M
omentous Sports will open a $100 million fund this fall to back sports franchises and related real‑estate ventures. The venture is headed by founder and CEO Marley Hughes, whose early backers include Hall‑of‑Famer John Elway, former NFL stars Tim Tebow and Blake Bortles, Chick‑fil‑A chief Andrew Cathy (grandson of founder Truett Cathy), and John Shain, former co‑founder of FS Investments (now Future Standard).
The firm is the lead investor in Sporting JAX, a professional soccer club whose women’s side just entered the USL Super League and whose men’s team will launch in the USL Championship next year. Momentous’ stake covers a sizable parcel of land earmarked for a stadium, residential units, and public soccer fields. The club has secured a land contract and is collaborating with local officials on initial design and entitlement work.
Hughes says the fund already has seven additional opportunities in the pipeline, including teams in North America’s major leagues and European clubs. Some of these are structured as special‑purpose vehicles (SPVs) separate from the main fund. The Sporting JAX project illustrates the secondary‑market focus Momentous is pursuing early on.
“We’re spotting opportunities where real‑estate value has been overlooked,” Hughes explains. “By owning a sports team and the surrounding assets—stadium, housing, community spaces—we can diversify capital while maintaining control over the entire ecosystem.”
Hughes also runs Magnolia Hill Partners, a family‑office wealth‑management firm with a real‑estate background. He and Shain previously applied institutional‑style investing at FS to clients like his parents. “We’re bringing that same disciplined approach to sports, making team ownership accessible to family offices, high‑net‑worth individuals, and even ordinary Americans,” he says.
The NFL quarterbacks involved are more than passive investors; they’re actively engaged in operations. Tebow, for instance, has recently taken ownership stakes in other professional teams, including an ECHL hockey franchise in Augusta, GA. Other partners bring real‑estate expertise, such as Cathy’s Four Stones office and former Robinhood president Scott Friedman.
While traditional institutional capital often looks for a 3‑ to 7‑year exit, sports assets are typically generational. Momentous plans a 10‑year fund life and will deploy SPVs for minority stakes in teams or adjacent real‑estate projects. “Our family‑office capital is patient and flexible, which aligns perfectly with this long‑term strategy,” Hughes notes.
