Estrella Football Group has officially entered the rapidly expanding multi-club ownership (MCO) space, acquiring Portuguese side GDS Cascais as its first stake. Unlike traditional models where one dominant “parent” club leads a pyramid structure, Estrella is pioneering what it calls a “horizontal” ownership approach.
The group plans to acquire three more clubs in 2025, with ambitions to scale aggressively by adding up to 10 new clubs each year thereafter. Typically, Estrella takes around a 30% ownership stake, deliberately leaving day-to-day sporting control with local leadership.
Why This Matters
If Estrella’s model proves successful, it could democratize access to MCO benefits such as:
- Shared commercial scale and brand visibility
- Centralized data and performance analytics
- Sponsorship synergies across clubs and regions
By avoiding a flagship-club hierarchy, Estrella is challenging the dominance of groups like City Football Group or Red Bull, who build around a single central powerhouse. Instead, every partner club is positioned as equal, potentially creating a more collaborative ecosystem.
Strategic Perspective
Multi-club ownership has quickly become one of the most powerful investment strategies in world football, attracting private equity, sovereign funds, and media giants. Estrella’s ambition to become the world’s largest MCO highlights both the growing appetite for portfolio football investment and the race to define the most sustainable operating model.
Their digital-first, minority-stake strategy could also appeal to clubs outside Europe’s top five leagues, giving them access to capital, infrastructure, and commercial reach without surrendering full control.
Estrella’s model underscores a new frontier in MCO strategy: creating scale without central dominance. For investors, this signals opportunities to:
- Enter emerging markets (Africa, South America, Asia) with lighter investment structures.
- Unlock digital monetization by connecting fanbases across multiple territories.
- Attract region-specific sponsors who want cross-market reach but prefer clubs that retain local identity.
For clubs, particularly in mid-tier European leagues, partnering with an Estrella-type group could mean access to new commercial partners, player development pipelines, and global brand positioning, all while maintaining sporting independence.
At 365247 Consultancy, we specialize in advising ownership groups, investors, and clubs on:
- Multi-club ownership models
- Strategic acquisitions and integrations
- Commercial growth and brand globalization
If your club or investment group is exploring entry into the multi-club ownership space — or seeking to scale existing operations — our expertise ensures you position yourself for sustainable growth and competitive advantage.
Contact us at 365247 Consultancy to discuss how to navigate the evolving landscape of football investment.
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IMAGE: Estrella Football Group
