When KSI announced he’d bought a stake in Dagenham & Redbridge, the internet went wild.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer said he wanted to take the National League South side all the way to the Premier League. Bold claim? Yes. Surprising? Not as much as you might think.
Because KSI is just the latest in a very long and very famous line.
Celebrity football ownership has exploded in recent years.
And some of the names involved will genuinely raise your eyebrows.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham
You probably know this one, but it deserves to be the starting point because it set the tone for everything that followed.
In February 2021, the Deadpool actor and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator paid around £2 million for Wrexham AFC – a club that had been in the National League for 14 years.
Nobody really knew what to expect. But what followed was one of football’s most remarkable stories.
Three promotions in four years. A Disney+ documentary that became a global hit. Merchandise flying off shelves. An international fanbase built essentially from scratch.
Wrexham are now in the Championship, chasing a fourth consecutive promotion into the Premier League. What Reynolds and McElhenney showed was that celebrity ownership, done right, can genuinely transform a club.
KSI at Dagenham & Redbridge
KSI — real name Olajide Olatunji — bought a 20% minority stake in sixth-tier Dagenham & Redbridge in March 2026.
He joins former England striker Andy Carroll as a shareholder. The club plays in the National League South, six divisions below the top flight. KSI says he wants to take them to the Premier League.
People said similar things about Wrexham.
Tom Brady at Birmingham City
The greatest NFL quarterback of all time has swapped American football for the English kind.
Brady became a minority owner of Birmingham City in 2023 and joined the club’s advisory board. The club released their own documentary series around the 2024-25 season, taking a page straight from the Wrexham playbook.
Birmingham won promotion from League One in 2024 and are currently in the Championship. Brady’s involvement brought a level of media attention to a club that had badly needed it.
Snoop Dogg and Luka Modri? at Swansea City
In July 2025, Snoop Dogg became a minority stakeholder at Swansea City. He helped launch the club’s home kit and promoted it to his 155 million social media followers.
He’s also not the most surprising name in that ownership group. Real Madrid legend Luka Modri? had already joined Swansea’s shareholders in 2024.
The Championship club has, by some distance, the most interesting boardroom in British football.
Drake at Venezia
In 2024, Drake became an investor at Italian Serie B side Venezia, as part of a group including global sports firm APEX Capital.
The club was in serious financial trouble. Drake is credited with helping save Venezia from going bankrupt, after his management team helped raise €10 million in under two weeks to keep the club alive.
Not every celebrity investment is about brand-building. Sometimes it’s about keeping a club in existence.
Ed Sheeran at Ipswich Town
Long before he became an owner, Ed Sheeran was a fan.
The Suffolk-born singer has had his tour name on the front of Ipswich’s shirts since 2021. Then in August 2024, after the club won promotion to the Premier League, Sheeran bought a 1.4% stake through investment company Gamechanger 20 Ltd.
He isn’t on the board of directors. He does have his own personally designed executive box at Portman Road.
Ipswich were relegated at the end of their first season back in the top flight. So there’s work to do.
LeBron James at Liverpool
This is arguably the gold standard of celebrity sports investment.
LeBron James bought a 2% stake in Liverpool in 2011 for around £4.7 million. At the time, it barely made headlines. Fast forward to 2025, and that stake is reportedly worth over £37 million.
Liverpool went on to win the Premier League and Champions League. LeBron’s initial investment has multiplied many times over.
It’s the example that every celebrity investor quietly points to when they’re making the case to get involved.
Michael B. Jordan at Bournemouth
Creed actor Michael B. Jordan became a minority shareholder at AFC Bournemouth in December 2022, as part of a consortium led by American businessman Bill Foley.
Jordan has been properly hands-on. He designed a special edition kit for the club’s 125th anniversary in 2024 and has been involved in international marketing from the start.
“I saw a team with a lot of potential,” Jordan said last year. “I love the team’s history.”
Will Ferrell at LAFC and Leeds United
Will Ferrell has been doing this longer than most.
He’s been a co-owner of Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC since 2016, alongside Magic Johnson. Then in May 2024, he became a minority stakeholder at Leeds United through the 49ers Enterprises ownership group.
And here’s the genuinely wild part — Ferrell isn’t even close to the most famous person in that group. Russell Crowe, Michael Phelps, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Russell Westbrook are also involved as Leeds United co-owners.
Leeds returned to the Premier League in 2025.
Wilfried Zaha and Stormzy at AFC Croydon Athletic
This one feels different to the rest — and it might be the most meaningful story on the list.
Since 2023, non-league AFC Croydon Athletic have been owned by Wilfried Zaha, Stormzy and former Crystal Palace care manager Danny Young. All three grew up in Croydon. Buying their local club was a way of giving something back.
“Wilf and Stormzy don’t just stand on the sidelines and watch,” said former club captain Brandon Pierrick. “They come into the dressing room and are part of the squad and the camaraderie.”
It’s a long way from the Premier League. But that was never really the point.
Jade Thirlwall at South Shields FC
Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall became a shareholder at South Shields FC — her hometown club — in 2020.
She joined 750 other shareholders as part of the club’s move towards fan ownership and was named honorary president.
“My hometown and the club will always be special to me,” Thirlwall said in 2024. “I am proud to represent them.”
Matthew McConaughey at Austin FC and Leeds United
McConaughey has been a minority owner of MLS side Austin FC since August 2019. He’s a genuine football fan who played in goal growing up, and was a central part of the club’s launch.
He also became a minority stakeholder at Leeds United in May 2024, which means he and Will Ferrell are now co-owners of the same club.
Why Is This Happening?
It’s worth asking: what’s actually driving all of this?
The honest answer is: a mix of things.
Some of it is financial. Football clubs, especially lower-league English ones, are relatively cheap to buy into compared to American sports franchises. And the upside is real. LeBron’s Liverpool stake is the obvious example. Wrexham’s valuation has also risen sharply since 2021.
Some of it is cultural. Football is the most popular sport on the planet. Owning a piece of it carries a status that’s hard to replicate. A documentary deal alone can cover the initial investment.
And some of it is genuine passion. Jade Thirlwall, Ed Sheeran, Wilfried Zaha — these aren’t distant investors. They’re fans who happen to have the means to get involved.
The trend isn’t slowing down. If anything, it’s picking up pace.
KSI at Dagenham is just the next chapter.
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