Manchester 62 FC, a football club founded by the approval of legendary Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby, has received an angel investment of $20m.
The Gibraltar football club received funding from US-based private equity firm Monstranamus and states it will use this recent funding round to continue its research into concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy in high-contact sports.
Michael Anton Monsour, Chairman of Manchester 62 FC, stated: “This game-changing investment will allow us to continue to be world leaders in tackling CTE and concussion in football.
“With CTE and concussion representing one of the sport’s biggest epidemics, it’s vital to protect player welfare and, ultimately, to save lives. Our continued mission of being at the forefront of the research will hopefully help governing bodies take decisive action to protect players at all levels of the game.”
Manchester 62 FC recently became the first top-flight European football club to have all 10 of its outfield players wear protective headbands designed to reduce the risk of concussive and sub-concussive events in football.
The Concussion Legacy Foundation, a body supporting research into sports concussion and CTE, has been in partnership with Manchester 62 FC. The partnership aims to provide comprehensive, data-driven, in-season case studies on the issue of CTE, as well as the overall effectiveness of current protective devices such as the Unequal Technologies headband.
Meanwhile on the pitch, the club continues to make strides after qualifying for the Championship Group in the Gibraltar Premier Division for the first time last month.
Monsour continued: “We are grateful to the entire Monstranamus team, led by Takashi Cheng, for this critical investment and their partnership in the research and prevention of concussion injuries in athletes.”
Takashi Cheng, CEO of Monstranamus, has a shared commitment of spreading awareness of the impacts of head injuries sustained during high-impact sports, including football.
“This concussion research and headband innovation will save the lives of thousands of athletes in high-contact sports,” said Cheng.
“This is the kind of change long needed in both adult and youth sports, and at Monstranamus, we are committed to helping drive change in the world.”
