YouTube Star KSI Buys Stake in Small English Football Club With Eyes on Premier League
YouTube megastar KSI has purchased a 20% minority stake in Dagenham & Redbridge F.C., a sixth-tier English soccer club.
He declared his ultimate goal is to guide the team all the way to the Premier League — a climb that would span five divisions.
The club announced the news on March 3, calling KSI’s investment “its most significant strategic partnership to date.”
According to The Athletic, KSI took on a 20% minority stake.
He also shared the announcement (and a video) on X.
KSI is one of the most recognizable content creators on the internet, with a massive following built through YouTube videos, music, and boxing. Now he’s channeling that fame and his resources into the world of English football.
The Scale of the Ambition
“I’m so excited to start this journey. It’s gonna be a rollercoaster for sure but I hope to bring Dagenham and Redbridge back to the glory days. And once we reach that point, I want to go even further,” KSI said in the club’s announcement.
“Reaching the Premier League would be a dream. And I believe it is 100% doable. It will take a long time, so to the Daggers fans, please be patient,” he added.
The English football system is structured as a pyramid. The Premier League sits at the top. Below it are three more professional tiers: the Championship, League One, and League Two.
The fifth tier is the National League, the first semi-professional league. The sixth tier is split into two divisions — National League North and National League South.
Dagenham & Redbridge currently plays in the sixth tier. That means the club would need to climb through five levels to reach the Premier League.
The earliest the team could reach the top flight would be the 2030-31 season — and only if they earn promotion every single year, including this one. Each year they don’t, that timeline extends further.
Where the Club Stands Now
Dagenham & Redbridge was formed in 1992 and first entered the English Football League with promotion to League Two in 2007. They reached League One for the 2010-11 season but were relegated back to League Two at the end of that campaign.
The club dropped out of the EFL entirely in 2015-16. They suffered another blow when they were relegated to the National League South on the final day of last season.
As of March 5, the team is currently 13th out of 24 in the table with 49 points, sitting six points out of a playoff spot.
The league’s structure means the bottom four teams are relegated at season’s end. The top team earns automatic promotion to the fifth tier. The next six compete in the playoffs, with the winner also promoted.
KSI’s goals are similar to that of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who took over Wrexham AFC in 2021.
They invested heavily in the club and stadium, moving it from the fifth-tier National League to the Championship by 2025.
A Full-Circle Moment for KSI and His Fans
For KSI, this investment carries personal significance. He said he’s been watching the team through YouTube streams for the past few months, adding that “it feels so good to finally show my support publicly.”
“For those of you that are OG fans (Race to Division One), you’ll know that this is a full circle moment for me,” he said.
The “Race to Division One” reference matters to longtime KSI fans. It is a legendary FIFA 12 YouTube series where he documented his struggle to climb from Division 10 to Division 1 in Ultimate Team.
The series began in 2011 and was instrumental to KSI’s rise to fame. Now, years later, he’s attempting a real-life version of that climb — not in a video game, but with a real club, real players, and real stakes.
New Ownership Shakeup
KSI’s investment comes just two weeks after the club was taken over by investment consortium Happy Fan Group, fronted by American John Grabowski. That takeover was announced on Feb. 16.
The quick succession of ownership changes signals a new chapter for the east London club.
With the Happy Fan Group providing a new foundation and KSI’s arrival bringing global visibility, Dagenham & Redbridge is attracting a level of attention that few sixth-tier clubs ever experience.
Dagenham & Redbridge’s next game is March 7 vs. Dorking Wanderers, who are currently in first place in the National League South. KSI said he plans to attend in person — his first match as a part-owner of the club.
“I want you to know that I am fully committed to making sure Dagenham and Redbridge is a team that everyone will know worldwide, and will be an exciting team to watch and support,” KSI said.
The immediate reality is clear: a club sitting in the sixth tier, six points out of a playoff spot, now has one of the internet’s biggest stars pledging his commitment to a very long journey upward.
BOTTOM LINE: KSI faces a five-division, multi-year climb to make his Premier League dream a reality, and the first test comes immediately — with Dagenham & Redbridge six points outside a playoff spot and facing the league leaders on March 7.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
