America’s Cup has entered a new age in yacht sailing after introducing the formation of a mutual governance not seen since sports oldest international trophy was granted for the first time in 1851 when the racing vessels were made out of wood. Captains used sextons not GPS to guide the courses and sailors didn’t have on wearable technology to measure performance metrics. The Sports Techie community blog curator has sailed a wee bit around the Puget Sound near Seattle back in the day and loved the sense of a boat powered by a mast and sails in an attempt to catch all directions of wind, just right. America’s Cup is a race within a race in terms of technological advancements used as a competitive edge between teams. Today’s announcement helps to even the technology playing field, pools funding for members and uses a Partnership to ensure the sport is ready to accelerate before the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples, Italy come 2028. Innovation and advanced technologies have allowed AC75 hydrofoils to further increase speeds as the foils lift the carbon fiber hulls above the water line with the goal to minimize drag. Think of it like a car on water racing at record speeds as high as 55.6 knots (102.97 km/h) achieved by the INEOS Britannia team at the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona. Teams consisting of The Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand representing Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Challenger of Record, Britain’s Athena Racing representing the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd have officially agreed to the terms for the formation of the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) having worked through the final points, much done by lawyers, not sailors, in establishing the Partnership in New York this week. The close of entry period happens in just two weeks’ time on October 31 2025 putting haste on teams to commit to the ACP and be allowed to enter the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup. This platform will continue to push forward with groundbreaking innovation that often inspire global audiences throughout industries, sporting interests, and future generations.
ACP or Bust
This historic agreement by three teams marks the first time in the event’s 174-year history that competing teams have united under a shared governance and commercial structure to more permanently manage the competitions, share economics and maximize engagement with America’s Cup fans around the world.
This unprecedented America’s Cup Partnership is headed by a new governance board, enabling each team a seat on the board, they will then give birth to an independent management team with responsibilities to center on commercial growth, long-term investment into the event and the teams, and continued technical development and innovation across compelling America’s Cup competitions hosted every two years. The Partnership will begin operations November 1, 2025.
ACP will serve as a centralized consortium function for the teams like other successful global sports such as the NFL, and events like the FIFA World Cup, with the express purpose of planning, management, organization and commercialization of all aspects of the America’s Cup for ongoing event cycles as a world-class sporting event in a manner that will enhance the commercial value and world-wide standing of the America’s Cup. This is to include the ownership, administration, and exploitation of rights, contracts, revenues, assets, personnel and activities necessary to the effective conduct of the events in line with both the governance documents; The Deed of Gift and the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Protocol.
Key ACP Points
- Establishing a bold new governance structure bringing all participating teams in the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup together to govern and grow the America’s Cup collectively.
- The America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) has reached the next significant milestone of the agreement, kick starting the new era of the oldest trophy in international sport.
- The Partnership will continue to focus on innovation, while unlocking growth and long-term investment to provide a platform for financial stability for the event and teams.
- The clock is now ticking to the close of entry period on the 31st October 2025 for teams to enter the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup and join the America’s Cup Partnership.
Quotes
Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said, “The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of sailing with innovation and technology in its DNA for 174 years, but it has long been managed on an event-by-event basis without a structure to plan for the long-term. There is a huge amount of unrealized valuable IP and commercial value that is tied up in the technology of the teams as well as the event. As other highly successful sports over the past decade have demonstrated, we believe that by partnering with our fellow teams to establish a more permanent governance and commercial organization, we will collectively realize the incredible global growth and popularity that the America’s Cup and its fans deserve.”
Dalton added, “The success of the establishment of the ACP is due to a bold combined vision as well as considerable concessions by all parties to get this across the line for the greater good of the sport and the event. Fans should expect more racing, innovative formats, more continuity in the teams, and even more competitive action between the most technologically advanced boats in the world, because that is what the ACP intends to deliver.”
Athena Racing CEO and Team Principal Sir Ben Ainslie commented, “The formation of ACP is a truly historic moment for the America’s Cup and has taken 12 months and cross team collaboration to put in place. For the first time, teams are uniting not just as rivals on the water, but as shared stakeholders in its future. This collective approach enables us to realize the Cup’s global commercial potential while protecting its unique heritage. It marks the start of an exciting new era, not just for the teams, but for fans, partners and the sport of sailing.”
RNZYS Commodore David Blakey said, “The establishment of the America’s Cup Partnership has been a monumental task to pull together. As current trustee and holder of the America’s Cup, the RNZYS are very proud of the role we have played along with the Royal Yacht Squadron supporting our respective teams to set the foundations of a shared path for the America’s Cup while respecting the Deed of Gift and so many of the fundamental principles of the Cup that are valued by our own club around continued growth, development of the sport and pathways for young sailors. Now the Partnership is established we look forward to seeing the teams back on the water and getting ready to race in 2027.”
RYS Ltd Commodore Bertie Bicket said, “This agreement represents a pivotal moment not only for the America’s Cup but for the sport of sailing as a whole. The Royal Yacht Squadron has been part of the Cup’s history since its inception in 1851, and we are proud to play a leading role in shaping its future through this new era of collaboration and shared governance. The America’s Cup Partnership provides a solid foundation for sustainable growth, innovation, and fairness among all competitors — values that lie at the heart of our sport.”
As mentioned, the digital clock is now activated for teams to officially enter the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples with it being agreed that the close of the initial entry period for teams to enter and become part of the governance of the America’s Cup Partnership will be October 31, 2025, otherwise known as Halloween in the States.
Then on November 1st, the establishment of the Partnership will next move into a more practical phase of set up and a transfer of assets, the establishment of key committees and appointment of key ACP personnel. In tandem, operationally planning on the ground in Naples continues onward with the development of the Bagnoli event site and overall event schedule including securing Preliminary Regatta venues for 2026 and 2027.
America’s Cup wishes to acknowledge the advisors that worked with the force of hurricane level winds to bring this complex arrangement together. This includes Centerview Partners (exclusive financial advisors to Emirates Team New Zealand) Hogan Lovells, Millbank, Becker Kemp and Simpson Grierson (all lawyers for Athena Racing) and Sidley Austin, Harmos Horton Lusk and Bell Gully (all lawyers for Emirates Team New Zealand).
Virtual Eye and More Tech
I love America’s Cup technology innovations. At the same time, I respect the old school sailors that pine for sailing days of old, as is still done worldwide by so many enthusiasts.
America’s Cup is at the forefront of sport and science, establishing the notion that excellence on water starts with innovation on land.
Each yacht or class is developed as an interdisciplinary collaboration, gathering from partnerships with engineering powerhouses, including Formula 1TM teams, to pioneer advancements in material sciences, aerodynamics, and hydrodynamics. Sailing teams embrace the same diversity focus taking expertise from the world’s best sailors in addition to disciplines like cycling, rowing, and other sports, with the mindset of a collaborative environment that merges a variety of skill sets with the lofty goal of achieving excellence.
These innovations go beyond the competition. Hydrogen-powered boats, developed through America’s Cup research, are leading advancements in sustainable maritime technology, and novel analysis and visualization tools help to understand weather and wind patterns at never-before-seen resolution. One of my favorite technologies, simulators—originally designed for elite athlete training—are now widely adopted as a simulator creates safe opportunities for non-professionals to experience the enlightenment of sailing as if on water. The popularity of sailing sims also led to the founding of America’s Cup e-Series.
Groundbreaking sail designs helps to maximize aerodynamics much like the body of a F1, NASCAR or Indy Car is designed for the same functionality. The AC-75 uses a complex network of sensors to deliver real-time data for optimal performance. The smaller AC40, can now reach top speeds around 45 knots during the regattas in lower wind conditions and a measured top speed of 50.09 knots (92.77 km/h) in training.
On demand video is what fans want, whether it be live or archived and America’s Cup Media is up to the tasks and more by delivering the most accessible event in the more than 170-year history of the regatta. Breakthrough broadcasting and visualization technologies create a viewing environment that simplifies each event’s complexities for both new fans and hard-core fans alike, creating true engagement for all audiences with measurable ROI for sponsors.
Look for the WindSight IQ™ innovation, that concentrates LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor fusion and advanced computation to visualize the all-important wind patterns in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) graphics.
A must use sports tech is VirtualEye because it offers data-driven and resulting graphic overlays replays of each race, enabling fans and media the unique ability to analyze every second while reliving the regatta’s thrilling key moments. Races On Virtual Eye is an amazing tool.
Sports Techie, it’s been over ten years since I posted this America’s Cup technology blog. I did, however, cover a story about U.S. SailGP, last year.
How many of our readers and followers, like me, would love to attend the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples?
I know the answer, most all of you, right.
Witnessing AC-75 foiling yachts in action around the Bay of Naples together with millions of fans in attendance is certainly a must see, bucket list sporting event.
The fast approaching deadline for joining the new ACP is something to keep your own virtual eye on to see who else joins the mutual governance and who does not.
How will America’s Cup change in ten years becuase of the ACP?
The answer to this question is also worthy of following, but I can say, evening the playing field for all America’s Cup teams, especially with regards to technology, is exactly what the Sports Techie mission is all about.
Bravo, America’s Cup. Here is my own virtual, one-handed clap to you for progressing through innovation, technology and the ACP.
May the best yacht win!
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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