How to buy shares in a football club

Buying shares in your favourite football team can be rewarding, and we explain how to keep your investments on target.

Learn how to get involved Step by step instructions
Browse platforms to buy shares Compare top clubs

Becoming a footballer is a dream for many, but having the ambition to own a football club is far less common. While football club majority ownership is typically the domain of Russian oligarchs and Middle Eastern sheikhs, there is a way for fans to own a piece of the club.

It may surprise you to know that you can become a part-owner in your favourite club by investing and buying football club shares.

Key takeaways

Top clubs to invest in

Can you buy shares in football clubs?

You can, but not for every team. Only those clubs listed as public limited companies (PLCs) are available on the stock market for you to buy shares in.

In the same way that it’s difficult to invest in private equity, you need some deep football connections (or pockets) to buy shares in unlisted clubs. You can see a list of available European football teams in the table below. At the moment, buying Manchester United shares is the only straightforward option for a UK team. Arsenal shares are listed on a specialist exchange and are hard to get.

ClubLeagueStock ExchangeTickerShare priceLink to invest
Manchester UnitedPremier LeagueNew York Stock ExchangeMANU $17.03Invest with XTB
Capital at risk
CelticScottish PremiershipLondon Stock exchangeCCP 165pInvest with XTB
Capital at risk
Borussia DortmundBundesligaFrankfurt Stock exchangeBVB €3.185Invest with XTB
Capital at risk
JuventusSerie AItalian Stock ExchangeJUVE €2.984Invest with XTB
Capital at risk

How to buy shares in a football club

  1. Choose a broker or trading platform. Different platforms have different fees and account options, so it’s important you pick the one that best suits your investing needs. You can compare a range of share-trading platforms that let you invest in football clubs below.
  2. Open a share-trading account. Once you’ve selected which broker or platform you’d like to use, you need to open an account with a share-trading platform or broker to start investing.
  3. Deposit funds. All brokers will let you deposit in pounds, then will either convert your funds into US dollars or leave them as pounds. If your funds are left in pounds, you’ll likely need to pay a foreign exchange fee on each trade, which can end up costing more overall.
  4. Buy football club shares. Once your account is set up and funded, you can begin buying and selling shares.
Best for 0% commission stocks
eToro Free Stocks logo
Finder Award
Go to site
Capital at risk. Fees apply.
Copy picks from top traders
4.3 ★★★★★
Commission-free trades
Fractional shares
Get dividend payments
Best for fractional shares
XTB logo
Go to site
Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
Earn 4.75% on uninvested funds
4.4 ★★★★★
Commission-free trades
Fractional shares
5,400+ stocks/ETFs
Best for US shares
CMC Invest share dealing account logo
Finder Award
Go to site
Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
Try Plus free for 3 months
4.4 ★★★★★
Commission-free trades
3,000+ stocks
Real-time live pricing

Manchester United (MANU)

The Red Devils’ on-the-field success has made it one of the most supported football teams on the planet – and one of the richest. Majority-owned by the Glazer Family and at a value of $3.4 billion (around £2.7 billion), Manchester United is currently ranked fourth in the list of the most valuable football clubs, compiled by Forbes. Recently, British billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought 25% of the club for around £1 billion and took over football operations.

How to buy Man U shares

Celtic (CCP)

Arch-rivals to Rangers, Celtic is one of the most successful clubs in Scotland, having won the Scottish league championship an impressive 51 times. With a valuation of £90.6 million, Celtic was ranked the 42nd most valuable football brand by Brand Finance in 2023. The largest shareholder is Irish businessman Dermot Desmond, who effectively has control of the club.

Unlike rivals Rangers, because Celtic is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), investing in the famous green and white hoops is much simpler.

How to buy Celtic shares

Borussia Dortmund (BVB)

Few clubs in Europe are as recognisable as the black and yellows, Germany’s second-most successful team. It also became the first and only German club to be publicly traded on the stock market in the first year of the millennium.

Borussia Dortmund ranked 12 on Forbes’ list of most valuable football clubs with an estimated valuation of just under $2 billion (about £1.6 billion).

How to buy BVB shares

Juventus (JUVE)

Juventus is Italy’s most successful club, having won a record 36 official league titles (Scudetto), 14 Coppa Italia titles and 9 Supercoppa titles. Majority-owned by the Agnelli family, with a value of around $2.1 billion (about £1.7 billion), it’s currently ranked 11th in the “world’s most valuable soccer teams” compiled by Forbes. The Turin giant is listed on the Borsa Italiana.

How to buy Juventus shares

Are football club stocks a good investment?

They can be. However, most people choose to invest in a football club as another way of supporting their favourite team, so they’re more a novelty than an investment. While not unheard of, you wouldn’t typically invest in a rival team to the one you support — you’re almost guaranteed a pie in the face if you rock up at a Liverpool game and announce you’ve been buying shares in Manchester United.

There’s no saying how football shares are going to perform, as different clubs have had vastly different results. Like with a company, a club’s performance can vary both on and off the pitch.

As always, past performance doesn’t indicate future results. You should look into the current financials of the football club you want to invest in.

Why can’t I buy shares in other football clubs?

You can only buy shares in football clubs that are publicly traded. If the one you’re a fan of is still privately owned, you won’t be able to buy any stock. You could look into investing in the club’s sponsors, or in the case that a public company owns the club, you could invest in the parent company.

Risks of buying shares in a football club

When it comes to investing, the share price of listed football clubs should, in theory, be driven by the same as any other share – future profit outlook, as well as supply and demand.

While it is also suggested that factors such as player transfers, team financials and sponsorships can also impact a team’s share price, short-term performance on the pitch isn’t necessarily a major concern as an investor.

Similar to the real estate market, football is an industry with some unique challenges and obstacles – but the strength of the underlying company is what investors should concentrate on when weighing up the risks of buying football club shares.

Mark Tovey's headshot
Our expert says: Do football clubs benefit by going public?

"Big-name clubs don’t see a big boost in performance after floating shares on a stock exchange. They’re already paying high salaries and have lots of financial obligations, so the extra money doesn’t make a huge difference. And strangely, they don’t perform better in big international competitions like the UEFA Champions League either.

It seems like the extra cash injection often goes to balancing the books rather than signing star players or revamping stadiums. It’s a different story for smaller clubs, though. They seem to play a bit better on the field after going public.

Yet, when we look at the wider stock market, football shares don’t keep up. For example, Manchester United’s shares have returned only 7.3% over 10 years, compared to a whopping 146% for the broader S&P 500 index."

Writer

Pros and cons of investing in football clubs

Pros

  • Opportunity to become an owner of your favourite team
  • Potential to make money with football club shares
  • Some clubs are listed on major stock exchanges

Cons

  • Limited number of clubs available to invest in
  • Most football clubs have underperformed financially
  • The share price can be effected by events on and off the pitch

Bottom line

Investing in football clubs can feel like being part of the game – a thrilling venture, yet one not without its risks. Remember, these aren’t novelty items. You’re investing in real companies, and with any investment, there’s potential for both rewards and losses.

It’s not unheard of for football club shares to outpace popular indices like the S&P 500 index, but there’s also a good chance shares miss the mark and lag behind broad market investments. It’s a long game that, unlike 90 minutes of football, requires patience and a cool head for years. So, while it’s a different kind of competitive thrill, the potential rewards of buying football club shares is a more drawn-out affair.

Compare platforms where you can buy football club shares

1 - 10 of 13
Name Product UKFST Finder Score Min. initial deposit Price per trade Frequent trader rate Platform fees Offer Link
Finder Award
FREE TRADES
eToro Free Stocks
4.3
★★★★★
$100
£0 on stocks
N/A
£0
Go to site

Capital at risk. Fees apply.

Platform details
XTB
4.4
★★★★★
£0
£0
£0
£0
Earn up to 4.75% interest on uninvested cash.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
InvestEngine
4.4
★★★★★
£100
£0
N/A
0% - 0.25%
Get a Welcome Bonus of up to £50 when you invest at least £100 with InvestEngine. T&Cs apply.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Hargreaves Lansdown Fund and Share Account
4.2
★★★★★
£1
£11.95
£5.95
£0 (0.45% for funds)
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
OFFER
Freetrade
4.4
★★★★★
£1
£0
N/A
£0
Get a free share worth up to £100 when you sign up and deposit at least £50. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
IG Share Dealing
4.1
★★★★★
£0
From £8
From £0
£8 per month
Get 0% commission on US shares. Offer ends 22 November 2024. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Wealthify
4.2
★★★★★
£1
£0
N/A
0.6%
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
interactive investor Trading Account
4.2
★★★★★
£0
£3.99 (free regular investing)
£0
From £4.99 a month
Pay no account fee for 6 months when you open an ii Trading Account. Offer ends 31 December. Capital at risk. Terms & trading fees apply. New customers only.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
SaxoInvestor Share Dealing Account
4.3
★★★★★
£0
£3
N/A
0.12% per year
Limited time offer: Zero commission on 100 US stocks for new customers. T&Cs apply.
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
Moneyfarm
3.9
★★★★★
£1
£3.95
N/A
£0
Go to site

Capital at risk

Platform details
loading

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.


Frequently asked questions

Who is most likely to be researching football shares?

Finder data suggests that men aged 25-34 are most likely to be researching this topic.

ResponseMale (%)Female (%)
65+4.38%1.13%
55-646.55%1.69%
45-5410.25%3.42%
35-4416.32%4.78%
25-3423.03%6.47%
18-2416.52%5.47%
Source: Finder sample of 2,488 visitors using demographics data from Google Analytics
Mark Tovey's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been reviewed by Mark Tovey, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
George Sweeney, DipFA's headshot
Deputy editor

George is a deputy editor at Finder. He has previously written for The Motley Fool UK, Nasdaq, Freetrade, Investing in the Web, MoneyMagpie, Online Mortgage Advisor, Wealth, and Compare Forex Brokers. He's focused on making personal finance and investing engaging for everyone. To do this he draws from previous work and his Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA), sharing what he’s learnt. When he’s not geeking out about money, you’ll find him playing sports and staying active. See full bio

George's expertise
George has written 190 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Investing
  • Personal finance
  • Tax
  • Pensions
  • Mortgages

More guides on Finder

2 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    TimothyMarch 18, 2019

    how to buy a share on football or how to invest

      AvatarFinder
      johnbasanesMarch 19, 2019Finder

      Hi Timothy,

      Thank you for reaching out to Finder.

      For you to purchase shares ina football team and invest in them, please see the steps below:

      Choose a team that is trading on the Stock Exchange.
      Open a share trading account.
      Deposit funds into your account.
      Find your team and place the deal.
      You are now a shareholder!

      The page we are on explains this in detail. Hope this helps!

      Cheers,
      Reggie

Go to site