May 9 – Former Manchester United and England teammates Gary Neville and David Beckham are upping their stakes in League Two side Salford City, proving that not even the glamour of Miami or the Sky Sports studio can kill their appetite for a proper footballing challenge.
The two legends were already part-owners of the club along with fellow ‘Class of ’92’ graduates Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, and Paul Scholes, who have since relinquished their shares.
Peter Lim, the former majority shareholder, departed the club in 2024, leading Neville and Beckham to seek new investment.
As with anything ‘Goldenballs’ touches, outside interest materialised faster than a trademark Beckham free-kick hitting the back of the net.
Declan Kelly, founder of U.S.-based advisory firm Consello, and Lord Mervyn Davies, chairman of the Lawn Tennis Association, have signed on as co-chairs of Salford’s board of directors. Other members of the new ownership group include Frank Ryan (Co-chair, co-CEO, Americas Chair, DLA Piper), Shravin Mittal (founder of Unbound), Nick Woodhouse (executive vice chairman, Authentic Brands Group), Colin Ryan (founder, Clipper Street Capital), and Dream Sports Group (Indian sports technology company).
The group is believed to have already raised $15-20 million with ambitions to target multiple promotions, eyeing the Championship within five years.
“I will be over every big decision that’s made and every little decision that’s made,” Beckham, who also co-owns Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, told The Athletic during an exclusive interview. “That’s what my commitment is to Gary. It’s what my commitment is to the club.” One can only imagine Gary’s relief to hear he’ll still have to run the team’s biscuit selection past his former right-winger.
“We’re definitely not doing it for a laugh and it’s also not for the romantic side of things,” Beckham continued, momentarily forgetting that romance is what football is supposed to be about. “Yes, we care about the club – but we’re doing it to win. We want Salford to be successful, and we have had success, but then we want it to go on to the next level.”
“I always dream big so I’m always going to want us to get to the pinnacle of football and be in the Premier League. But there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of investment to be done up until that point.”
Beckham, who counts NFL GOAT Tom Brady and Hollywood’s unlikely football saviors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney among his celebrity mates, will be hoping to emulate their respective success at Birmingham City and Wrexham.
One thing’s for certain – with Beckham involved, Salford City’s team photos are about to get a whole lot more Instagram-worthy, even if the football itself remains decidedly more grit than glamour for the foreseeable future.
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