Everyone and their nan knows about Wrexham by now. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney turned a sleepy Welsh non-league side into a Disney-backed global phenomenon, and fair play to them, it’s been proper box office. But Hollywood’s love affair with English football didn’t start and end at the Racecourse Ground. Scratch beneath the surface of the pyramid and there’s a surprising number of A-listers quietly bankrolling clubs up and down the country.
With Premier League odds already being thrown about for another blockbuster season, it’s worth remembering that stardust isn’t confined to the top flight. Some of the biggest names in music, film and sport have taken an ownership stake somewhere in the English game, often several divisions below the bright lights. Here are five you might have missed.
1. AFC Bournemouth – Michael B. Jordan
Black Panther himself is a minority investor at the Vitality Stadium, having joined Bill Foley’s Black Knight Football Club consortium when they took over the Cherries back in December 2022. Jordan isn’t just a name buried in the small print either. He’s popped up in Bournemouth kit for content and community campaigns, and the club has leaned into the Hollywood connection as its multi-club network keeps growing across the world.
2. Birmingham City – Tom Brady
The greatest quarterback to ever play the game became a Blues shareholder in August 2023, taking a minority stake under the Knighthead-led ownership group along with a seat as chairman of the club’s advisory board. Brady’s brief covers commercial strategy and “performance culture,” which is a very Tom Brady way of saying he wants Birmingham City playing with the same relentlessness the Patriots used to.
3. Burnley – JJ Watt and Kealia Watt
The husband-and-wife duo — one a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the other a US women’s international footballer — bought into Burnley in May 2023. They’ve thrown themselves into life as club ambassadors, turning up on matchdays and helping introduce the Clarets to an American audience who probably couldn’t have pointed to Turf Moor on a map a few years ago.
4. Watford – Elton John
This one’s ancient history by celebrity-ownership standards, but it still very much counts. Sir Elton first became Watford chairman back in the 1970s and led the Hornets on an astonishing rise from the lower leagues to the top flight and an FA Cup final. He sold up, returned for a second spell in the ’90s, and remains honorary life president to this day, with a stand at Vicarage Road named in his honour.
5. AFC Croydon Athletic – Stormzy and Wilfried Zaha
Saving arguably the most interesting one for last. Grime superstar Stormzy teamed up with Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha and local entrepreneur Danny Young to take control of non-league AFC Croydon Athletic in 2023. It’s about as grassroots as celebrity ownership gets — no glossy Disney rebrand, just genuine investment in facilities and pathways for young players from the local south London community. If you want the full story on how Stormzy and Zaha’s club has been shaping up since the takeover, including their latest dugout appointments, it’s well worth a read.
Wrapping It Up
So next time someone tells you Wrexham invented celebrity football ownership, you’ll know better. From Vicarage Road to a non-league ground in south London, the famous faces bankrolling English football go a lot further than Deadpool, and his mate off It’s Always Sunny.
