Turkish media mogul Acun Ilıcalı becomes majority shareholder in Shelbourne

Acun Ilıcalı, Turkish media magnate and owner of global media company ACUNMEDYA, has become the majority shareholder in Shelbourne, one of Ireland's oldest football clubs.

The investment is targeted at accelerating the growth and development of the club, with funds being directed towards the men’s and women’s first teams, the academy, and enhancing its facilities.

The deal is also set to forge a mutually beneficial synergy between Shelbourne and Hull City, another football club fully owned by Ilıcalı.

Existing shareholders of Shelbourne will continue their investments in the club and will closely collaborate with Ilıcalı for the club's future success.

Speaking on the acquisition, Acun Ilıcalı, the new Chairman of Shelbourne, said, “I am deeply impressed by the passion and motivation of the Shelbourne family and we believe that the club offers great potential to succeed in European football."

"We want to scout, recruit and train talented prospects from all over Ireland and Europe to be part of our family. We aim to bring new energy to Irish football and Shelbourne by further strengthening the deep-rooted bond between the fans and the club, like we did in Hull City.”

Andrew Doyle, who has assumed the role of vice-chairman at Shelbourne, expressed his enthusiasm for the deal, stating, “This is a transformational deal for Shelbourne and a huge boost to our ambitions to make Shelbourne Ireland’s most successful football club both domestically and in Europe."

"There will be huge opportunities to leverage the synergies with the management expertise and resources of ACUNMEDYA, Shelbourne, and Hull City in ways that can be very significant for everyone involved.”