Sheffield Sharks & Hatters bring in new owner Vaughn Millette
Sheffield Sharks & Hatters have confirmed Vaughn Millette as the new principal owner of the two storied clubs.
Millette, an American entrepreneur based in New York, has acquired a controlling interest in the clubs in what is believed to be a multi-seven figure sum.
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Sarah (Backovic), Yuri (Matischen), Atiba (Lyons) and Vanessa (Ellis) to continue building on all their successes,” Millette said.
“These teams are much more than the competitions, they are an important part of the community and offer a vehicle through which young people can benefit in many way.
“Of course, they are both steeped in a winning culture and my goal is to ensure that we compete for the top spots in all our competitions”.
Millette brings experience across the fields of finance, energy, and most recently live entertainment, and has now turned his investment portfolio attention across the Pond to sport and in particular basketball and the Sheffield programme.
The Sharks, who are entering their 30th year of competition in the upcoming season, were previously under the control of Chair Yuri Matischen, MD Sarah Backovic and Head Coach Atiba Lyons with shareholders Karen Child and John Timms.
Their recent acquisition of the Sheffield Hatters, under the leadership of Head Coach Vanessa Ellis who are entering their 60th season, made the Sheffield Club a powerhouse of the game including a men and women’s development programme.
Although the ownership has restructured, there is no material change to the operation of the Sharks and Hatters with the appointment of Sarah Backovic as CEO of the company and the respective Head Coaches awarded long term contracts.
The addition of Millette has been dubbed “a new era of basketball in Sheffield” in the Sharks’ statement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Vaughn as the new principal owner of the club, he brings a wealth of business experience and basketball knowledge that will only serve to improve across performance and growth,” said CEO Backovic.
“We are looking forward to a positive future building a successful programme”.
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