Tom Brady has taken a minority ownership in Birmingham City, an English Premier League club, joining the rising numbers of American sports stars and celebrities investing in English football.

Having won seven Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady, who retired this year, is the most successful quarterback in NFL history.

Three weeks have passed since US hedge fund Knighthead Capital Management took over daily operations of Birmingham City after purchasing a 46% stake in the club and a 100% ownership stake in the club’s 29,000-seat stadium.

Before Knighthead’s investment, the club was run by a revolving door of Hong Kong and Chinese businessmen, including one who went to prison for money laundering, while its parent company was traded on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

To be a part of a club with as much history and as much passion as Birmingham City is, says Brady, is an honor. I’ve worked on some great teams before, and I hope to bring that experience and insight to bear here.

Birmingham City would not disclose Brady’s stake or investment amount, but they did say he would chair a new advisory board that would help the team with health, nutrition, marketing, and commercial prospects.

American athletes and celebrities have taken an interest in English football clubs in recent years. For example, in 2021, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham, NFL star JJ Watt invested in Burnley this year, and NBA great LeBron James owns a small stake in Liverpool.

Brady, like James and tennis star Serena Williams, is part of a new breed of elite sportsmen who are also interested in establishing themselves as entrepreneurs. He was one of numerous well-known individuals to promote the defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX before joining the new financial services startup Consello as a partner last year.

Brady has established ties to Knighthead through his investments in a pickleball team managed by Knighthead and a clothing agreement with Knighthead’s auto racing team.

A declaration of intent, according to Birmingham City’s new club chair Tom Wagner, Brady is “both investing and committing his time and extensive expertise” to the club.

Wagner promptly appointed Garry Cook, a seasoned leader in the sports world, to lead Birmingham City. Cook, who came to the team following a short term as the Saudi Pro League’s head coach, has also worked as the top executive for Manchester City and for Nike and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

As a “event driven, distressed credit and special situation opportunities” expert, Knighthead Capital, based in New York City, claims to be an attractive investment option. It was one of the investors that rescued the car rental firm Hertz from bankruptcy in 2021 and supported chef Jeremy King’s unsuccessful effort to maintain ownership of the Wolseley in London’s Piccadilly.

Knighthead is a part of a larger trend of American investment in the English lower leagues. Portsmouth is owned by Michael Eisner, a former CEO at Disney.