Forget billionaire investment consortiums, oil-rich sheikhs and Russian oligarchs: these days, football’s biggest investors are famous faces looking for somewhere to spend their pocket money – transforming small clubs entirely in the process.

Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy of Boyzone and Brian McFadden of Westlife make up the latest cohort of stars who have chosen to invest in a UK football team – signing on the dotted line to buy Chorley FC in Lancashire in March.

The Irish trio intend to attract new sponsorship and build the sixth-tier National League North side into a full-time professional outfit – echoing Welsh side Wrexham AFC after it was bought by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

And the singers are the latest in a long line of celebrities beyond Reynolds and McElhenney to pool spare cash into a sports team, following in the footsteps of names like Tom Brady, Stormzy, Delia Smith and Elton John.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain today to discuss their plans, Brian said he and Keith were brought on board at Shane’s suggestion after his performance car business, Assetti Performance, bought a stake in the club earlier this year.

Brian (left) and Keith (right) have joined ex-Boyzone teen dream Shane Lynch (centre) in taking a stake in the club

The trio intend to use their star power to attract new sponsorship to the club and turn it into a full-time professional operation with peak-condition players (pictured at Chorley ground Victory Park in February)

The Irish singing trio’s acquisition has drawn comparisons with Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ (pictured) purchase of Welsh side Wrexham AFC in 2020

Always Sunny actor Rob and Deadpool star Ryan have sprinkled stardust on the team – with documentary series Welcome to Wrexham giving the team a global audience (pictured: the pair discussing the series with Jimmy Kimmel in LA a year ago)

But they are far from the first big names to get involved in owning club sides: Sir Elton John acquired boyhood team Watford in 1976 and oversaw a period of huge success (Sir Elton pictured here at the ground in 2014)

Sir Elton appointed manager Graham Taylor in 1977 (left). He then reappointed Taylor after taking the club back in 1996

He told Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley: ‘It was definitely our dream as kids but I don’t think we ever thought it was going to happen. 

‘It all happened with Shane Lynch – his motorsport company are the guys who bought Chorley FC and they came to Shane and asked if he would be interested in being involved in the club.

‘He said “I don’t really know much about football but I know two lads that do,” so he called us and here we are, we’re now part of Chorley Football Club.’

The pair declined to discuss exactly how much of the club they now own. 

Keith said: ‘We don’t get into percentages, we’re big supporters of the club, we go there, we show our support.’

Brian added: ‘We’re not very good at maths either. We want to bring sponsorship to the club, we want to bring eyes on the club as well, try and get some new fans and build the club.

‘It’s an amazing community, Chorley, and it reminds Keith and I of the area we grew up in in Dublin and the people are very similar.

‘When we got there the first day we arrived before we decided to get involved we met all the local community, all the fans and it was just an incredible atmosphere and we were hooked straight away.’

Comparisons have been made between the trio and actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who bought Wrexham AFC in 2020. 

Their star power, combined with the Disney+ documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, has catapulted what was a fledgling lower league side into the big leagues – having just been promoted to the second-tier EFL League One.

Asked about the possibility of sixth-tier Chorley replicating the Hollywood duo’s success, Keith added: ‘It can be done and it’s exciting and it’s good. A lot of our players are not full time, they still have their day jobs.

‘We’d love to get it to a place where these guys can go full professional and dedicate themselves to their training and not have to worry about paying their bills. That would be a huge achievement for us.’ 

And shadowing Canadian actor Ryan and American actor Rob, best known for sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Irish singers are believed to be working on a Wrexham-style TV documentary charting their football ownership journey.

But the one-time teen dreams and their transatlantic contemporaries are far from the only big names to get involved in running a UK football side in recent years.

Former NFL star Tom Brady (in sunglasses) bought a minority stake in Birmingham City football club last year

Brady, a former quarterback for the New England Patriots (pictured here in 2020), heads up a new advisory board guiding player fitness and wellbeing

Delia Smith and her husband Michael Wynn Jones (right) have owned Norwich City FC since 1996 (pictured here last week with player Kenny McLean)

Smith is still remembered for her 2005 rallying cry of ‘Let’s be ‘avin you!’ to fans as the club battled to avoid relegation

Grime star Stormzy – full name Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr – formed part of a conglomerate that purchased AFC Croydon Athletic last year

Ex-Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha is also part of the trio that purchased the non-league side alongside former kitman Danny Young

Perhaps taking after Ryan and Rob, NFL star Tom Brady – who retired from gridiron football a year ago – bought a minority stake in Birmingham City FC last August.

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom chairs a new advisory board for the team, and applies his ‘extensive leadership experience and expertise’ across health, nutrition and wellness for the EFL Championship side.

The quarterback said of the move into ‘soccer’: ‘Birmingham is an iconic club with so much history and passion and to be part of the Blues is a real honour for me.’

The side is currently 22nd in the Championship – sitting dangerously in the relegation zone with a weekend of vital matches ahead deciding their fate for the season.

Among the early big names to make herself known in the world of professional football is acclaimed TV chef Delia Smith, who joined the board of Norwich City FC alongside husband Michael Wynn Jones in 1996. 

Their stabilising hand came at a time of serious financial problems for the side, which had also suffered relegation to the then-First Division.

And her tenure has been marked with memorable moments – not least her rousing rallying cry to fans in February 2005 during a relegation battle with Manchester City in which she bellowed: ‘Who are you? Let’s be ‘avin you! Come on!’

And Elton John decided to invest some of his early earnings from his pop career in home side Watford, joining the board in 1974 and becoming chair of the club in 1976.

Rocketman Elton propelled the club to its first ever top-tier competitive season in 1982 after climbing from the lowest rung on the ladder in just seven years.

Watford FC says Elton was ‘supportive, a great figurehead, but not interfering. He provided the financial backing necessary and let Graham (Taylor, manager) get on with running the club. It proved the perfect partnership.’

But the singer’s interest waned and he sold the club in 1990 to businessman Jack Petchey. But Elton then bought the club back in 1996 following years of struggle, reappointing Taylor as manager.

He then remained chair of the club until 2002, but is now honorary life president. The east stand was recently renamed the Sir Elton John stand in his honour while a nearby street was renamed Yellow Brick Road after his seminal 1973 album.

The singer continues to support Watford both figuratively and literally – holding benefit concerts at Vicarage Road to raise money for player signings.

He said in a 2021 interview: ‘What can I say? It’s in my heart, in my soul, you can’t get rid of it. My passion for this club has never died and I’m so proud of this club.’

Mohamed Al Fayed’s decision to install a statue of Michael Jackson outside Fulham FC’s ground in 2011 confused fans

The statue remained in place for just two years before it was removed by the club’s new owners and then transferred to the National Football Museum. It is not on display

More recently, grime star Stormzy has teamed up with Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and former Palace kit man Danny Young to take over non-league side AFC Croydon Athletic.

It was a poignant purchase for the rapper – real name Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr – who was born in Croydon and grew up in nearby Norbury; Zaha also grew up in Croydon after moving there from Cote D’Ivoire at the age of four.

‘The consortium (referring to Stormzy, Zaha and Young) will own, operate and develop their childhood hometown football club,’ a statement issued last June announcing the acquisition read.

‘The three consortium members are excited about developing a community asset in the borough that gave them their own opportunities. They hope to take the entire community on this exciting journey with them.’ 

And no discussion of famous football club owners is complete without a nod to the late Mohamed Al Fayed’s tenure as owner of Fulham FC, which he purchased in 1997.  

Al Fayed, who died last year, oversaw promotion to the Premier League, a Europa League Final and the appointment of Kevin Keegan as manager during a dazzling run of ownership lasting 16 years.

Slightly less memorable for fans of the Cottagers was Al Fayed’s inexplicable decision to commission a statue of Michael Jackson after the singer died in 2009.

Al Fayed wanted to display the statue in Harrods – but the department store’s new owners objected and the businessman placed it outside Craven Cottage instead. 

It remained on display for two years until Al Fayed sold Fulham FC in 2013. It then went on display at the National Football Museum until 2019, when it was removed following the release of documentary Leaving Neverland.