Celeb owners bring glamour to Championship football
It's Snoop Dogg versus Ed Sheeran, Ryan Reynolds versus Tom Brady, Delia Smith versus Spudbros. There are so many celebrity owners and sponsors that there'll be nearly as much media interest in the VIP seats as in action on the pitch when England's Championship kicks off this weekend.
Sports book operators will be rubbing their hands in glee as some of this abundance of celeb glitter falls their way.
Rapper Dogg became the latest famous name in English football's second tier when he picked up a minority stake in Swansea City last week.
Songster Sheeran owns a small piece of his beloved Ipswich Town, who will be trying to bounce back up into the Premier League after relegation last season.
Regarded as the greatest of all gridiron quarterbacks, Brady stars in a new streaming reality show about Birmingham City, during which he acquired a share in the team via a rich American hedge fund guy who bought the team.
The story of film stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny saving Wrexham FC from non-league obscurity and lifting them to unimagined heights is well known.
TV star chef Delia Smith has long been at the helm of Norwich City, while Spudbros – potato vendors who are a viral sensation in the UK – are pumping money into their passion: Preston North End, no less.
Betway's leading odds on winning the Championship [and getting one of the three promotion slots]:
Ipswich Town 4.00 [2.10]
Southampton 5.95 [2.75]
Birmingham City 7.90 [3.00]
Sheffield United 8.85 [3.00]
Coventry City 12.00 [5.00]
Others of interest:
Norwich City 16.90 [6.50]
Wrexham 26.40 [6.50]
Swansea City 36.80 [11.00]
Preston North End 71.00 [26.00]
Sheffield Wednesday 145.00 [41.00] – rank outsiders
The championship kicks off on Friday evening with Birmingham City hosting Ipswich Town at 9pm SA time.
The other 22 teams in the one of the toughest leagues in world football will be in action the next day.
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