The AFC Croydon Athletic football club has announced that British rapper, Stormzy, and Crystal Palace striker, Wilfried Zaha, have partnered to purchase the ninth-tier English soccer team.
Zaha was born in Ivory Coast and moved to Croydon when he was four years old. However, music superstar, Stormzy, is a native of the London borough. To purchase the club, the two teamed up with- Danny Young, former Palace head of player care, according to Africa News.
In a series of meetings, the new owners persuaded the club’s committee and board of directors that their goals for the 3,000-seater Mayfield Stadium in Thornton Heath—appropriately, the site of Zaha’s first-ever professional goal while playing for Crystal Palace reserves, aligned. The takeover was approved by each of the 35 committee members of the club, Udiscovermusic wrote.
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In a press release, the club disclosed that “the consortium will own, run, and develop their hometown football club.”
The football club also added that “Whilst completion is subject to legislative and governance procedures, the three consortium members are excited about developing a community asset in the borough that gave them their own opportunities.” The club revealed that the three intend to bring the entire community along for this exciting journey.
Paul Pickering, the club’s current director who has been in talks with Zaha for the past year said, “Everyone has been excited; some people literally can’t believe it,” according to The Guardian.
Beyond the 200 youths who currently play junior football for the club each week, the organization hopes to enlist more children, and also intends to form a female team.
Recently, a number of famous people have made investments in soccer teams.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, two Hollywood actors who bought Wrexham in November 2020, are succeeding after the Welsh club won promotion to the English Football League in April after a 15-year absence.
NBA superstar LeBron James also has a stake in Liverpool, and actor Michael B. Jordan has invested in Bournemouth.
