Sports Tours International, the UK’s largest and fastest growing sports travel group, has completed the acquisition of Golfbreaks, Europe’s leading golf travel operator, with advisory support from CP Deals.
The Fellwood Debt Advisory team, now part of CP Deals, advised Sports Tours International on the transaction, providing tailored debt advice to support this strategic acquisition.
Manchester-based Sports Tours International was founded in 1973 and is owned by Betfred Chairman Fred Done. Since 2021, the Group has more than quadrupled its turnover and is projected to deliver over £200m of sales in the next financial year. The business also features in the latest Sunday Times 100 list of the UK’s fastest-growing companies.
The acquisition of Golfbreaks significantly enhances Sports Tours International’s golf travel offering and strengthens the Group’s position in the sports travel market. Golfbreaks will continue to operate as a standalone brand from its headquarters in Windsor, with its four founders, Andrew Stanley, Steve Hemsworth, Guy Proddow and Daniel Grave, remaining with the business.
Strategic growth supported by tailored funding
Sports Tours International worked closely with the Fellwood team throughout the transaction to structure and secure an acquisition facility aligned with both immediate objectives and the Group’s long-term growth strategy.
Sports Tours International CEO Tim Przybysz said:
“We worked closely with the Fellwood team throughout the acquisition of Golfbreaks and were impressed by their understanding of our business and the way they approached the process. From the outset, they provided clear, practical advice and took the time to ensure the funding solution aligned with both our immediate objectives and long term ambitions.
Fellwood led a well-controlled debt process and worked constructively with NatWest to deliver a competitive acquisition facility with the right level of flexibility. Their approach gave us confidence through completion.”
Stephen Gater, Director at Fellwood Advisory, commented:
“We were pleased to support Sports Tours International in raising a tailored acquisition financing to support the acquisition of Golfbreaks. We delivered a competitive and flexible debt solution that recognised the quality of the two businesses and the strategic merits of the transaction, providing the Group with a robust funding platform to support integration and future growth.”
Strengthening a global sports travel portfolio
Sports Tours International is the global market leader in mass-participation sports travel, with offices across the UK, France, Ireland and the USA. The Group is the official tour operator to the TCS London Marathon, Europe’s only premium tour operator to the Tour de France, and the UK’s exclusive partner to Club La Santa in Lanzarote, Europe’s number one sports resort.
Founded in 1998, Golfbreaks is the market leader in golf travel, sending more than 230,000 golfers each year to a global partner network of over 1,000 resorts. The business employs more than 200 people across offices in Windsor, Charleston in the USA, and Copenhagen in Denmark, and is widely recognised for its long-term partnerships, operational excellence and customer-first service.
The combination of Sports Tours International and Golfbreaks brings together two highly complementary businesses and creates a powerful platform for continued growth across the global sports and golf travel markets.
