Apollo Global Management Preparing to Launch $5 Billion Sports Fund

As another example of the growing interest of significant financial players in the sports industry, Apollo Global Management Inc. is preparing to launch a new $5 billion investment strategy focused on sports deals. The initiative, confirmed by sources to Bloomberg and reported by the Financial Times, is set to become a significant presence in the booming sports finance sector.

The new fund is planned as a permanent capital vehicle, specializing in long-term strategic lending to sports leagues and clubs. While its primary focus will be on providing structured debt, it may also acquire stakes in teams, though this will not be a core priority.

This effort by Apollo is part of a broader trend among major asset managers to tap into the high-growth, high-return potential of sports. Previously reported by AltsWire in July of this year, Ares Management Corp. is launching a new media and entertainment fund targeting retail investors. It will make debt and equity investments in sports leagues, teams and sports-related businesses, as well as media and entertainment companies.

Ares has previously acquired stakes in prominent teams such as the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins, Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF, and the Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club.

Apollo, too, is not new to the sector. It has provided loans to European football clubs like Sporting Lisbon and Nottingham Forest. The firm has also held discussions with Atlético Madrid, Spain’s third-largest football club, to help finance a large stadium redevelopment project.

Founded in 1990, Apollo Global Management is a worldwide alternative asset manager with approximately $840 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2025.

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