Squire Patton Boggs is advising on the acquisition by International Entertainment Corporation of Wigan Athletic Football Club from the Whelan family. The transaction is subject to approval from the English Football League and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Founded in 1932, Wigan Athletic is a well-established football club with a long history. It has just achieved promotion from the English Football League Division One and will play in the Championship next season. In 1995, Mr. Whelan bought a stake in Wigan Athletic Football Club and, during the next 10 years, oversaw the club’s promotion from the fourth tier of the football league to the Premier League. Wigan Athletic enjoyed eight years in the top flight Premier League, which culminated in it winning the FA Cup in 2013.

International Entertainment Corporation is a Hong Kong-based investment holding company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The group is principally engaged in hotel management and the leasing of properties for casino and ancillary leisure and entertainment purposes.

The Squire Patton Boggs team advising International Entertainment Corporation is led by Corporate partner and football M&A expert David Hull, assisted by Corporate associate Annie McElwain.

Mr. Hull commented: “We are delighted to act for International Entertainment Corporation on this major cross-border investment, which underlines the continued interest in English football among overseas buyers, particularly from Asia Pacific, where the sport is expanding at an exciting pace.”

The transaction is one of a number of football club deals completed by Squire Patton Boggs in recent years. The firm advised Bridgemere UK plc and Mr. Steve Morgan OBE, shareholders of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, on the sale of the club to Fosun International Ltd and advised on the sale of Aston Villa FC, acting for former owner and long-standing client Randy Lerner.