As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 8, 2019

Registration No. 333-227606

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

Post-Effective Amendment No. 3

 

to

 

Form F-3

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 


 

MANCHESTER UNITED PLC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 


 

Cayman Islands
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

98-1063519
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

Old Trafford
Sir Matt Busby Way
Manchester M16 0RA
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 161 868 8000
(Address and telephone number of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

Corporation Service Company
1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 210
New York, NY 10036
(800) 927-9801
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

 

Copies to:

Marc Jaffe, Esq.
Ian D. Schuman, Esq.
Stelios G. Saffos, Esq.
Benjamin J. Cohen, Esq.
Latham & Watkins LLP
885 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022
(212) 906-1281

Mitchell S. Nusbaum, Esq.
Christopher R. Rodi, Esq.
Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
2 State Street
700 Crossroads Building
Rochester, NY 14614
(585) 987-2800

 

APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC:
From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

 

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  o

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), check the following box.  x

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

 

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective on filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  o

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

 

Emerging growth company o

 

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act.  o

 

         The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 relates to the Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-227606) originally filed by Manchester United plc with the SEC on September 28, 2018 (as amended, the “Registration Statement”) and is being filed solely for the purpose of filing Exhibit 23.3 to the Registration Statement. Accordingly, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 consists solely of the facing page, this explanatory note, Part II of the Registration Statement, the filed exhibit and the signatures, and is not intended to amend or delete any part of the Registration Statement except as specifically noted herein.

 


 

PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 8.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers

 

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors and officers shall be indemnified from and against all liability which they incur in execution of their duty in their respective offices, except liability incurred by reason of such directors’ or officers’ dishonesty, willful default or fraud.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act, may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is theretofore unenforceable.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides:

 

“Every Director (including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles), Secretary, assistant Secretary, or other officer for the time being and from time to time of the Company (but not including the Company’s auditors) and the personal representatives of the same (each an “Indemnified Person”) shall be indemnified and secured harmless against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other than by reason of such Indemnified Person’s own dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of the Company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

 

No Indemnified Person shall be liable:

 

(a)                                 for the acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or officer or agent of the Company; or

 

(b)                                 for any loss on account of defect of title to any property of the Company; or

 

(c)                                  on account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested; or

 

(d)                                 for any loss incurred through any bank, broker or other similar Person; or

 

(e)                                  for any loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgment or oversight on such Indemnified Person’s part; or

 

(f)                                   for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities, or discretions of such Indemnified Person’s office or in relation thereto;

 

unless the same shall happen through such Indemnified Person’s own dishonesty, willful default or fraud.”

 

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Item 9.  Exhibits

 

Exhibit
Number

 

Description

1.1

*

 

Form of Underwriting Agreement.

3.1

 

 

Amended and Restated Memorandum & Articles of Association of Manchester United plc, dated August 8, 2012 (included as Exhibit 1.1 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-35627), filed with the SEC on October 25, 2012).

4.1

 

 

Specimen Ordinary Share Certificate of Manchester United plc (included as Exhibit 4.1 to our Registration Statement on Form F-1/A (File No. 333-182535), filed with the SEC on July 30, 2012, as amended).

4.2

**

 

Form of Indenture.

4.3

*

 

Form of Note.

4.4

*

 

Form of Warrant.

4.5

*

 

Form of Warrant Agreement.

4.6

*

 

Form of Purchase Contract Agreement.

4.7

*

 

Form of Unit Agreement.

5.1

**

 

Opinion of Walkers.

5.2

**

 

Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP.

23.1

**

 

Consent of Walkers (included in Exhibit 5.1).

23.2

**

 

Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2).

23.3

 

 

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm.

23.4

 

 

Consent of Kantar Media, dated September 13, 2019 (included as Exhibit 15.2 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-35627), filed with the SEC on September 24, 2019).

24.1

**

 

Powers of Attorney.

25.1

±

 

Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of the Trustee under the indenture filed as Exhibit 4.2 above.

 


*                 To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of the securities.

**          Previously filed.

±                 To be filed in accordance with Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

 

Item 10.  Undertakings

 

(a)                                 The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)                                 To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 

(i)                                     To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

 

(ii)                                  To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price

 

II-2


 

represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

 

(iii)                               To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

 

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.

 

(2)                                 That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)                                 To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(4)                                 To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 need not be furnished, provided, that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (a)(4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to registration statements on Form F-3, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 3-19 of Regulation S-K if such financial statements and information are contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Form F-3.

 

(5)                                 That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

 

(A)                               Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

 

(B)                               Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such

 

II-3


 

securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

 

(6)                                 That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

 

(A)                               The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i)                                     Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii)                                  Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

(iii)                               The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

(iv)                              Any other communications that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

(b)                                 The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c)                                  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

II-4


 

(d)                                 The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act (the “Act”) in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under section 305(b)(2) of the Act.

 

II-5


 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Rochester, New York, on October 8, 2019.

 

 

MANCHESTER UNITED PLC

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ JOEL GLAZER

 

 

Name:

Joel Glazer

 

 

Title:

Executive Co-Chairman

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and indicated on October 8, 2019.

 

Signature

 

Title

 

 

 

*

 

Executive Co-Chairman and Director

Avram Glazer

 

 

 

 

/s/ JOEL GLAZER

 

Executive Co-Chairman (Principal Executive Officer) and Director

Joel Glazer

 

 

 

 

/s/ EDWARD WOODWARD

 

Executive Vice Chairman (Principal Financial Officer) and Director

Edward Woodward

 

 

 

 

*

 

Group Managing Director and Director

Richard Arnold

 

 

 

 

*

 

Chief Financial Officer and Director

Cliff Baty

 

 

 

 

*

 

Director

Kevin Glazer

 

 

 

 

*

 

Director

Bryan Glazer

 

 

 

 

*

 

Director

Darcie Glazer Kassewitz

 

 

 

 

*

 

Director

Edward Glazer

 

 

 

 

*

 

Director

Robert Leitão

 

 

 

 

*

 

Director

Manu Sawhney

 

 

 

 

*

 

Director

John Hooks

 

 

II-6


 

Signature

 

Title

 

 

 

/s/ JOEL GLAZER

 

Authorized Representative in the United States

Joel Glazer

 

 

 

 

*By:

/s/ JOEL GLAZER

 

 

Joel Glazer

 

 

Attorney-in-Fact

 

 

II-7


Exhibit 23.3

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-227606) of Manchester United plc (“Registration Statement”) of our report dated September 24, 2019 relating to the consolidated financial statements and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in Manchester United plc’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended June 30, 2019. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

 

Manchester, United Kingdom
8 October 2019