When KSI announced he had purchased a 20% stake in Dagenham & Redbridge earlier this week, he became the latest in an increasingly long line of celebrities taking a financial interest in lower-league football clubs. "The idea of it just excites me so much," the 32-year-old said when announcing the move in a video which has earned tens of millions of views online. "Everyone here is hard-working and I want to be the man who affects things on the pitch as well as off the pitch." A celebrity has now purchased shares in English clubs at a rate of one per year since 2020, excluding 2021. So why exactly are celebrities buying stakes in English football clubs, what is in it for the teams and what do the fans think?

Source: BBC March 05, 2026 06:28 UTC