The popularity of the premier league and the rest of the football pyramid has drawn more than just eyes, it has started to entice some of the richest investors from around the world. Nation states, sports conglomerates, Russian billionaires, and private equity firms have all bought up their piece of the pie, looking for some juicy profit on their investments.
The Yanks are starting to take over a lot of the English game now, with Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal all being owned by US investors. Manchester United was bought for £790 billion in 2005 by the Glazer family, who most recently sold 25% ownership of the club for $1.6 billion to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS. In 2022, Chelsea FC was forcibly placed in the shop window and was quickly snapped up by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the LA Dodgers, and US private equity firm Clearlake Capital. The private equity firm is the real muscle in the room, taking control of 61% of the club for £2.55 billion. The company operates by buying public and private investments, injecting capital to improve the operation of the investments, and then ultimately selling what should be a more valuable asset later down the line for a profit.
As many will know, Wrexham AFC was purchased by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2021. The pair bought the club for £2 million and since then, the team has been promoted twice and looks to enter the championship next season with a third successive promotion. The club, now reportedly worth £9 million, has been the subject of a lot of media attention, spawning a documentary and a vast social media following. Therefore, one must ask, do others want their own Wrexham story? Some big names have entered minority positions at various clubs across the 92, including Tom Brady at Birmingham City, JJ Watt at Burnley, and Russell Westbrook at Leeds.
The part of football that separates it from any American sport is the possibility of relegation and promotion. The idea of a team in the lower league gaining multiple promotions and eventually competing against some of the best in the world is unheard of in the States, yet we see it almost every year in the premier league. Teams such as Bournemouth, Ipswich, and Brentford have all competed in the 4th tier of English football in the last 20 years, yet each of them now competes against the largest teams in England in the premier league.
Serious money is now entering the sport, and it seems that everyone is looking to get in on the party. The premier league is watched by over 3 billion people each year, and this number is only growing. The prospect of increased revenues and profits is drawing the attention of the world’s richest and that includes a lot of Americans. A nation that has notoriously been opposed to ‘soccer’ is now wanting in on the world's game and they are ready to pay whatever the price is for entry.