ALK CAPITAL ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH DUNDEE FC
ALK Capital, the leading US management firm specialising in investments and operations in the sports and media sectors, and controlling owners of Burnley Football Club, have today announced a strategic partnership with Scottish Premiership club, Dundee FC.
The new alliance, which comes as both clubs continue their first respective seasons back in the top-flight of English and Scottish football, will foster a platform to engage and enhance emerging and developing talent within competitive football, while creating fresh opportunities for both clubs to pursue their shared ambitions.
The relationship is already seeing the likes of Dara Costelloe and Owen Dodgson join for The Dark Blues, bolstering the Club in the hunt for European qualification this season.
Speaking about the partnership, Burnley FC chairman and Managing Partner of ALK Capital, Alan Pace, said:
“We are thrilled to embark on this new journey with Dundee FC, who like Burnley, share a rich history and passionate fanbase. This relationship enhances our collective strength and will bring about some fantastic opportunities for shared growth and success.
“The Scottish Premiership is an excellent proving ground to progress young and emerging talent, as well as providing a potential gateway to European competition.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with Dundee FC and creating meaningful mutual and lasting impacts both on and off the pitch.”
Dundee FC chairman, Tim Keyes, added:
“We are incredibly excited to begin this partnership with ALK Capital and Burnley Football Club, which will support our continued pursuit of sporting excellence. Like ourselves, Burnley is a club that is deeply rooted within its community, and which shares our ambitions.
“Joining forces with a club of this stature is a real statement of intent and one which we hope will support our journey towards greater heights in the future.”
About ALK Capital:
Velocity Sports Partners is the sports investment arm of ALK Capital LLC, the leading US management firm specialising in investments, acquisitions and operations in sports and media. The company benefits from a seasoned team of sports, finance and investment professionals with decades of experience in maximising the performance, operations and investment of multiple Fortune 100 companies.
The group is headed by Managing Partner Alan Pace, an accomplished leader in sports and financial services turnarounds.
About Burnley F.C:
Burnley F.C is a Premier League football club from the town of Burnley in East Lancashire. Founded in 1882, it was one of the first to turn professional in 1893, the same year the club moved to its home ground, Turf Moor, making it the second-longest continuously used stadium in English professional football.
The club enjoys a rich history in English football, being crowned champions of England on two occasions in 1920–21 and 1959–60. The club lifted the FA Cup in 1914 and has twice won the FA Charity Shield, in 1960 and 1973.
Based in the north west of England and managed by football legend Vincent Kompany, they compete in the Premier League after winning the EFL Championship in 2022/23 with one of the highest points totals in the league’s history. The club has spent 59 seasons overall in the highest division of English football, qualifying for continental competition on three occasions, including reaching the Quarter Finals of the European Cup in 1960-61.
Burnley F.C. is proud to be affiliated with Burnley F.C. Women, which plays in the FA Women’s National League North having achieved back-to-back promotions, as champions of the FA Women’s National League Division One North in 2018-19 and North West Women’s Regional Football League in 2017-18.
About Football Partners Scotland, LLC
Football Partners Scotland is the Scottish investment vehicle of Keyes Capital, LLC, the financial office of the Keyes family. With a primary holding of Dundee Football Club and several other Scottish investments, FPS has been instrumental in developing businesses and creating jobs in Scotland. The Keyes family has a long and distinguished background in US and international business with prior experience as the Chairman and CEO at Johnson Controls and Board positions with Fidelity Investments, Navistar, Pitney Bowes and the Federal Reserve Bank, among others.
FPS and Keyes Capital are headed by Timothy Keyes, a prominent investor residing in Texas with prior experience at Morgan Stanley and McKinsey & Co, among others.
About Dundee F.C:
Dundee Football Club are a Scottish Premiership side from Dundee in the East Coast of Scotland.
Dundee F.C. were formed from the amalgamation of two local clubs Our Boys and East End and their merger formed the basis of an application to join the three-year-old Scottish Football League into which they were admitted in June 1893.
In 1910, Dundee won their first major honour when they brought home the Scottish Cup for the first and to date only time in the Club’s history. Dundee won the oldest football trophy in the world after a 2-1 win over Clyde at Ibrox in the second replay.
However, it wasn’t until after the Second World War that Dundee emerged as a major force in the Scottish game when managing / director George Anderson built a side that was to challenge for honours. Having been relegated on the eve of War, Anderson led Dundee to back-to-back B Division championships, having been denied promotion in the 1945/46 season as the Scottish League gave clubs a year’s grace to get players back from the armed forces and soon they were challenging for the A Division title.
In season 1961/62 the Dark Blues had their most glorious season, winning the Scottish League championship.
The names of Liney, Hamilton, Cox, Seith, Ure, Wishart, Smith, Penman, Cousin, Gilzean, and Robertson trip off the tongue of every Dundee fan young and old and managed by Bob Shankly, they were described by Scottish Football historian Bob Crampsey as ‘the best Scottish footballing side to emerge in Scotland since the war, better even than the Lisbon Lions.’
The following season, Dundee set off on a memorable European odyssey as the Club entered into its first foray into continental competition. As they took their European Cup challenge to a semi-final against AC Milan. The following season they reached their second European semi final as they reached the last four of the Inter City Fairs Cup – the predecessor to the UEFA Cup where they lost to Don Revie’s Leeds United 2-1 on aggregate.
1973 brought Dundee’s last major trophy when captain Tommy Gemmell lifted the League Cup after Gordon Wallace’s winner had beaten Celtic 1-0 at Hampden and both would later go on to manage the Club.
Since then, the club has had spells in Scotland’s top division and Scotland’s second tier but last season the club won promotion from the Scottish Championship and return to Scotland’s top division for season 23/24. The club have recently produced international players from it’s youth academy with Lyall Cameron, Josh Mulligan and Finlay Robertson all being capped for Scotland Under 21’s in 2023.
