Let’s be honest: we’ve all dreamed of having our own soccer club. Investing in a team — maybe our local club — and taking them from obscurity to being among the best teams in the world. The only problem with this dream is that it is just that — a dream. Because, let’s face it — owning a club is both extremely time consuming and, more problematic, extremely expensive.
Early in AFC Wrexham’s documentary Welcome to Wrexham on Hulu, Rob McElhenney made a joke about needing Hollywood money for the team, so he turned to future partner in crime Ryan Reynolds. Now, while McElhenney was partially joking — you’d think that he’s made enough money from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and, uh, whatever else he was in — owning a club is colossally expensive, let alone a competitive one. The Daily Mail reported that Wrexham spent £6.9 million in wages alone the year they were promoted. From the fifth tier of England.
Unless you’re a famous actor, a prince from an oil-rich country, or maybe both, you probably don’t have that kind of money. Fortunately, there are easier ways to own a club now, assuming you’re fine with settling for owning part of the club. It can also come with some interesting privileges to make your investment worthwhile — so here are five clubs that you could own (sort of).
Author’s note: Please take all of these with a grain of salt. If you’re viewing this as a financial investment, that’s probably not the wisest thing to do.
Caledonian Braves
If you’ve heard of any of these teams, it’s probably this one. Caledonian Braves FC — a semi-pro club based in North Lanarkshire, Scotland — has been heavily marketed, especially on Instagram, where they have over 32k followers. That’s a lot for a club currently in the fifth tier of Scotland — and you know what else is a lot? The eye-watering $2.5 million that they hope to raise on WeFunder. And yet, crazily enough, somehow they’ve almost hit that goal.
They play at Alliance Park, but despite having somewhere between 5,000+ and 6,500+ investors — both are listed on the WeFunder page — the stadium holds just 500 people. In the spirit of the club being for the fans, the stadium name Alliance Park was chosen by the fans via an online vote, as was the club’s name and badge.
They are currently having a very strong season, sitting first in the Lowland Football League, ahead of the likes of Celtic B and Heart of Midlothian B — the reserve sides of two Scottish Premiership sides. The goal of the club is not to be playing these B teams, but rather the A teams, ambitiously announcing in a video that they aim to be in the Scottish Premiership in ten years or less. You could be a part of that, although don’t necessarily bet on that happening.
The minimum investment is $100, which will get you an ownership certificate, voting rights, access to ownership community, and an owner’s welcome pack and toolkit. If you’re willing to give 1000x that amount, you’ll get to be a Braves player for a day, a weekend stay in a Scottish castle, a private distillery tour, and your name permanently on display at their home ground. There are options between $100 and $100k as well.
Invest Here: https://wefunder.com/cbfc
Lewes FC
Located in Lewes, England near the country’s southern coast, Lewes FC plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division in England’s sixth tier. They are currently third in the league as of writing. However, their women’s team plays in the National League South, or the third tier of the women’s pyramid. As of writing, they are seventh.
In 2017, the club became “the first club side in the world to have equal playing budgets for women and men,” per their website — a moment the club shows as a prime example of what they stand for. In fact, promoting change is crucial for the club, which aims to be transparent and make an impact on and off the field, as shown in their (albeit slightly outdated) impact report.
The club plays at the brilliantly named stadium The Dripping Pan, which opened in 1885 and holds 3,000 fans. They’re also quite confident about the quality of the food both in and around the stadium, which should be a big pull for anyone able to go to the occasional game. The town itself looks quite nice, too.
The club currently has over 2,500 owners from 40 different countries, per their website. While there are different levels that you can invest at, the most basic ownership package will set you back £5 monthly, or £50 annually. In addition to your one share and one vote, you get discounts in Lewes & online, a downloadable certificate, a weekly newsletter, access to the online Owners’ Global Town Hall, access to the Owners’ App, and access to live streamed matches.
Invest Here: https://lewesfc.com/become-an-owner/
NK Tabor United
Technically still named NK Tabor Sežana, the club referred to as NK Tabor United plays in Sežana, Slovenia, near the Italian and Croatian borders. They currently play in the Slovenian Second League, the second tier of Slovenia.
Described as a new project started by “an elite group of Manchester United scouts,” NK Tabor United has ambitious goals. Interestingly enough, they promote “potential dividend profits” in their video, making them the only club on this list bold enough to promise some sort of financial return on investment. That’s not all they promise, mentioning Champions League ambitions frequently, as well as becoming a top team in Slovenia and raising the club’s value significantly.
First, they have to earn promotion to Slovenia’s first tier — they currently sit fourth in the league, five points off first place. Considering only the top two teams have a chance at promotion, heading to the top flight might be easier said than done. Games are held at the Rajko Štolfa Stadium, which holds 1,310 fans.
Aside from your basic benefits — listed as “real” ownership, the ability to attend scout meetings, vote on coach hires and player signings, and visit the owner’s suite and celebrate with locals (I swear, it says this on the website) — you will also get an apparel pack with an NK Tabor Scarf for making the minimum investment of $250. There are all differing levels that you can invest, which include buying the stadium’s naming rights.
Invest Here: https://wefunder.com/taborunited
Oakland Roots & Oakland Soul
Based in Oakland, California, the Oakland Roots play in the USL Championship, which is the second division of US soccer — they can’t get promoted, but it’s still the second division. They finished seventh in the Western Conference and exited in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
The Oakland Soul are the club’s women’s team, and they play in the USL W League, which is the league below one of the two first-division women’s soccer leagues in the US. They finished the season second in the Nor Cal Division, losing in the first round of the playoffs.
If you know anything about Oakland sports, it’s in a bit of a rough place. The NFL’s Raiders and MLB’s Athletics have jumped ship, heading to Las Vegas, while the Golden State Warriors made the short move to San Francisco, leaving the city without any major sports teams. However, the sports teams that remain are heavily involved with the community.
The Roots and the Soul will play the 2025 season at the historic Oakland Coliseum, which is formerly the home of the Athletics. Their official website is peppered with ways they aim to improve the community and promote equality, with the club being part of Juan Mata’s Common Goal movement that works to create social change through soccer.
The minimum investment is $100, which gets you an owner’s social media graphic, certificate of 2024 CIR ownership, annual report, and access to an end of season event. There are many more levels of investment that get you perks which range from a costume shirt to dirt from the Coliseum field.
Invest Here: https://wefunder.com/oakland
Minnesota Aurora FC
Minnesota Aurora FC is based in Eagan, Minnesota, not too far from the Canadian border. Just like the Oakland Soul, they play in the USL W League. Minnesota plays in the Heartland Division — a division which is clearly entirely too easy for them, as they have not lost a single regular season game in their three years in the league. Not only that, but they have a +138 goal difference in their 36 games. However, they have not won the league title — yet.
Minnesota Aurora has owners in 48 different states and eight countries. Their fanbase has been strong inside the state, averaging 5,535 fans per game over the past three seasons at TCO Stadium in Eagan.
The goal of the Aurora is to continue to improve and create chances for women in soccer — something that they have done well so far. Per the club, eleven players have gone on to sign pro contracts — the USL W League is not a professional, but rather pre-professional league — and they recently created a reserve team. Off the field, the club’s Front Office Leadership team is all women, too.
There are different levels that you can invest at, but the minimum investment is $100. That — and above — gets you a digital Owners Certificate, voting rights, and vote for representation on the board.
Invest Here: https://wefunder.com/mnaurora
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Image Courtesy of https://www.nktabor.si.
