Las Vegas' source for sports-business news.

By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer

Bill Foley came into the locker room at a soccer match in England and congratulated the players of his latest acquisition — the AFC Bournemouth soccer team of the Premier League.

Foley watched a Bournemouth game against Leicester City Saturday, according to several news reports, and he’s added the soccer club to his business portfolio that includes the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League, Indoor Football League’s Vegas Knight Hawks besides his wineries, restaurants and hotels. Nicknamed, “The Cherries,” Bournemouth defeated Leicester, 2-1.

Foley bought the Premier League Team from Maxim Demin for $133 million, according to published reports.

Foley and a group here in Las Vegas spent $500 million for an expansion fee to the National Hockey League for his Vegas Golden Knights to become the league’s 31st franchise in 2017.

Bournemouth has returned to the Premier League and plays in the circuit’s smallest stadium at more than 11,000. A radio station in England reported that Foley plans to either build a new soccer venue or renovate the current stadium. The average Premier League stadium holds 35,000 fans.

Here’s a picture of the Bournemouth stadium, courtesy of BBC business journalist Lewis Coombes:

Foley, a 1967 West Point graduate, is rather smitten with the “knight” imagery and logo. So don’t be surprised if a knight is somehow blended into Bournemouth games.

Foley, a 77-year-old Texas native, has built several ice hockey facilities in metro Las Vegas, including the VGK two-rink headquarters and training center in suburban Summerlin and a similar community ice center in Henderson.

Foley also built a 6,000-seat, $84 million arena for his minor league Silver Knights team in Henderson. He split the construction cost 50/50 with the city of Henderson.

It’s become common for owners of major league sports teams in the U.S. to purchase Premier League teams like Tampa Bay Bucs owner the Glazer family buying Manchester United in 2005.

Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.

LVSportsBiz.com is proud to turn five years old in June 2022 and we are proud of our sports-business journalism, content and photos that more than 1 million readers have enjoyed and appreciated. We could use your help. We are asking for your donations of at least $10 to help keep LVSportsBiz.com delivering the type of journalism and content you have grown to like these past years. Thank you and keep reading LVSportsBiz.com.

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Happy 5th Anniversary to LVSportsBiz.com

LVSportsBiz.com publisher Alan Snel talked with KLAS Channel 8 Sports Director Chris Maathuis about LVSportsBiz.com’s fifth anniversary on Game On! Vegas

LVSportsBiz.com covered the Stanley Cup Final in Denver and interviews sports-business leaders in Las Vegas like Raiders/Aces owner Mark Davis.

WATCHDOG journalism: Our story on the LVCVA public tourism promotion agency spending nearly $165,000 on attending the NFL Super Bowl in Los Angeles in February 2022.

COSTS to ATTEND Raiders and Golden Knights games. These stories are based on the research of Chicago-based Team Marketing Report.

RAIDERS: The average Raiders home ticket is $153.47 — the most expensive average ticket in the 32-team NFL.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS: The average Golden Knights home ticket is $124.09 — the fourth most expensive average ticket in the 32-team NHL.

LVSportsBiz.com Raiders stories to read:

— Raiders fans inside Allegiant Stadium for first time

— Many sides of Allegiant Stadium

— Raiders stadium — Las Vegas sports-business story of 2021

— Mark Davis’ close advisor and friend 

— On Raiders’ first game with fans at Allegiant Stadium

LVSportsBiz.com’s reader traffic: We eclipsed 1 million readers in May 2022. LVSportsBiz.com is the feisty news site that reports the convergence of sports, marketing, stadiums, business, development, sponsorships, fans and politics. Take advantage of our success by coming on board as an LVSportsBiz.com advertiser. Contact publisher Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com

BETTER READ SNEL: LVSportsBiz.com’s Best Reads

On birth of LVSportsBiz.com

On COVID-19 and the VGK

On Russ Langer’s quest to reach the majors

Incomparable Grand Canyon by bike

Move over road cycling, here comes mountain biking in Las Vegas

Biking magical Seattle and the Northwest

Bicycling the Tour de Stadiums of Las Vegas

This news site is operated by Alan Snel, a veteran metro newspaper journalist who reports enterprise, analysis and breaking news on the business side of sports in Las Vegas.

LVSportsBiz.com is proud to turn five years old in June 2022 and we are proud of our sports-business journalism, content and photos that more than 1 million readers have enjoyed and appreciated. We could use your help. We are asking for your donations of at least $10 to help keep LVSportsBiz.com delivering the type of journalism and content you have grown to like these past years. Thank you and keep reading LVSportsBiz.com.

Bringing a watchful eye to Las Vegas's sports-business scene.

Got a sports business story idea? Contact Founder Alan Snel at asnel@lvsportsbiz.com.

Copyright © 2017 LVSportsBiz. All rights reserved.

LVSportsBiz.com is proud to turn five years old in June 2022 and we are proud of our sports-business journalism, content and photos that more than 1 million readers have enjoyed and appreciated. We could use your help. We are asking for your donations of at least $10 to help keep LVSportsBiz.com delivering the type of journalism and content you have grown to like these past years. Thank you and keep reading LVSportsBiz.com.