British football is in high demand it seems, and not just from the Premier League’s worldwide fanbase. Big name celebrities, particularly North American ones, are increasingly drawn to the commercial prospects of the English Football League (EFL).
Just a few weeks ago, US hip hop star A$AP Rocky made sports headlines in the UK due to his rumoured involvement in a potential takeover of Tranmere Rovers, a League Two (fourth tier) club based in Birkenhead, a town opposite the river from Liverpool in Northwest England.
Unsurprisingly, comparisons were immediately made to the takeover of Wrexham AFC by Canadian-US duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. In the four years since, the club has ascended from the National League (fifth tier) to League One (third tier), and has signed some big budget sponsors.
As and when A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers, does join Tranmere, he and his fellow investors – it is important to note the rapper will not be sole owner of the club but rather part of a consortium – will be hoping for a replication of the ‘Wrexham effect’ – but can this North Wales success story be replicated in Merseyside?
“The ‘Wrexham effect’ isn’t a guaranteed blueprint,” says Neil Joyce, CEO of football fan data specialists CLV Group. “A$AP Rocky brings a completely different fanbase to the table compared with Ryan Reynolds, especially with his ties to Rihanna.
“However, like any lower-league club, it has a rich history and success will hinge on authenticity, timing and synergy between the new ownership and the fanbase. It’s not just about pouring money in – it’s about connecting to the fans, both match-day and armchair fans, building a genuine narrative, and having the right mix of commercial partners who align with the club.
“Each club requires a tailored approach, it’s not a one-size-fits-all all, but Tranmere’s success will depend on creating something that feels both fresh and true to its roots, however, the potential is there.”
Top-flight potential at lower-flight prices
The Premier League is the fourth most valuable league in the world after three of the four major US leagues, the NFL, NBA and MLB. The EFL Championship, England’s second tier, is the 21st most valuable, ahead of many countries’ first division tournaments.
For a prospective sports owner, the Premier League presents a lucrative commercial opportunity, but with only 20 members out of hundreds of active English football clubs it is a tough clique to enter.
The lower leagues are an ideal avenue for prospective owners to get involved and potentially carve out their own slice of England’s financially lucrative football pie, maybe with a bovril as well.
League One and Two are home to 48 teams in total, whilst the National League (fifth and sixth tiers) has 72 teams. This presents plenty of potential sales for suitors from the US, where the franchise-based model of sports offers fewer opportunities for purchases – along with the hefty price tags many teams carry.
All these factors have made lower league English football an attractive commercial proposition. This is a multi-faceted trend, says Dean Akinjobi, CEO of Football Media, a football advertising and marketing services company.
“First, there’s the allure of untapped commercial growth potential in lower leagues,” he explains. “American investors are also naturally drawn to ‘underdog’ stories, where the rise through the football pyramid can be likened to the narrative we see in Hollywood.
“Secondly, the value proposition is compelling, when compared to the franchise valuations in US sports, where top NFL teams are valued at over $10bn, investing in a League Two club like Tranmere Rovers for a fraction of the price holds great appeal.
“Therefore making the upside, both commercially and emotionally, of taking a lower-league club to the Premier League a huge incentive.”
Wrexham’s success shows that a lower league side can break out of the National League and into the more profitable EFL, as have other clubs without celebrity ownership like Stockport County.
More than just a face
A League Two club like Tranmere has a better standing than Wrexham did back in 2020, when the Welsh team was in the National League.
Though we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves and talk of Tranmere making its top-flight debut under an A$AP-affiliated ownership – the sale itself hasn’t even materialised yet and is still just the subject of speculation – the club’s prospects to perform well with the right backing are existent.
As noted, Reynolds and McElhenney’s takeover of Wrexham brought with it a flurry of commercial activity. For example, the club has partnered with US airline United Airlines and mutational computer company HP in two high value deals which standout in League One and Two, where partnerships between clubs and local enterprises are more common.
“A celebrity owner can significantly boost a club’s marketing and commercial standing,” Akinjobi summarises. “Their existing public profile, combined with the vast media exposure they bring, can instantly raise awareness of the club, as it opens doors to new markets, engages untapped fanbases, and attracts brands in entirely new categories.
“The PR momentum generated by a celebrity association often helps to accelerate a club’s repositioning, allowing it to become commercially relevant on a global stage in a very short time, especially if the club’s strategy is aligned with the celebrity’s personal brand.”
Tranmere officials and fans would likely hope for a similar trend to occur should Rakim Meyers get on board. A celebrity endorsement can go a long way in modern sports, which has become increasingly intertwined with music, film and television.
Joyce remarks: “In today’s entertainment-driven world, the impact of a celebrity owner can be transformational, unlocking the ability to tap into and engage a totally new audience. Celebrity owners come with their own established global fanbases that extend well beyond the traditional football fan.
“Their ability to bring them into the fold unlocks a unique cross-industry opportunity, engaging new markets and demographics, particularly Gen Z and Gen A. This is where the true incremental value lies.”
The phenomenon of Taylor Swift fans, known colloquially as Swifties, and the NFL has been well observed, for example. CLV’s Joyce points to an estimated £331.5m in brand value added to the NFL as a result of Swift’s association with the league due to her relationship with Travis Kelce of the 2024 Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs.
As a major star in his own right in hip hop, A$AP has the potential to bring a similar feel to Tranmere. The fact he is in a relationship with R&B star Rhianana, who has an even bigger net worth and social media following of 150 million on Instagram alone, will also help matters.
“By harnessing his influence and popularity, Tranmere could elevate its profile, particularly in the US, just as Wrexham did, unlocking new audiences who may not be current and traditional football fans but are loyal to the celebrity’s brand,” says Joyce.
However, building up a sports brand via celebrity endorsement or affiliation alone is not a sensible approach to take. On-pitch results will of course play a part – if Tranmere go through a series of losses, A$AP Rocky’s appearances at Prenton Park won’t count for much.
The financial power A$AP and his fellow investors could bring to the club will help in this regard, with the rapper having a networth of $20m. Going beyond this, branding and marketing of a club needs to go further as well. Connecting with the emotions of both sports and music fans can be a tricky task given how competitive both sectors are.
As Joyce puts it, the job is ‘not just about having a big name attached to the club – it’s about how effectively and authentically you activate that partnership’. This viewpoint is shared by Akinjobi, who notes that the ‘Wrexham effect’ is possible for Tranmere, but to achieve this ‘requires the right approach’.
“The ‘Wrexham effect’ isn’t just about celebrity alone, it’s about how well the club leverages its resources, including celebrity influence, to create a compelling commercial and sporting project,” Football Media’s CEO continues.
“A$AP Rocky brings a unique fanbase and a distinct cultural influence that, combined with strategic football and commercial operations, could lead to similar success. His demographic is different from that of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, so Tranmere could carve out a unique positioning with the right strategy in place.”
From the pitch to the small screen
When media reports first broke of A$AP’s commercial interest in Tranmere, there was a lot of speculation that a docu-series could be in the works. A$AP and the investment consortium have allegedly been mulling this offer in discussions and negotiations around the rumoured club purchase.
This would hardly be a unique approach, but recent history tells us that it is a tried and tested one. ‘All or Nothing’ on Amazon Prime, ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ on Netflix and of course, ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ on FX, have shown that the formula works.
A Tranmere docuseries would be understood by following the format of Welcome to Wrexham, documenting the club takeover whilst also showcasing elements of the club culture and the importance of the team to the local community.
The extensive music fanbase and social media presence A$AP Rocky and his partner Rihana have will likely prove invaluable.
Akinjobi explains: “In A$AP Rocky’s case, his celebrity status, combined with his and Rihanna’s combined social media following of nearly 420 million people, will generate enormous global interest.
“This level of exposure is a magnet for brands looking to leverage that kind of reach, creating substantial marketing opportunities.
“A docu-series featuring both A$AP Rocky’s involvement and his partner’s influence would transcend traditional football audiences and elevate the club’s visibility in new commercial landscapes.”
An issue that may arise however is that there are a lot of docuseries out there and not all of them have been successful. The market is also becoming somewhat saturated, and producers will have to work hard to set their content out from the crowd.
When this was done at Wrexham, the club’s story “in particular is phenomenal as they managed to tap into the underdog narrative that everyone loves, especially Americans,” in Joyce’s view.
The challenge the potential new owners and documentary producers could have will be in creating compelling content on a story that has been seen before. Marketers will also have to join the dots between the club’s on-pitch activities, the documentary, and other forms of off-pitch fan engagement, whether this be physical or digital.
“Content is fleeting and we have seen failures over time including Netflix’s Break Point which was cancelled after trying to emulate previous successes,” Joyce adds.
“However, the key to success is activating beyond the screen. This is what Wrexham did so brilliantly, and continues to do. I was on a flight with United Airlines over the summer and during the flight they handed out free amenity bags with Wrexham PJs alongside Wrexham branding throughout the flight.
“So for A$AP Rocky, leveraging storytelling and a docu-series can be an incredible tactic and powerful tool, but in an era of content saturation, the true impact will come from converting storytelling into activation and engagement with fans and potential sponsors alike.”
A$AP’s reported interest in Tranmere may soon become a reality, with media speculation whipped into a frenzy lately following a slightly subtle comment by the club’s joint-owner Mark Palios that a club sale is wanted ‘ASAP’.
The rapper is not the only celebrity to show an interest in the English leagues either, with fellow rap star Snoop Dogg – a veteran of the music scene since the late 80s – recently investing in Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.
These celebrity endorsements and ownerships can bring a huge amount of on-pitch and off-pitch success, that is undeniable. It is also undeniable that doing so requires much more than a few appearances at fixtures or a docuseries
Careful consideration needs to go into marketing and branding, fan relationships, and of course the financial governance of football itself, which is no easy task for any team from semi-professionals to Premier League giants.
