Broughton To Step Down For New Project

Martin Broughton's spell as Liverpool chairman, expected to end shortly following the sale of the club, will not be his last involvement in sport. Broughton, a former chairman of the British Horseracing Board, is to chair a private equity investment group targeting investment in specialist sports projects. The company, Sports Investment Partners, was the brainchild of Broughton's son Martin, an executive at experienced sports head-hunters Nolan Partners, and discussions with potential investors began a year ago. The Broughtons identified sport as an area that could benefit from specialist private equity investment, following a model that has seen sectors such as green technology develop with the aim of targeted investment. SIP is not expected to invest in football clubs – Broughton's experience with Liverpool is thought to have persuaded him against further involvement – but will identify projects that have an application across sport. It is expected to target areas including technology, the gaming and betting sector and support services that can be provided across sport. SIP will look at small to medium sized projects to which they can add value, providing management expertise or equity investment where appropriate. The project is one of the reasons why Broughton is understood to have declared himself unavailable for the vacant post of FA chairman, for which he would be a leading candidate if he expressed serious interest. Like several other senior business figures, he may also have reservations about the structure at Wembley, where an independent chairman is expected to steer a course through competing factions without the assistance of the non-executive directors proposed by the Burns Review five long years ago.