Jude Bellingham invests in Birmingham Phoenix

English footballer Jude Bellingham has acquired a minority stake in The Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix, acquiring 1.2% equity.

Half of this amount has been sold by Warwickshire County Cricket Club, while the other half has been sold by affiliates of Knighthead Capital Management (Knighthead).

Along with being an investor, Bellingham will also work with the Birmingham Phoenix on community initiatives in and around Birmingham to increase participation in cricket.

Bellingham’s first senior team was Birmingham City back in 2019, whose academy he graduated from, highlighting the current Real Madrid star’s special connection with the city.

The sixth season of The Hundred will take place between July 21 and August 16 later this year. Young English star Jacob Bethell will lead the Phoenix men’s team, while Australian legend Ellyse Perry will be leading the Phoenix women’s team. 

On his investment in the Birmingham Phoenix, Bellingham commented:

“I love Birmingham. I’m very grateful for what the whole city of Birmingham has done for me. I love cricket as well so when I got the opportunity to get involved I didn’t really think twice about it, so I’m so happy to be on board. I’m so grateful to Birmingham, the Stourbridge area and the West Midlands as a whole. I got the best upbringing into football, into life through Birmingham City. I feel like I owe the city something. Right now it’s difficult with how busy I am with football, but if there’s a way in which I can help then I want to and this feels like a good way. I think it’s so important to get our kids in the city out there playing sports. I think it’s crucial and the opportunity of me being a part of Birmingham Phoenix is to try and help people realise there’s different avenues. Some people will enjoy football, some people enjoy cricket. 

“I want to let kids know, let adults know that there’s opportunities to go and enjoy sports. I was fortunate growing up I had the option of playing cricket and playing football, but some kids don’t have that opportunity. It’s important that if I can get involved in something like this to shine a light on an opportunity for kids, then even better. I think the things that you learn from playing cricket, playing football, playing team sports are with you for life. To be able to interact with people, understand people from different backgrounds and also realise you can have a good time with anyone, I think that’s the beauty of sport. It brings people together, especially now more than ever.”

Stuart Cain, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Phoenix, said:

“Jude loved cricket as a youngster and has wanted to be involved since The Hundred first went to market to secure investors. He understands high performance sport, but more importantly as someone who grew up in the West Midlands and played the sport in his local streets, he understands the importance of sport and how it can play a positive role in young people’s lives.  So, we look forward to working with him on a number of community initiatives moving forward.”

Kyle Kneisly, Partner at Knighthead, added:

“Knighthead is committed to bringing communities together through sport and driving growth for the region through our investments in football, cricket and netball. Working with Jude is another important step in building a vibrant sporting scene that everyone in the West Midlands can get behind. Jude is a fantastic role model who embodies everything brilliant about the spirit of Birmingham and the West Midlands, having grown up and made his breakthrough in sports here. There is no doubt that his involvement with the Hundred will help spark interest in cricket from people who have never engaged with the sport, creating new generations of fans for the game.”