V Sports

Sports holding company administering football clubs including Aston Villa (100%), Aston Villa Women (90%), Vitoria SC (29%), Real Union (25%), and FC Annecy (30%). Owned by Nassef Sawiris, Wes Edens, and Atairos.

V Sports was formed in July 2018 as NSWE by Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens. The partnership acquired a 55% controlling stake in EFL Championship club Aston Villa for approximately £30 million. The club had faced significant cash flow issues under previous owner Tony Xia and required strategic investment and operational restructuring.

Under NSWE ownership, Aston Villa achieved promotion back to the Premier League in 2019 after a three-year absence, defeating Derby County in the Championship play-off final. NSWE subsequently completed a full purchase of the club in August 2019.

In 2021, NSWE was rebranded to V Sports as Sawiris and Edens began pursuing a multi-club ownership model. This rebranding reflected the partnership's ambition to build a network of football clubs beyond Aston Villa.

V Sports expanded its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and partnerships:

• Vitoria SC (Portugal): V Sports originally purchased a 46% stake in 2023, later reduced to 29% to comply with UEFA multi-club ownership rules, with no representation on the board of directors.
• Real Union (Spain): Collaboration starting in 2023, progressing to ownership of a 25% stake by December 2024. Real Union are owned by the family of Aston Villa's connections.
• FC Annecy (France): Initially an informal partnership with Aston Villa following the loan of academy players Triston Rowe and Travis Patterson, V Sports purchased a 30% stake in the Ligue 2 side in June 2026.

In December 2023, V Sports announced an agreement with Comcast-backed American investment firm Atairos to invest in V Sports. The deal, which valued V Sports at more than £500 million, saw Atairos obtain an initial 20% stake. The deal was finalized on April 12, 2024. By October 2024, Atairos's stake had increased to approximately 32% through additional investment.

In 2024, Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Champions League, marking a significant achievement under V Sports ownership. The club's fourth-place Premier League finish reflected years of strategic investment and organizational development.

In June 2025, V Sports appointed Francesco Calvo as President of Business Operations from Juventus, where he had previously held executive roles at Roma and Barcelona. Calvo replaced the outgoing Chris Heck, who departed in April 2025 to pursue a similar role at LIV Golf.

On October 21, 2025, V Sports announced the sale of a 10% stake in Aston Villa Women to Marc Zahr, co-president of Blue Owl Capital, reducing V Sports' stake in the women's team to 90%.

On June 2, 2026, V Sports purchased a 30% stake in Ligue 2 side FC Annecy, expanding its multi-club network into France.