Apollo Management has provided an £80 million loan to Nottingham Forest Football Club, marking the company’s first foray into English Premier League financing. The three-year loan, agreed upon in December, carries an interest rate of 8.75%.
The loan includes £55 million to refinance existing debt, previously owed to Rights and Media Funding Group, which has also financed other clubs, including Everton. The remaining £25 million will be used for working capital.
Nottingham Forest, owned by Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis, posted a £73 million operating loss last year but managed to secure an overall profit through player sales exceeding £100 million. The club is set to compete in next season’s Europa League after finishing seventh in the Premier League, aided by Crystal Palace’s exclusion from European competition.
This move is part of a wider trend in European football, with US-based lenders increasingly offering high-interest loans to clubs in need of financial support.
