Classy Leeds? Will Ferrell set to join celebrity investors at football club
The Hollywood actor Will Ferrell has enhanced Leeds United’s newfound status as something of a celebrity magnet by becoming the latest household name to invest in the West Yorkshire football club.
Leeds are struggling to escape English football’s second tier, the Championship, but that has not deterred Ferrell, the star of Elf and Anchorman among other films, from joining his fellow actor Russell Crowe, the leading golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas and the Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps in signing up as a minority investor at Elland Road.
Club officials on Sunday declined to comment on reports that Ferrell, 56, had followed thousands of coinvestors from the worlds of sport and entertainment and become a so called “limited partner” at a club taken over by the San Francisco based 49er Enterprises in a £170m buyout last summer. Nonetheless it is understood an announcement he has, indeed, bought what sources suggested is “a significant minority stake” in Leeds is set to be made this week.
On taking control at Elland Road, 49er Enterprises split itself into two sections, general partners and limited partners. The US firm’s mission statement is to exploit business and investment opportunities for the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise.
Despite some “limited partners” investing a few million pounds in the club, they cede control of decision making at Elland Road to Leeds’s so called “general partners” including Peter Lowy, the Australian businessman, the American entrepreneur Rudy-Cline Thomas and Jed York, whose parents own 90% of the San Francisco 49ers.
Ferrell, whose wealth is estimated at around £127m, is already a co-owner of Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles FC but has now followed fellow Hollywood inhabitants in becoming transfixed by English football.
In February 2023 Ferrell attended a Wrexham match at the invitation of the Welsh club’s owners, his friends and fellow actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. At the time there were suggestions he might be about to join them by becoming a director of Wrexham but it appears he was simply on a voyage of discovery through English football. Accordingly two days later Ferrell turned up at Anfield to watch Liverpool beat Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby.
While Reynolds and McElhenney continue to celebrate Wrexham’s promotion to League One, Ferrell will now presumably be reduced to a bag of nerves as Daniel Farke’s team, who have just finished third in the Championship, prepare for a two-legged promotion playoff semi-final against Norwich. Should Farke’s players prevail, Leeds – relegated from the Premier League last May – will then be a Wembley final against either Southampton or West Bromwich Albion away from returning to the top tier.
Ferrell first publicly revealed his fascination for English football during a trip to watch Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa last season. In the course of that visit to the Etihad Stadium the actor, famed for a series of comedic roles, met the City midfielder and former Villa star Jack Grealish, subsequently posting selfies of himself alongside the England international on social media.
Leeds fans will doubtless be pleased he ignored one piece of advice from Grealish. “Great to meet my new British friend Jack Grealish at the Etihad today,” Ferrell commented. “He told me to buy Birmingham City and to get them relegated to League Two.” Birmingham, backed by the NFL great Tom Brady, were relegated to League One, England’s third tier, on Saturday.
At the time Ferrell told Sky Sports: “I don’t really have a side over here. I just enjoy following all the storylines. It’s obviously a very good league.”
Ferrell is following in the footsteps of Crowe, who has said he became a Leeds fan after watching the team on the BBC’s Match of the Day as a child. A source told the Sun: “The 49ers will be announcing Will’s involvement in the coming days and he’s looking forward to sprinkling a little stardust on the club.
“He loves soccer and has been particularly impressed by the passion of the English game. His aim now is to see Leeds back where they belong – in the Premier League. As far as Will and the 49ers are concerned this is a serious investment opportunity.”
Last year Speith explained his and Thomas’s investments in Leeds. “Myself and Justin are involved in a very, very minority stake within the bigger 49ers organisation,” said the golfer.