The genteel sport of showjumping will undergo a £225million investment in a new global competition which backers believe could mirror that of F1’s Drive to Survive and place its athletes alongside those known around the world.
US billionaire Frank McCourt, former owner of LA Dodgers baseball franchise and proprietor of France’s Olympique de Marseille football team, who believes the sport has a huge untapped potential, is investing $300mn (£225m) of his own capital as prize money for those who join a Premier Jumping League (PJL) competition, through which the world’s best riders on merit will compete against each other in 14 events across the globe.
Drawing to some extent on cricket’s IPL model, by which teams go through a rider-selection draft process, the PJL will see 16 teams competing and the sport’s leading competitors – currently unknown outside of their own sport – potentially build strong international profile.
McCourt sees the sport’s potential upmarket audience as a key asset in drawing high-end sponsors to create what he believes will be a stylish and hugely competitive big-ticket addition to the global sports calendar.
The producers of Drive to Survive – the Netflix documentary series that transformed F1 into a commercial phenomenon – will operate within the PJL circuit, creating what McCourt hopes will be major stars and compelling storylines to take the upmarket sport out to the masses. They have been following the PJL executive team for some months.
Jessica Springsteen has become a sports star as a leading jumper in the sport of showjumping
Jessica is pictured with her father Bruce Springsteen at the US Open tennis last year
The new competition will initially stream free-to-view free to drive audience growth and engagement. Split into two divisions, with eight teams in each, the competition will run from March to October 2027 at venues across Europe, North America and the Middle East. Teams will be picked from an initial a list of 250 of the world’s best riders, who are to be invited to join an IPL-style team selection process due to be held later this year.
The competition can make sports stars out of leading jumpers, including the UK’s Harry Charles, Ben Maher and Scott Brash, Jessica Springsteen, daughter of Bruce, and the current World Number 1 ranked woman, 26-year-own Nina Mallevaey.
But the new earning potential will also mean the best performers being able to make a viable career out of the sport, rather than seeking out other jobs to supplement their income outside of the brief four-yearly Olympic spotlight.
McCourt, 72, who is backing the PJL through his private family company McCourt Global, believes that the sport’s elitist image has held it back and seen it wrongly viewed as an expensive recreation for the ultra-rich, rather a compelling, competitive, sport.
He said: ‘For far too long, the world’s best riders have been forced to choose between pursuing their talent and passion and building a sustainable career. The PJL is changing that by creating a clear and viable path for athletes to earn a great living by competing at the highest level, without compromising the traditions and values that define jumping.
‘By aligning opportunity with performance and commitment, we are reshaping the future of the sport and empowering its most talented athletes to devote themselves fully to excellence.’
Scott Brash, Olympic gold-medallist and the current World No 1 rider, believes the PJL could be ‘groundbreaking’ for the sport. He said: ‘The cost of competing at the highest level that our sport demands is enormous, and for most riders, finding the financial support and time to dedicate to their craft is a constant challenge and balancing act.
‘The PJL rewards riders in a way that enables us to commit ourselves to our horses’ and our own well-being – allowing training and rest on a full-time basis, which is groundbreaking.’
McCourt was drawn to showjumping by his wife – a devotee of the sport. He was also involved in a previous attempt to rebrand it and vastly increase awareness, buying a 50 per cent stake in the Global Champions Tour, one of the main existing showjumping competitions, in 2014. He sold his stake in 2022.
Organisers insist welfare is central to the PJL’s mission. Competition venues have been selected with climate in mind. PJL estimates the initial target audience is six times more likely than the average person to earn more than $250,000 a year and wants to attract blue riband sponsors reflecting that demographic.
The sport’s current commercial partners in the sport include Longines, Rolex and Hermès and insiders also see potential for high-end hospitality. But it is through the involvement of Drive to Survive producers Box-to-Box Films that they see biggest audience growth.
