After a tumultuous, rumour-filled 24 hours sparked by a mystery press release promising a "major announcement", it was revealed Thursday morning that Sale Sharks had been sold by existing owner Brian Kennedy to CorpAcq. CorpAcq are a "Manchester-based Corporate Acquisitions and Investments Company" founded in 2006 by Simon Orange (brother of Take That's Jason) that currently own 14 different business with a combined annual turnover of £150 million. The financial problems that Sale have had especially since moving stadia to the AJ Bell in 2012 have been well-documented, Kennedy hesitant to invest the same level of funds as say, Saracens or Wasps, due to the club's lack of sustainability amplified by dwindling attendances. And with the salary cap rising to £6 million next season and £7.5 million in 2017/18 the writing was on the wall, so to speak, regarding Kennedy's sixteen-year tenure as owner; either it was time to move on and sell the club or pump the requisite money into the squad to compete in the new, wealthier Premiership. Kennedy, it now emerges, chose the former. A huge amount of credit must be sent the way of Kennedy and business associate Ian Blackhurst who not only brought the club into professional existence in 2000 but bankrolled a period which saw Sale twice win the European Challenge Cup and in 2005/06, the Premiership title. Despite the fledging success of the latter years, Kennedy continued to subsidise the club at great personal cost repeatedly writing off the club's debts and helping to ensure the survival of Premiership rugby in the North-West. The announcement that Kennedy had sold the club 'debt-free' is a testament to his onus on self-sustainability and the millions of pounds he continued to invest throughout his entire time as Sale owner. But what does the Sharks' acquisition by CorpAcq actually mean? At this very moment, nothing. The press conference (helpfully streamed live on the club's Facebook page) was extremely run of the mill, focusing on the existing relationship between Steve Diamond and Simon Orange, the negotiations that went on behind the purchase of the club, and the club's commitment to an organic growth over the next two to three seasons. But that isn't to say the CorpAcq acquisition is not noteworthy. As alluded to above the Premiership is changing in terms of how money is spent and squads built, and the ability to spend upwards of £5 million per year and attract international, marquee signings is rapidly becoming a necessity for teams serious about competing in this evolving competition. Tellingly, Orange did comment that future investment into the club would be in the millions rather than the thousands. And whilst it is unlikely that Sale will immediately move away from their tremendously successful 'academy first' model and adopt a 'Galacticos' approach, CorpAcq's backing should hopefully provide the additional investment Sale have been in dire need of in order to sustain, but more importantly build upon, the recent success the team has enjoyed (three top-six finishes in the last five seasons) despite having the lowest payroll in the league. What Steve Diamond has done with this current collection of Sale players has been nothing short of revolutionary but there always persisted an unshakeable feeling that Sale's improbable success was unsustainable considering the annual exodus of players. Now with CorpAcq's takeover, there exists a genuine belief Diamond will now have the funds to acquire, retain and build a squad capable of competing for domestic and European honours. Diamond, Deacon, Angelsea etc. have proved in recent years they have the coaching nous to build a competitive club on the field, now it would appear Sale have an ownership group who can be competitive off the field also. Now, did somebody say they saw Kyle Eastmond in Oldham yesterday? Follow The Shark Tank on Twitter for more news, analysis, and opinions on all things Sale Sharks.
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