The America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) has confirmed the appointment of Marzio Perrelli as chief executive officer under its revised governance structure. Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand and Defender of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples, continues as chairman of ACP.
ACP was formed in 2025, marking the first time in the 174-year history of the competition that teams have created a joint governance and commercial framework to manage the event on a long-term basis.
ACP functions as a central consortium to manage all aspects of the America’s Cup event, including planning, organisation and commercial activities. It oversees rights, contracts, revenues, assets and personnel in accordance with the Deed of Gift and the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Protocol.
Perrelli’s background spans finance, media and sports rights management. He has worked in the UK, US and Italy, holding senior roles at Goldman Sachs and HSBC before moving into the sports media sector.
He joined Sky Italy in 2018 as executive vice president, overseeing the Sky Sports division. The role covered editorial and production activity, along with responsibility for the development of the sports rights portfolio.
“The America’s Cup is the oldest and most prestigious competition in international sport,” says Perrelli. “Our responsibility today, on behalf of all stakeholders, is to preserve its deep heritage while ensuring greater continuity, stability and long-term growth. The America’s Cup Partnership represents an evolution in how the event is managed, providing a more consistent framework for teams, partners and host venues, while fully respecting the sporting tradition that defines the cup.
“By strengthening governance and long-term planning, we aim to create the conditions for sustained investment, continued innovation at the pinnacle of the sport and broader global engagement. I am honoured to take on this role and look forward to working with all stakeholders to support the future of the America’s Cup’s development.”
Dalton adds: “On behalf of the ACP Board, it’s an appropriate time to be welcoming Marzio Perrelli as its first chief executive officer. It is a unique position in sport at a time of huge opportunity with at least five strong teams confirmed for Naples in 2027 and a changing sporting landscape that sees women onboard the America’s Cup yachts for the first time as well as thriving pathways for women and youth sailors coming through to the apex of sailing.
“The formation of the ACP offers surety and continuity over future regattas and initiatives like the Guest Racer spot onboard the AC75s, and the continuing recon programme offer multi-media opportunities that are undeniable for the growth of the America’s Cup. Signing TV rights with the likes of Italian broadcaster, Rai, will further amplify initiatives already in place. Marzio joins at the perfect time with all the credentials to take the event and the sport forward. We wish him well in his new position.”
Perrelli takes up the role as of today (7 April 2026), ahead of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Sardinia, scheduled for 21–24 May 2026.
Tensions mount in run-up to America’s Cup 2027
The road to the announcement of the ACP has been a rocky one. First off the block, Athena Racing, part of Brit Sir Ben Ainslie’s empire, disseminated a statement in May 2025 to raise the issue of whether a fair sporting protocol is being negotiated for the 38th America’s Cup. The statement accused both Team New Zealand (TNZ) and the government of Italy of lacking transparency when it comes to the agreement to use Naples as the host venue, and of making premature announcements.
Swiftly following Athena’s statement, American Magic weighed in, saying it’s found itself at a ‘crossroads’. The US-based team is urging the defender – Team New Zealand – “to work in good faith with the Challenger of Record [Athena Racing] to restore the elements of fair competition, transparency, and respect for all sailors, globally, who are ultimately the beneficiaries of this time-honoured trust”.
Then came the rebuttal from TNZ. It says it has been ‘working closely and positively with all teams on moving the America’s Cup to a new collaborative partnership and structure’ and goes on to talk around strengthening the future of the cup for the benefit of the event and ‘all current and future teams’.
In April 2025, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Britannia team confirmed it will not compete in the 38th America’s Cup, following the conclusion of a ‘protracted negotiation’ with Athena Racing – the team of Ineos’ former skipper Sir Ben Ainslie.
Just a week later, Switzerland’s Alinghi Red Bull Racing announced it was terminating its America’s Cup campaign.
Ratcliffe’s company Ineos has begun legal action against Ainslie’s team, Athena Racing, seeking the return of the AC75 yacht that competed as Ineos Britannia during the 37th America’s Cup in 2024. The vessel played a central role in the British challenge that year, when the team won the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series before losing 7–2 to Emirates Team New Zealand in the final in Barcelona. The result made it the first British entry to reach an America’s Cup final in 60 years.
Athena Racing says its 150‑person squad, based in Portsmouth, is continuing preparations for the next regatta
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