American lifestyle entrepreneur Martha Stewart is the latest celebrity to become a minority owner of Championship club Swansea City.
Stewart, 84, joins rapper Snoop Dogg and six-time Champions League winner Luka Modric as an investor in the second tier side.
The author, publisher and broadcaster attended Swansea’s Championship fixture against fellow Welsh side Wrexham, the club owned by Hollywood’s Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, at the Swansea.com Stadium on Friday. Stewart is a close friend of Snoop Dogg and attended the fixture as a guest of the club.
Swansea confirmed on Tuesday that she had joined as a minority owner and the club said they were “very excited” to welcome her onto the board.
Swansea came from a goal behind to secure a 2-1 win over Wrexham thanks to Adam Idah’s 91st-minute winner. “We know experiencing Friday night’s game in-person has only increased her (Stewart’s) own enthusiasm and anticipation for being part of Swansea City,” a club statement read.
Swansea, who compete in English football’s second tier, are owned by Americans Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen through Swansea Football LLC.
Snoop Dogg, a 17-time Grammy nominee, and 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Modric both announced their investment in the club in July.
“The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me,” Snoop Dogg said in the summer. “This is a proud, working class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me.”
The Athletic reported Modric’s stake was around five per cent, with the plan for the Milan midfielder to help with player recruitment and also provide advice at the highest level.
Swansea are 19th in the Championship, seven points clear of the relegation places and nine points off the play-offs. Former Liverpool coach Vitor Matos was appointed their new head coach in November following the sacking of Alan Sheehan.
The club enjoyed a seven-season spell in the Premier League between 2011 and 2018, and won the League Cup in 2013.
Stewart, the first woman to become a self-made billionaire in the United States, is the latest high-profile North American investor in an English club. Actors Reynolds and Mac became co-owners of Wrexham in 2021 and have overseen three consecutive promotions, with the club joining Swansea in the Championship this season.
Former NFL quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady is a minority investor at Birmingham City who, alongside Wrexham, were promoted to the second tier last season. In 2023, five-time first-team All-Pro defensive end JJ Watt became a minority investor in Burnley, who were promoted back to the Premier League last season.
Hollywood star Michael B. Jordan owns a minority stake in top flight club Bournemouth, while actors Russell Crowe and Will Ferrell, golfer Jordan Spieth and former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook have all invested in Leeds United.