Gloucester Rugby seeks fan investment with club valued at £36.5m

The Premiership side has asked supporters to help raise the remaining £300,000 of its £500,000 target

Supporters of Premiership Rugby club Gloucester are being asked to help the side raise £300,000 to assist the club in reaching its investment targets. The club, currently sitting eighth in the 10-team English top flight, launched an investment fundraising campaign in October, encouraging fans to generate £500,000 to “protect the future” of the Cherry and Whites.

Hosted by investment platform Europe Republic, Gloucester was valued at £36.5m ahead of the raise. Majority owner Martin St Quinton confirmed that investors will become shareholders with full rights, with a single share priced at £4.08.

Six months on, Gloucester contacted fans via email, announcing that they had surpassed the £200,000 milestone, noting that fans “can support our mission and be part of the journey by becoming a shareholder from £250”, as reported by City AM.

“It is a very exciting time for Premiership Rugby,” St Quinton said in a video message to supporters.

“The spectre of relegation is a big no-no for particularly American investors in the sport. Any investor doesn’t want to be making an investor in a rugby club that a year later could potentially have been relegated at which point you’ve almost certainly lost your entire investment.

“Getting rid of the spectre of relegation has given a huge amount of confidence to commercial acquirers and sports investors around the world.

“You’ve seen the recent investment from Red Bull at Newcastle – they wouldn’t have invested in Newcastle if there was any chance of Newcastle getting relegated – and [recently] the 50 per cent stake taken by [Sir James] Dyson in Bath Rugby, which is a fantastic endorsement of the future of Premiership Rugby.

“I am not making any promises, but I think this is a very sound investment in Gloucester Rugby.”

The capital will be deployed across the club’s academy and infrastructure, and has been termed “A piece of Holm”, a reference to the team’s home venue Kingsholm.

“Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest,” a caption read. “This is a high-risk investment and you’re unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong”.

In 2024, the Cherry and Whites brought City fund manager Jack Ingles into an investor consortium that includes majority owner Martin St Quinton and minority shareholder Tim Griffiths.

Last year, Business Live revealed that all of England’s Premiership rugby clubs were making financial losses, including Gloucester.