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The Rise of American Owners in English Soccer

Richard Janvrin by Richard Janvrin, August 28, 2025

Arsenal soccer logo. The team is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE)

In recent years, American-owned Premier League teams have seen a relatively rapid increase in representation. Now, US owners in EPL back half of the teams, with 10 of the 20 backed by American majority ownership.

Below, we’ll examine the “American owners in Premier League” paradigm, explore its business implications, and more.

American Owners in Premier League: A Rapid Rise

The first entry of American-owned Premier League teams came in 2005 when Malcolm Glazer purchased Manchester United. It was considered controversial at the time due to Glazer’s purchase of it with loans, and there were suddenly hundreds of millions of dollars of debt.

Needless to say, the “American owners in Premier League” paradigm mentioned earlier wasn’t off to a great start.

However, it laid the groundwork for the landscape today, in which American-owned English soccer teams are common. Again, 10 of the 20 teams are owned by Americans.

Here’s a full list of the American owners of English soccer teams:

  • Arsenal – Stan Kroenke
  • Aston Villa – Wes Edens
  • Bournemouth – Bill Foley
  • Chelsea – Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital
  • Crystal Palace – Woody Johnson agreed to acquire a 43% stake in June 2025
  • Everton – The Friedkin Group
  • Fulham – Shahid Khan
  • Ipswich Town – ORG, BPSP, and Avenue Sports
  • Liverpool – Fenway Sports Group
  • Manchester United – The Glazer Family

As you can see, American-owned Premier League teams stretch from well-known international brands like Manchester United to smaller clubs like Bournemouth or the recently promoted Ipswich Town.

Why Are Americans Investing in English Soccer?

With so many American owners of English soccer clubs, it begs the question: Why are American businesspeople interested in these clubs?

For many, it’s an affordable alternative to a team based in the United States, such as those in the NFL, NBA, and more.

For example, when Johnson purchased a 43% stake in Crystal Palace in June 2025, it was for about $223.25 million USD. If you extrapolate that to a 100% stake, it would be about $520 million.

A recent NFL team sale example is the Washington Commanders. They sold for $6.05 billion.

So, as you can see, it’s quite a significant difference.

However, in purchasing an EPL team, it reaches not only a passionate fan base, but a more global one.

There’s also this unique opportunity: In the EPL, teams can be demoted and promoted. Thus, someone could purchase a team that’s been relegated and work to make them a household name and reap the benefits.

Ipswich Town is a great example. A US-based group purchased the club in 2021. Then, Ipswich Town was in the third tier. In 2024, they rose to the Premier League. This allowed for a much higher valuation and more revenue potential.

So, the “why” is clear: A massive worldwide audience at a lower price and opportunities to grow, unlike the top US-based sports.

Cultural Clash: Tradition vs. Business

While these transactions make sense from a business perspective regarding optimizing commercial success, there has been a cultural clash.

Fans of these clubs view them as a community, rather than for-profit businesses. Thus, the fans push back when money gets in the way of tradition.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville once said that American owners in the Premier League were a “clear and present danger” to the sport.

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was also criticized by Henry Winter, a respected journalist, for, in his view, butting business over tradition.

Manchester United fans have launched numerous protests against the Glazer family.

Liverpool faced backlash over ticket price increases and support of the Super League.

Conversely, Darragh MacAnthony, the chairman of a lower-league team, said that American owners “have been respectful to the fans” and have tried to run things properly.

So, we’ll see as time goes on how this relationship between American-owned Premier League teams and their fan base goes.

Beyond the Premier League: American Owned English Soccer Teams

While American owners in the Premier League get attention, it’s worth noting that American ownership of English soccer teams is prominent at multiple levels. As of the 2024 season, 11 of 48 teams in League One and League Two had American investors.

As mentioned, the motivation is the “buy low and build up” strategy for American-owned English soccer teams. If someone can purchase a team and build them up like Wrexham and Ipswich, this pays huge dividends for the investor. Wrexham was purchased by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020, and the team advanced to the Football League in 2023. This drew worldwide coverage.

Ipswich spent a decade outside of the Premier League, and US-backed ownership led them back.

Also, there’s Birmingham City, a team that Tom Brady purchased a minority stake in in 2023.

Ample high-profile athletes and celebrities are getting involved in addition to American owners in the Premier League mentioned above, including LeBron James, who’s a minor shareholder in Liverpool, actor Michael B. Jordan, who’s part of the Bournemouth ownership group, Will Ferrell, who’s an investor in Leeds, former NFL star J.J. Watt, who’s an investor in Burnley, and so much more.

Impact and Future Outlook

The rise of American-owned Premier League teams is certainly having an impact on the sport’s economics, be it through TV deals or more modern business practices.

As such, Premier League betting sites are also likely seeing an increase in traffic from American fans checking out these squads.

While this new trend could accelerate the growth of the Premier League, it’ll be worth monitoring how it impacts the “soul” of the game itself.

To some, American ownership brings stability, modernization, and new ideas, while others worry that traditions and fan-centric values will be diminished in favor of profit.

Whether we like it or not, English soccer is entering a new era due to American-owned English soccer teams, and we can only sit back and see how it evolves.

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