49ERS ENTERPRISES ASSUMES FULL OWNERSHIP OF LEEDS UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB - Leedsunited.com 17/7/23

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Statement.

Today, Leeds United Football Club can announce that the EFL has approved the sale of the Club to 49ers Enterprises, paving the way for the immediate transition of ownership.

Paraag Marathe, previously Vice Chairman and Board member of the Club, will take over as Leeds United Chairman. In this role, Marathe will oversee all aspects of the Club, including football and business operations, and drive the strategy to fight for promotion back to the Premier League in the 2023-2024 season. Marathe takes over from Andrea Radrizzani, who has been majority owner of Leeds United since 2017. Angus Kinnear, CEO of Leeds United and Board member, will remain in his current position, and continue to direct the Club’s day-to-day operations. Rudy Cline-Thomas, Founder and Managing Partner of MASTRY, will join the Board as Co-Owner and Vice Chairman of the Club.

“This is an important moment for Leeds United and we are already hard at work,” said Marathe. “This transition is a necessary reset to chart a new course for the Club. We have already appointed a highly-respected First Team Manager with a track record of success, and we are confident Leeds will field a competitive squad to contend for promotion next season. It’s a privilege to carry this torch as I know we have a responsibility to ensure this Club makes our staff, players, supporters, and the Leeds and Yorkshire communities proud."

Cline-Thomas added, "With my family hailing from Leeds, it's an honour to be able to uplift this incredible community. This is more than just an opportunity, it's a personal mission. The chance to reinvigorate the cherished Leeds culture, to create a platform that attracts the world's finest players, and build a truly global brand that celebrates diversity, is a prospect that thrills me.”

49ers Enterprises, led by Marathe and 49ers CEO Jed York, has steadily supported and increased its investment in Leeds United over the past five years. Moving forward, the group will look to enhance all aspects of the Club both on and off the pitch. Marathe, Kinnear, and the Club recently announced the appointment of Daniel Farke as First Team Manager. The Club's leadership has also been laying the groundwork to build a successful squad by retaining key players from last season’s team as well as bringing in new talent.

“49ers Enterprises is bringing fresh leadership, management, and a commitment to investment, which I’m confident will meet our ambition to compete for promotion and remain in the top flight as an established Premier League Club,” said Kinnear. “I know Paraag, Rudy and 49ers Enterprises will keep supporters central to their plans during their custodianship and I am excited to work in realising the true potential of this great club.”

Radrizzani said, “It has been an honour to guide Leeds United over the last six years and to spend so much time with the best fanbase in the world. 49ers Enterprises have been fantastic partners for years and I'm confident they will take Leeds to the next level.”

For more information about Paraag Marathe and Rudy Cline-Thomas, their bios can be found on the Leeds Website.

About 49ers Enterprises

49ers Enterprises is the strategic arm of the San Francisco 49ers focused on investments in teams, leagues and other sports properties. 49ers Enterprises is the full owner of Leeds United Football Club. The group is led by President Paraag Marathe and was formed to expand the excellence of the 49ers into other ventures and to capitalize on the brand’s respected reputation across the sports world. The work of 49ers Enterprises is informed by the team's industry-leading expertise in sporting operations, as well as marketing, sponsorships, merchandising, retail, and business development.

PARAAG MARATHE

Paraag Marathe is Chairman of Leeds United and has been a leader in the sports industry for over 20 years. Marathe has long been committed to the success of Leeds, serving as the Club’s Vice Chairman for over two years and as a member of the LUFC Board of Directors for over five. In July 2023, he led the Club’s ownership transition to 49ers Enterprises. In his role as Chairman, Marathe will oversee the Club’s leadership team and their management of the football and business operations, while driving the overarching strategy to compete for promotion to the Premier League in the 2023-2024 season.

Marathe’s approach to data and analytics has landed him leadership positions throughout his career, including his current role at the San Francisco 49ers as both President of 49ers Enterprises and Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Marathe serves in his long-respected role as the team’s chief contract negotiator and salary cap architect, while overseeing the team’s football analytics department, among other football duties. As 49ers team President from 2014-16 and Chief Operating Officer from 2010-13, Marathe took on the added responsibility of overseeing the development of Levi’s Stadium as a world-class venue and helped bring to life the vision of an unparalleled fan experience.

Marathe, his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Juniper and Maren, live in Los Altos, California.

RUDY CLINE-THOMAS

Rudy Cline-Thomas is the founder and Managing Partner of MASTRY, an alternative asset manager focused on Venture Capital, Sports, Real Estate, and Media.

MASTRY Ventures is an early-stage tech venture capital fund that is focused on software, fintech and consumer marketplaces. The portfolio includes investments in Datadog, Zoom, and Uber. In 2023, MASTRY Ventures acquired a majority stake in Athletes First, the leading NFL sports agency, representing premier athletes including Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott to name a few.

Through MASTRY Properties, Rudy strives to uplift underrepresented communities by investing in redevelopment projects. Their premier investment is a $1B joint venture with Tishman Speyer to rebuild Harvard University’s new Entrepreneurial Research Campus.

As a producer, Rudy has been recognized for his work on “The Scheme,” a Sports Emmy-nominated documentary on HBO. He also founded The Players Technology Summit in partnership with Bloomberg. This event offers a platform for tech, venture capital, and sports communities to discuss trends in tech investing with leading athletes.

Rudy serves on several advisory boards, including those for Salesforce, Gucci, Jumia Technologies, Zuora, Fifteen Percent Pledge, Global Communities, and Providence College's Board of Trustees. He also co-owns the Leeds United Football Club (LUFC) in the English Premier League and the Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club in Israel.

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