IMG Strength Sports Prep Academy to Be Sold for $1.25 Billion: What Does That Mean Long-Term?

IMG Academy, the Florida boarding school that has trained thousands of athletes to college and professional stardom in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis and golf, has been sold to private equity group BPEA EQT for $1.25 billion. Announced the former owner of the school Endeavor Tuesday.

Here’s what you need to know:

• As part of the deal, IMG, which enrolls more than 1,400 students on its 400-acre campus each year, is Partnership with Nord Anglia Education, which operates 82 boarding schools in 33 countries, including some in Asia. These schools will have access to IMG’s athletic curriculum.
• From an athletics standpoint, nothing is expected to change in terms of day-to-day operations and setup at IMG’s Bradenton, Florida, campus.
• Our goal is to empower student-athletes to win their futures, preparing them for college and life. We are constantly trying to raise the bar in pursuit of this purpose through our on-campus and online experiences. Meanwhile, our people are excited to increase our impact on the world, reach more families, and help them on their journey,” Brent Richard, President of IMG Academy, said in a statement. “BPEA EQT and Nord Anglia are ideal partners to achieve and accelerate these goals, and we are excited for this future.”

What does this mean for IMG Academy in the long term?

More access to athletes from around the world. The school, founded by the late Nick Bollettieri in 1978 as a tennis academy, has placed more than 30,000 students on college rosters through 2022 and consistently attracts top-tier athletes to its top-notch campuses and facilities. In 2023, IMG produced two five-star football recruits and had 16 recruits with Power 5 programs. The football program’s 2024 recruiting class is anchored by six of the 247Sports Composite’s top 100 recruits, led by fourth five-star Ellis Robinson (Georgia commitment), five-star defensive lineman David Stone (an Oklahoma native) and five-star running back Jerrick Gibson (who played his first two years of high school football at Georgia).

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