How to Buy Shares in a Football Club

With some football (soccer for our US friends) clubs listed on stock exchanges, it provides an opportunity for those who know their clubs inside out to benefit from their knowledge of their team.

How to Buy Football Club Shares

Research football club shares. Establishing whether a football club is a good investment comes down to carrying out effective research.

Find an online stock brokerage platform. Make sure they are regulated in your region.  You can check out our top picks below.

Sign up for an account by inputting the necessary details required. 

Fund your account. Popular funding options include credit and debit cards, bank transfers and ePayment agents.

Search for the football club stock(s) you want to buy and open a trade ticket.

Click ‘Buy’ or ‘Submit’ to place your order and buy the shares.  

Manchester United

One of the first clubs to take the step of listing its shares was Manchester United. It came to the market in a 1991 IPO, which valued the club at what now appears to be an incredibly low £6.7m. This was a result of the then-owner, Michael Edwards, deciding that a public sale of the club was the best way for him to liquidate his holding in it.

The shares traded on the London Stock Exchange until 2005, when US businessman Malcolm Glazer announced that he had bought 28.7% of the club and had taken effective control. The investment vehicle Glazer used, Red Football Ltd, paid £800m in total to buy up the remaining shares and take it off the London Stock Exchange and into private ownership.

After extensive restructuring, the Glazer family in 2012 took a similar path to previous owners and decided to list MUFC on the New York Stock Exchange. Now, with the Glazers exploring options, including a sale, which is said to be close, we could see the Premier League giant de-listed once again. However, after a prolonged period, a potential sale to Sir Jim Radcliffe’s INEOS has yet to go through, with no details forthcoming.

Celtic

Shares in Scottish giant Celtic FC can be bought on the AIM division of the London Stock Exchange. The club operates in a smaller domestic league compared to Manchester United. So, while having a loyal fan base, it doesn’t take part in headline-grabbing fixtures every weekend.

A large percentage of Celtic PLC shares are owned by Dermot Desmond, who has a 35% stake. The fortunes of the club and the share price depend a lot on how long that position remains the same, and those deciding to buy Celtic shares will want to ensure that their interests align with Desmond’s.

One way that Celtic shareholders could make a profit on their investment is if the club can manage to tap further into its passionate fan base. French sports magazine So Foot reports that only Boca Juniors of Argentina and Germany’s Borussia Dortmund are ahead of the Glasgow club in terms of fan support. 

Juventus

Juventus Football Club SpA shares have been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange under the ticker JUVE since 2001. Juventus is one of two Italian clubs listed on the stock market, with the other being Lazio.

Between January 2017 and January 2019, the JUVE share price surged by more than 500% thanks to the signing of high-profile star Cristiano Ronaldo. The player’s on-field and off-field value resulted in the club’s prospects improving. Juventus won Serie A in 2018, 2019, and 2020. However, Ronaldo has since moved on.

In addition, the share price of Juventus has fallen significantly, largely due to the amount of debt that the club has on its balance sheet – a reminder to those fans who want to buy shares in a football club that economic fundamentals, as well as silverware, will determine whether they make a profit or a loss.

Lazio

Lazio shares have been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since April 1998, when its IPO raised $66.6 million.  The Rome-based club’s fierce rivals in the city, AS Roma, were also previously publicly traded but left the stock market on September 14, 2022. 

Given the club's recent on-pitch fortunes, its shares haven’t performed too well over the last couple of years. In addition, back in April, the company’s shares plunged after an investigation was launched into allegations of false accounting on capital gains from players' transfer deals. 

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund is considered Germany’s second-best team after Bayern Munich. The club’s shares are listed in Germany under the name Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien.

Borussia Dortmund, which has been home to several top global footballing talents over the years, was and is the first and only German club to be publicly traded on the stock market. While the club’s model of buying young players and selling them for a substantial fee has seemingly served them well over the years, take Jude Bellingham, for example, its share price has been on the slide since 2020.

Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais Groupe shares are listed on the Euronext Paris under the ticker OLG. In the early 2000s, the club was dominating the Ligue 1 (the French equivalent to the Premier League), winning seven league titles in a row, starting in 2002.

However, that success has faded. Even so, the club has managed to benefit from the sale of a number of key players brought through its academy system over the years, Karim Benzema being one of the most recognisable. 

OLG is led by well-known Jean-Michel Aulas, the president of the club. However, Aulas will soon step down after nearly 36 years in charge, handing over to American investor John Textor, who became the club’s main shareholder last year.

What to Know When Investing in Football Club Shares

Investing in football club shares can be exciting, but it’s not always rewarding. It's crucial to approach investing in football clubs, like other assets, with caution and understanding, as it involves inherent risks and complexities:

Understand the Risks: Football clubs are like any business, they face financial risks and uncertainties. Factors such as player transfers, team performance, sponsorship deals, shirt sales, and overall market conditions can significantly impact the club's financial health and, consequently, the value of its shares. Given factors like entering the lucrative Champions League competition can be achieved with just one kick of the ball at the end of the season, be prepared for potential losses and fluctuations in share prices.

Conduct Thorough Research: Like with other assets, before investing in any football club shares, conduct in-depth research to assess the club's financial stability, on-field performance, and overall market position. Consider factors such as debt levels, revenue streams, and managerial strategies. Debt may impact the club’s ability to buy new players, which in turn may weaken their performance on the pitch over time.

Decision Making: When investing in a club, consider the current ownership structure. With many clubs, the majority shareholder(s) will have significant, if not total, control of the decision-making process. The Glazer family at Manchester United is a prime example. 

Best Broker to Buy Football Club Shares

Can You Buy Other Football Club Stocks?

Like any other industry, you can only buy shares of football clubs that are publicly traded. The majority of teams are still privately owned, and so you are unable to buy shares. An alternative way of potentially investing in a club is to assess its ownership structure and invest in its parent company or majority shareholder (assuming it is a publicly traded business). In addition, you may want to invest in a club’s sponsors.