SportsTechie/

Sports Techie Skyword: http://bobroble.skyword.com/