The Creation of Tanzania’s First Sports Academy

The operation concerned the creation of the Tan Warriors Sport Academy relating to both its infrastructure and sports offering – including management aspects and agreements useful for its implementation – as well as obtaining the structured finance needed for the completion of the action. Once finished, the academy will be able to host more than one hundred athletes and will include amenities such as sports fields, a gym, an indoor arena, study rooms, a canteen and a boarding school.

The academy will be built in Morogoro, close to the Tanzanian capital of Dar Es Salaam. The agreement was signed at the residence of the Italian ambassador to the Republic of Tanzania in the presence of Tanzanian Minister of Culture and Sport Pindi Chana and Tanzanian ambassador to Italy Mahmoud Thabit Kombo.

Bergs & More drew upon its extensive experience in international sports law in providing its consultancy. The firm advised Tan Warriors with a team led by Riccardo Giacomin, founding partner and department head. “The assistance provided by Bergs & More in this operation is part of a broader path of activities that the firm is carrying out with reference to consultancy for government bodies, private associations and event organisers in Africa,” Giacomin said in a statement.

An Interview with Riccardo Giacomin at Bergs & More

What is the Tanzanian government’s goal in establishing the Tan Warriors Sport Academy?

It is a project aimed at fostering the growth and pursuit of sports talent among young Tanzanians, by providing them with an environment which – also in terms of infrastructure – is focused on supporting their development, with side purposes in addition to those strictly linked to sports practise. As hoped for by both the entrepreneur assisted by Bergs & More and the government, which has given its endorsement to the operation, the Academy is in fact expected to also generate a positive social impact throughout the country.

How did your team ensure the successful completion of the operation through its specialist advice?

Bergs & More has a very significant track record and expertise not only in sports business, but also in corporate and finance, all of which are key to the structuring of complex transactions such as this one and the provision of related advice. Our team, moreover, has long been accustomed to operating in international contexts, a factor that facilitates the ability to work in multicultural environments.

You mentioned that advising on this operation forms part of a broader path of activities with entities in Africa. Can you tell us more about these?

Our track record encompasses all areas of sports business, for which we act as management consultants with legal backgrounds ranging from consultancy to dealmaking. Among others, we operate in motorsport (also at Formula 1 and MotoGP level), football (with reference to clubs, leagues and major management companies), other sports such as golf and basketball, sports federations and governing bodies, and major events organisers at a global level, from Europe to the United States, Gulf countries and Africa as in the case of this specific transaction.