Law firm advises on acquisition of England Rugby partner

Bristol law firm TLT has advised the shareholders of The Mike Burton Group, a specialist sports travel provider and long-term partner of the British & Irish Lions and England Rugby, on its acquisition by Destination Sport Group.

Since it was founded in 1981, The Mike Burton Group provided major rights-holder branded supporter travel programmes to some of the world’s biggest sporting events. The business operates Lions Rugby Travel and England Rugby Travel, joint venture arrangements with the British & Irish Lions and England Rugby respectively, which have operated at every Rugby World Cup since 2007, the annual Six Nations Championship, as well as annual Lions Tours since 2013.

The business is also responsible for supporting travel for the Lions and England Rugby’s representative teams, while the wider Mike Burton Group delivers bespoke sports tours for clubs, schools, colleges and universities via the England Sports Tours brand, as well as through the England Rugby Travel joint venture.

The Mike Burton Group was founded by former Lions, England, and Gloucester prop forward Mike Burton, who is retiring as chairman. At the time of the acquisition the company is still family owned and operated. The team at TLT acted as legal advisors to the family shareholders across all aspects of the deal.

With over 250 staff in 14 countries around the world, Destination Sport Group is a global leader in sports travel with expertise in travel management for elite sports clubs and governing bodies, supporter travel, youth development tours, endurance and participation travel plus global destination management. The acquisition will combine this expertise with that of The Mike Burton Group to promote the continued growth of both businesses.

The team at TLT was led by corporate partner James Webb and senior associate Yervand Agobiani.