American owners in British - and indeed world football - are nothing new. Missouri-born John Textor holds the single largest share in FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace, Chelsea's record-breaking spending spree is funded by the wallet of LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, and the Kroenke family keep the Arsenal stocked.
The purchase of North Wales giants Wrexham AFC in 2020 by celebrity duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney marked a new type of ownership, however. A far cry from the relatively distant leadership styles of most North American owners, the two actors dived head-first into their new roles.
You're never going to see Avram Glazer giving Harry Maguire a cameo in Deadpool, or see a Disney+ documentary series titled 'Welcome to Wigan', but head over to the city of Wrexham and you'll find that 'Hollywood' owners do things a little differently.
Reynolds and McElhenney's success story has garnered similar investment in 'soccer ball' from American public figures, eager to replicate the 7400% value increase (yes, you read that right) Wrexham AFC has gained since 2020. A$AP Rocky has his eyes set on Tranmere Rovers, Jay-Z has been linked with Evertonian investment, and the consortium that recently acquired Sheffield United includes Infinity War director Joe Russo.
Jay Stansfield's £15million price tag sent alarm bells ringing up and down the football pyramid
Most notable are second-city stalwarts Birmingham City, who this season surged to a 111-point title to obliterate the League One record. American consortium Shelby Companies Limited - yes it is a reference to that Shelby - ousted the club's Chinese ownership in 2023, and includes millionaire sportsman Tom Brady. Every football fan dreams of major investment, but Jay Stansfield's £15million price tag sent alarm bells ringing up and down the football pyramid. 'Blues' Brady bucks had already broken the League One transfer record twice with the signings of midfielder Willum Willumsson and defender Christoph Klarer, but Stansfield blew it out of the water.
It's hard to look at St Andrews, see Jay Stansfield costing fifteen times what Manchester United paid for Eric Cantona, and not begin weeping at the state of it all. Football is becoming brand first, sport second, and the likes of Brady and Reynolds are pushing it along the way. Football should be open to all, but a club focused on its 'global brand' inevitably starts to drift from the local communities that built it.
A club focused on its 'global brand' inevitably starts to drift from the local communities that built it
Hollywood investment has awoken the sleeping dragon of Wrexham, but has seen some local, working-class supporters pushed out. Steep ticket prices, and the release of tickets in batches of three rather than individually, have left supporters unable to back the club.
Money, of course, is at the crux of the issue. Birmingham and Wrexham's Hollywood spending spree has proven that the lower leagues are no longer sheltered from the kind of commercialisation that dominates the Premier League. Sure, some clubs benefit, but what happens to those who get left behind? We've already seen Reading, Derby and Wigan Athletic blighted by financial struggle; Bury FC no longer exist. How long before clubs artificially propped-up by American celebrities start displacing the less fortunate?
The worst aspects of the top flight are coming to the EFL, and it's walking the red carpet on its way.