Jay Anthony Precourt Jr.[2] (born c. 1969–70) is an American investor and sports team owner. He is the CEO of Two Oak Ventures (formerly Precourt Sports Ventures), a group that owns Major League Soccer club Austin FC and formerly owned the Columbus Crew. He is also a managing partner of Precourt Capital Management, a private investment management firm based in San Francisco, California.
Anthony Precourt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jay Anthony Precourt Jr. 1969 or 1970 (age 54–55)[1] Denver, Colorado |
| Alma mater | Pepperdine University (BA) Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business (MBA) |
| Spouse | Agatha Matosek |
| Children | 3 |
Education and career
editPrecourt was raised in Denver, Colorado, and went to high school in Connecticut.[3] He graduated from Pepperdine University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College with a Master of Business Administration.[4] Precourt entered the corporate finance business with stints at Merrill Lynch, Alex. Brown & Sons, and WHV Investment Management.[5] He then started his own private equity firm, Precourt Capital Management, in 2008, focusing on the energy sector.[4][5]
MLS ownership
editPrecourt, who had a stated interest in soccer, formed Precourt Sports Ventures LLC in 2012 and looked to invest in Major League Soccer.[6] The firm bought the Columbus Crew SC from Clark Hunt for $68 million, then a record for a MLS franchise.[7][8] At the first Crew match he attended, several months before the sale was finalized, the scoreboard at Mapfre Stadium caught fire and delayed kickoff for hours.[6][9] Under Precourt's ownership, the Crew hired Gregg Berhalter as its manager and first sporting director;[10] and unveiled an updated brand identity that included a new logo and name with the suffix "SC".[11]
On October 17, 2017, Precourt Sports Ventures announced that it was considering moving the franchise in 2019 to Austin, Texas.[12] The move came as a surprise to Columbus leaders and fans.[13] After offering an apology on Twitter,[14] Precourt was the focus of anger from the team's supporters, culminating in the establishment of the Save the Crew movement.[15]
In December 2018, Precourt Sports Ventures announced they had negotiated an agreement with the City of Austin to build a $242 million stadium on public land at 10414 McKalla Place,[16] following an evaluation of several other city-owned properties.[17] Construction began in 2019,[18] and Q2 Stadium opened in 2021, hosting its first soccer match on June 16, 2021.[19][20]
On January 1, 2019, ownership of Crew SC was preliminarily transferred from Precourt Sports Ventures to a group composed of Dee and Jimmy Haslam and Dr. Pete Edwards, who pledged to keep the Crew in Columbus and build a new stadium in downtown Columbus.[21] Austin FC was officially announced as the 27th MLS franchise on January 15, 2019 and is set to begin play in 2021.[22] Precourt Sports Ventures was rebranded as Two Oak Ventures in July 2019, with Precourt remaining as CEO,[23] and six Austin-based owners were added the following month.[24]
Personal life
editPrecourt lives in Austin, Texas,[7] with his wife Agatha and three children.[6] His father was the oil tycoon and philanthropist Jay A. Precourt. [2][4][22][25]
References
edit- ^ Bell, Jeff (July 30, 2013). "Columbus Crew sold to Precourt Sports Ventures, which pledges to keep team in Columbus". Columbus Business Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ a b "Alumnus Jay Precourt commits $30 million to fund energy efficiency institute". Stanford University. October 5, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Precourt, Anthony (September 5, 2013). "Things We Love: Anthony Precourt edition". Columbus Alive (Interview). Interviewed by Justin McIntosh. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c Anderson, Will (October 18, 2017). "Who is Anthony Precourt? Get to know the man who might bring an MLS team to Austin". Austin Business Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ a b "Anthony Precourt, Investor-Operator and Chairman - Columbus Crew SC and MAPFRE Stadium". Columbus Crew SC. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Ian (July 27, 2015). "Precourt takes thoughtful approach in remaking Crew". Sports Business Daily. p. 3. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Jardy, Adam (July 30, 2013). "Crew under new ownership". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Ozanian, Mike (August 1, 2013). "Columbus Crew Sold By Hunt Sports Group For Record $68 Million". Forbes. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ McCarthy, Kyle (February 3, 2014). "Stoppage Time: Columbus chairman and investor/operator Anthony Precourt". Fox Sports. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Jardy, Adam (November 6, 2013). "Gregg Berhalter named coach". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ^ Abnos, Alexander (October 8, 2014). "Columbus Crew unveil new logo, brand identity at downtown event". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ^ Erickson, Andrew (October 18, 2017). "Without a Downtown stadium, Crew likely to bid adieu". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Newpoff, Laura (October 18, 2017). "MLS, Crew SC have been working on Austin relocation plan for months". Columbus Business Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Joseph, Andrew (October 19, 2017). "Furious Columbus Crew fans blast owner's Twitter apology for trying to move club". USA Today. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ King, Andrew (November 1, 2017). "Columbus playoff triumph foreshadows an awkward 2018". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "Statement from Precourt Sports Ventures". MLS2ATX. June 29, 2018. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ Lyttle, Kevin (March 1, 2018). "Strong 'no Guerrero' message to stadium debate". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ Sanders, Austin (September 13, 2019). "City, Austin FC Break Ground on New Soccer Stadium". The Austin Chronicle.
- ^ "City of Austin, Precourt Sports Ventures announce stadium deal agreement". Major League Soccer. December 19, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ Craven, Mike. "Christened by Queens: Press stars as USWNT opens Q2 Stadium with win over Nigeria". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ Patrick Guldan and Pat Murphy (December 28, 2018). "Crew SC officially sold to Edwards, Haslam". MassiveReport.com. SB Nation. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ a b Bils, Chris; Bohls, Kirk (January 15, 2019). "Austin FC officially announced as 27th MLS club with 'local roots'". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Two Oak Ventures to own and operate Austin FC and attract local investors". MLSsoccer.com. July 17, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Bils, Chris (September 13, 2019). "Two more investors round out Austin FC minority owners". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ "Remembering Jay Precourt". Stanford Report. September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.