For the 32nd America’s Cup, the Protocol was drafted by Team Alinghi, on behalf of the Defending club, the Société Nautique de Genève, in collaboration with the Golden Gate Yacht Club’s BMW ORACLE Racing Team, the Challenger of Record.
The Protocol outlines the general rules and format of the 32nd America's Cup, and is the broad governing document for this edition of the event.
This Protocol brings many changes to the America’s Cup, perhaps the most significant of which is the creation of AC Management. This action is intended to ensure a new level of professional management at the America’s Cup, with the intention of allowing the event to prosper under modern management.
For the past several editions of the Cup, there were two completely separate management structures; one for the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series, and one for the America’s Cup Match itself.
With AC Management acting as the sole event authority for the 32nd America’s Cup, the event will benefit by having just one entity to recruit and develop partners, sponsors and suppliers. AC Management will also be dealing with media rights and distributions, has managed the selection of Valencia as the Host City, and will act as the event authority for all racing, including the Acts leading up the America’s Cup Match, the Louis Vuitton Cup, and the 32nd Match itself.
The new Protocol makes it easier for new teams to ‘jump’ into the America’s Cup, by easing the restrictions on the acquisition and use of old technology and boats from previous editions of the Cup. A complete easing of the Nationality rule, also makes the America’s Cup less expensive for all competitors and again allows new teams to acquire the personnel they need with America’s Cup experience.
The overall vision that governed the drafting of the Protocol for the 32nd America’s Cup was to realise the sporting and commercial potential of the America’s Cup in the context of 21st century global sport, and to encourage world-wide growth and interest in the America’s Cup as a premier sporting event.
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