Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke makes £260m finance pledge in the US

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Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has made a new investment pledge in the United States that gives an indication about his long-term ambitions in sport.

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the investment vehicle of the Missouri-born billionaire, encompasses nine sports teams in total.

Aside from the Arsenal men’s and women’s teams, all of those investments are in the United States. Of those in the US, all but one – NFL side the LA Rams – are in the state of Colorado.

Kroenke also owns billions of dollars worth of property, including the world-class SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles where Arsenal will play Man United later this month.

Now, fresh developments in Kroenke’s property empire illustrate what Kroenke is trying to

Stan Kroenke’s latest investment project: How does it affect Arsenal?

Two of Kroenke‘s sports franchises, NHL side Colorado Avalanche and the NBA outfit Denver Nuggets, play at the Ball Arena in Denver.

Kroenke has long harboured ambitions to convert 55 acres of parking spaces adjacent the £260m, 18,000-seater stadium into space for thousands of new housing units.

As reported by local outlet Denverite, the 76-year-old’s proposal passed a major milestone this week, being passed for review by the City Council after approval from the Community Planning Board.

Significantly, and perhaps most interestingly for Arsenal fans, Kroenke has pledged not to relocate either Colorado Avalanche or the Denver Nuggets as part of the plans.

This promise eliminates the possibility of a repeat of events in 2016, when he controversially relocated the Rams from St Louis to LA in 2016.

Kroenke also wants more Arsenal games played abroad – in the United States and beyond.

And while moving away from North London was never a possibility, the pressure to commit his sports franchises to Colorado illustrates how a team’s link to its location is vital for fan loyalty and community identity.

From a broader financial perspective, the news does not directly impact Arsenal. However, the wider long-term health of Kroenke’s business empire can only be positive for the Gunners.

Greater investment in bricks-and-mortar developments further de-risks his already robust portfolio, while his promise not to relocate either Avalanche or Nuggets will

• READ MORE ARSENAL FINANCE NEWS: Arsenal trump Man City as £76m off-pitch boost Stan Kroenke loves revealed

TBR Analysis: Why does Kroenke want more Arsenal games in the US?

Arsenal are among the clubs backing the expanded Club World Cup, which will feature 32 teams and be hosted in the US next year.

Arsenal themselves will not play in the competition, but their support of FIFA’s controversial proposal does illustrate their plans to exploit the US market in the long term.

The Gunners have 75 official supporter clubs in the US and, like all of their peers in the so-called ‘Big Six’, are looking for a way to monetise fans who cannot attend matches at the Emirates.

Meanwhile, a recent report from industry experts CLV Group has found that £850m of extra revenue is on offer in the country ahead of the 2026 World Cup.