Silkeborg, Denmark, November 19, 2024 – Alabama-based sports investment firm Trivela Group has today made a proposal to acquire 80% interest in Silkeborg IF, in the Danish Superliga. The current owner, Silkeborg Invest, is a publicly-traded local investment firm, and would remain partner and 20% owner.
If approved by the Silkeborg Invest shareholders, this will mark the addition of a fourth club to the Trivela Group collective, after the 2022 acquisition of Walsall Football Club in the English Football League, the 2024 acquisition of Drogheda United FC in the League of Ireland, and the recent addition of grassroots club Trivela FC in Togo.
Silkeborg IF is based in Silkeborg, Denmark, a town in central Jutland. The club was founded in 1917, and currently participates in the Danish Superliga, the top division in Denmark. The club plays its home matches at JYSK Park, a 10,000 capacity stadium built in 2017. The club has primarily participated in the top flight of Danish football over the past decade, with their top finish coming in 2021-22, when they placed third behind runners-up FC Midtjylland and champions FC Copenhagen. The club have experienced strong success both from a financial and sporting standpoint in recent years, and are currently reigning champions of the Danish Cup, having played in European fixtures this summer against Molde FK (Norway) and KAA Gent (Belgium) as a result. As of today, the club sits in 4th in a very tight Danish Superliga, 2 points behind co-leaders AGF Aarhaus, FC Midtjylland, and FC Copenhagen. In addition to experiencing sporting success, the club has been consistently profitable, and was recently ranked 5th in Europe on “Off the Pitch’s” 2023 list of the Top 10 most financially sustainable clubs, behind BodoGlimt (Norway), Molde FK (Norway), Manchester City (England), and Fiorentina (Italy). The club has also been successful in producing and transferring some talented players – notably Lukas Engel of Middlesbrough in England, and Alexander Lind of Pisa in Italy.
“I’m pleased with Trivela’s potential move into Denmark, with the proposed acquisition of Silkeborg IF,” said Trivela Group Managing Director Benjamin Boycott. “The management at Silkeborg has done an outstanding job running a competitive and sustainable club these past many years, and it has been a pleasure to get to know them as we’ve sketched out this proposed transaction. The club is financially successful, debt free, and experiencing good sporting success of late as well. I have a great deal of respect for the club, the town, and the local culture, and am very hopeful to be invited in to be a part of it if the Silkeborg Invest shareholders deem to approve us as owners.”
Prior to the proposal being made public, Trivela has already completed due diligence on the club, and has already been approved by the Danish league as approved owners. Trivela’s management feels that this next evolution in the group will stand to benefit all parties.
Prior to this latest acquisition, Trivela has made a series of investments thus far, including in England with the equity acquisition of Walsall FC and via the football club, the follow-on acquisitions of Bescot Stadium and the property surrounding it, and in Ireland with the equity acquisition of Drogheda United FC and via the football club, the follow-on acquisition of its stadium, United Park. Trivela Group was founded in the United States in 2021 by Benjamin Boycott and Kenneth Polk. Mr. Boycott is the full-time Managing Director of Trivela, while Mr. Polk is Founder & CEO of Arlington (Arlington.com). With over 25 years of experience, Arlington currently serves the needs of over 80 families with over USD 13 billion under stewardship.
“The family clients of Arlington have been honored to be a part of what Ben has been building since day one, said Polk. “The proposed Silkeborg IF acquisition, if approved, accelerates our vision of creating an ecosystem that stewards the ownership of financially sustainable football clubs.”
If approved, the proposed transaction would see the retention of current CEO Kent Madsen and current CFO Claus Christensen, who have operated the club successfully for many years, with Boycott joining the Board of Directors.