Toronto Wolfpack founder takes over English football team

The founder of failed franchise Toronto Wolfpack has now swapped sports to take over an English football team, with Truro City being the latest venture for the former Wolfpack man.

Eric Perez was the main cog in forming the Wolfpack initially, creating the team back in 2016 with the intention of growing rugby league across the northern hemisphere.

The Wolfpack began playing in the 2017 season in League One where they stormed to promotion, before hitting a snagging block in year two when they lost the Million Pound Game to London Broncos.

As such their promotion was delayed by one season but they earned promotion in 2019 before then being removed from Super League in 2020 having just purchased cross-code legend Sonny Bill Williams.

Since then the Wolfpack have reformed in Canada but not to the same level as when they had Super League ambitions obviously, but now the man behind the whole concept has invested in an English football team.

Eric Perez has taken over Truro City who play in the National League South, with Perez already having an interest in the region given that he owns League One’s Cornwall RLFC.

Perez now buys out Kernow Sport to take over at Truro who currently sit one point inside the relegation zone of the National League South, currently 21st but with multiple games in hand.

Having just been promoted in the 2022/23 season the club could potentially be another side on the rise, but Perez has told BBC Spotlight about his love for he area.

“We’ve fallen in love with the place and we see massive potential in this football club,” he explained.

“The ability to take this club up levels would be transformative for the sporting landscape in Cornwall and we’re looking forward to delivering that.”

Despite his previous ventures in rugby league Perez was clear about his passion for football, underlining that being the key motivator in this takeover.

He also detailed what he felt could be a major area of growth for the club, labelling it a “unique opportunity”.

“I feel like a well-supported club in Cornwall has more ability to make money let’s say than your average club,” he reasoned.

“I don’t think there’s another club that has an hour-and-a-half catchment area in the top six divisions, so just that alone presents a unique opportunity.

“We’ve been looking at that and realising this is a good thing for us to do.

“I don’t think too many people would say ‘let’s buy a football club to support a rugby league club’, I think that’s a strange play to make.

“I’m a football fanatic, a lot of people on the group are football fanatics and we’re here to take this club up, that’s what we’re here for.

“If it wasn’t for the rugby league club we wouldn’t know about this operating environment so that is a factor, but we’re talking football.”