Emirates GBR SailGP Team Finalizes Sailing’s First Transfer Fee Agreement for Driver Giles Scott
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 3 Oct 00:31 PDT
2 October 2024
Giles Scott, the driver for Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, waves to fans as the team finishes first on Race Day 2 of the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax, Canada © Felix Diemer for SailGP
Emirates GBR Driver Giles Scott is set to join the Canada SailGP Team for the 2024/2025 Season after the British team’s CEO, Ben Ainslie, successfully negotiated sailing’s inaugural transfer fee deal. Scott has signed a long-term contract with the Canadian team and is poised to make his debut at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix on 23-24 November.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist, who possesses a Canadian passport and won the Canadian Sail Grand Prix in June, will replace Phil Robertson in the Driver position. This transition follows Scott’s impressive 2023/2024 Season, which included three podium finishes out of three events with Emirates GBR.
Scott took over the Driver role on the Emirates GBR F50 from Ainslie halfway through Season 4 in January 2024, joining a crew comprised of some of the sport’s elite talents.
Joining Scott are two-time Olympic champion Hannah Mills as Strategist, double Olympic medalist Iain Jensen as Wing Trimmer, Volvo Ocean Race victor Luke Parkinson as Flight Controller, Olympic rowing champion Matt Gotrel, and America’s Cup athletes Neil Hunter and Nick Hutton as Grinders, along with Athena Pathway’s Hannah Diamond as Reserve Sailor.
Thanks to this exceptional lineup, Scott quickly adapted to the Driver position, securing the team’s third victory of the season at the Canadian Sail Grand Prix in Halifax, following earlier wins in Saint-Tropez and Taranto, where Ainslie served as Driver.
Scott and Ainslie share a long history, having competed both with and against each other for the sport’s highest honors. Ainslie clinched Finn class Olympic Gold medals in 2004, 2008, and 2012, while Scott took home Gold in 2016 and 2021.
Ainslie remarked: “This presents a significant opportunity for Giles, and we wholeheartedly support his transition to the Canada SailGP Team. He performed excellently as the Driver of the Emirates GBR F50 and we are confident he will accomplish great things with the Canadian team. This marks the first transfer fee deal in sailing history, highlighting the level of our team’s performance last season and the burgeoning commercial potential of the League.”
SailGP has announced the acquisition of the Canada SailGP Team by biotech entrepreneur Dr. Greg Bailey. Ainslie added: “SailGP ranks among the world’s fastest-growing sports leagues, and sustaining our positive momentum in key markets is critical. We are thrilled that Greg has come on board to secure Team Canada’s future in SailGP with a fresh management team, and we anticipate welcoming him and the team to the League at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix.”
Scott expressed: “Sailing with such an incredible team on board Emirates GBR this Season 4 has been remarkable; they are an outstanding squad. It’s somewhat bittersweet to announce that I’m leaving the British team for another nation that is very dear to me. I’m thrilled to be joining the Canada SailGP Team and look forward to intense racing against my friends in the British team.”
Emirates GBR will reveal its crew lineup for the 2024/2025 Season in the coming weeks, eagerly anticipating the start of the new season at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix on 23 and 24 November, alongside a return to local waters with the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix on 19 and 20 July 2025.
