From Snoop Dogg to Brady, stars flock to second-tier clubs

When Snoop Dogg sang the praises of Swansea City, it signalled the unlikely arrival of the latest celebrity owner in the once unfashionable Championship, English football’s second tier.

- 

The American rapper has joined the Welsh club's ownership structure, investing an undisclosed sum to rub shoulders with former Real Madrid stalwart and World Cup finalist Luka Modric, who has also sunk his money into the club.

“The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me. This is a proud, working-class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me,” Snoop said in an introductory video.

In North Wales, Wrexham are dreaming of an extraordinary promotion to the Premier League this season on the back of the enthusiastic and lucrative support of Hollywood star Ryan “Deadpool” Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney.

Meanwhile, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady has a minority stake in Birmingham City, very much the second club in England’s second city after Premier League outfit Aston Villa.

His arrival in 2023 was not met with universal approval, with one fan asking “Tom Brady, who's he?” in the Amazon Prime Video series Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues which follows his early, whirlwind involvement in the club that includes the sacking of manager Wayne Rooney.