Pitchwise buys 42% Valencia stake from Meriton Holdings at €1.25 billion valuation

Deal terms

Valencia announced on 23 October that Pitchwise Holdings bought the 42% stake from Meriton Holdings, worth about €525 million at the €1.25 billion enterprise valuation. The club described the sale as "a new chapter in its history".

Meriton Holdings and Peter Lim remain the majority shareholders, Goal reported. Kiat Lim, 33, continues as president alongside Pitchwise general partners Ann Rodriguez and Corey Woolfolk. He took over from Chan Lay Hoon in March 2025, and Valencia are 19th in La Liga with one win and six points from nine games, The Straits Times reported.

Nou Mestalla and the €100m

The Straits Times reported the €100 million will go some way towards financing the Nou Mestalla, which is expected to cost €322 million. The injection is about 31% of that cost. The stadium will hold 70,044, up from 49,419 at the current Mestalla, making it Spain's fourth-biggest. It would sit behind Barcelona's Nou Camp at 105,000 after redevelopment, Real Madrid's Bernabeu at 81,044 and Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano at 70,692.

Goal reported the €100 million will provide resources to improve the playing squad and that Valencia are preparing to relocate to the Nou Mestalla next summer. The Straits Times said the stadium is slated to open in 2027. Goal also reported that the incoming investors view the new stadium as a fundamental piece of their long-term project.

Who is behind Pitchwise

Pitchwise Holdings comprises private family offices and long-term institutional investors led by Ann Rodriguez and Corey Woolfolk, The Straits Times reported. George Roberts and Henry Kravis, co-founders of KKR & Co, back the group, along with Penner Sports Group, led by Greg Penner and Carrie Penner. Greg Penner has chaired Walmart since 2015, when he took over from Rob Walton, the newspaper reported.

Roberts said he believes the partnership represents "the most exciting opportunity in European football". Rodriguez and Woolfolk said the club "has all the building blocks needed to be a leading club in Europe in both men's and women's football". They added that "potential alone is not enough" and the club needs "a clear investment strategy and focus".

Background and quotes

In 2014, Meriton Holdings bought Valencia for €420 million, with €200 million to clear its €230 million debts and £170 million to complete construction of a new stadium, The Straits Times reported. The club said Peter Lim, 73, has committed over €200 million, the largest by a single individual in La Liga history, allowing it to stay financially stable and invest in key projects including the Nou Mestalla, where construction restarted in January 2025.

Kiat Lim said "there has been no shortage of interest in Valencia; the Pitchwise team was the only partnership I was keen to pursue". He said the new group would build a club "whose men's and women's teams compete consistently in Europe" and whose new home "becomes a landmark for the city and the entire region of Valencia".

La Liga president Javier Tebas said: "This is very positive news for Valencia CF and for the city of Valencia as a whole. The alliance brings not only capital but also partners with deep experience in sports management and world-class investors".

What happens next

The €100 million is available immediately for direct investment, the club said. The Nou Mestalla is intended for use when Spain co-hosts the 2030 World Cup, Goal reported.