Investment announcement from inspiresport

Private equity fund manager Calculus Capital invests in inspiresport, the premium sports development tour company
Based in Cardiff, and founded ten years ago, inspiresport is a school and club sports development tour company that allows children to train at world class international and domestic facilities with top coaches and teams in a variety of sports including football, rugby, netball, cricket and hockey.

Led by CEO Steve Butchart, who joined in 2013 from Thomas Cook, inspiresport is exclusively endorsed by the UK’s leading governing bodies for school sports including the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish School’s Football Associations and Netball Europe. Additionally the company is Preferred Service Provider of the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America).

Organising bespoke tours to iconic sporting destinations such as Real Madrid, Ajax Amsterdam, FC Porto and St George’s Park, inspiresport offers children the experience of a lifetime to train with professional coaches. The company has given approximately 70,000 children of all abilities the opportunity to ‘live the life of the professional’.

The funding will be used both to continue the international expansion of inspiresport into new geographies and clubs, and to grow its inbound capabilities. As part of this, the company will also expand its portfolio of team sports and build upon its marketing and sales efforts.

Rick Jones, Calculus Capital Investment Director, said: “inspiresport is an ideal investment for Calculus. We are backing a highly experienced management team with a great track record and a very attractive product. The company has great expansion potential and a unique business model.”

Primary funding for inspiresport was provided by Finance Wales, one of the largest regional SME investment companies in the UK. Finance Wales is committed to the future growth of the company and remains a shareholder following investment. Nicola Griffiths, Portfolio Executive said, “With Finance Wales’ long-term backing Steve and his team have developed the company’s services and opened up new markets. We congratulate them on attracting investment from Calculus Capital and wish them every success with their expansion plans.”

Steve Butchart, inspiresport CEO, said: “Providing children with access to top quality training and experiences of a lifetime are at the core of our ethos. Through our strong links to professional clubs inspiresport enjoys a unique offering and we are seeing that interest from schools and clubs continues to grow. This investment from Calculus Capital will help us take our business to the next level and we will be in a great position to maximise opportunities for strong future growth.”

For further questions, please contact:

Calculus Capital – Madeleine Coles, Marketing and Investor Relations Phone: 020 7493 4940

Harriet Preston-Morley, Marketing and Investor Relations Phone: 020 7518 1717

Citigate Dewe Rogerson Caroline Merrell / Agnès Riousse / Nick Hayns Phone: 0207 638 9571

About Calculus Capital
Calculus Capital is a specialist in creating and managing private equity funds for individuals. A pioneer in the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) space, Calculus launched the UK’s first approved EIS fund in 1999 and has gone on to launch 14 further funds. Calculus seeks capital appreciation from dynamic, more established, private UK companies across a multitude of sectors.

Calculus Capital’s experienced investment team, diligent investment process and ‘hands on’ approach has resulted in an impressive track record of investment success. Calculus Capital has won multiple award including the EIS Association’s EIS Fund Manager of the Year Award in 2009 and 2011 and ‘Exit of the Year’ in 2012.

Calculus Capital is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

For more information about Calculus or EIS Fund 15, please visit: www.calculuscapital.com

About inspiresport
inspiresport is the UK’s leading team sport development tour company, providing truly once-in-a-lifetime access to the world’s top sports teams, coaches and facilities for young people of all abilities. Founded a decade ago, inspiresport is exclusively endorsed by all the UK’s School Football Associations and partners with world-leading clubs including Real Madrid, Valencia CF, FC Porto, SL Benfica, AFC Ajax, and Feyenoord. inspiresport delivers truly bespoke itineraries and coaching programmes for each school party – tailored to individual needs and expectations.

About Finance Wales
Finance Wales was established by the Welsh Government in 2001 and provides commercial funding to small and medium-sized businesses throughout Wales to enable them to realise their potential for innovation and growth. The company is part of the Finance Wales Group and in 2012-13 Finance Wales invested £31 million through 201 debt and equity investments in growing Welsh businesses.

Finance Wales Group one of the UK’s largest SME investors which has invested over £340 million through more than 3,380 investments and manages funds in excess of £400 million.