Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha teams up with Stormzy to take over AFC Croydon Athletic.

A three-person consortium, which includes former Crystal Palace Head of Player Care, Danny Young, have taken control of the club in order to leave a legacy in South London.

Both Zaha and Stormzy have close links to Croydon, with the former moving to the London borough from the Ivory Coast at the age of four, whilst the latter was born and raised in the area.

When detailing the takeover, the club said in a recent statement: “The three consortium members are excited about developing a community asset in the borough that gave them their own opportunities. They hope to take the entire community on this exciting journey with them.”

AFC Croydon Athletic was formed in 2012 after Croydon Athletic FC withdrew from the Isthmian League and later folded. The club now competes in the Combined Counties League Premier South Division, the ninth tier of English football.

The news continues the recent trend of celebrities investing in football clubs, as the trio follow in the footsteps of AFC Bournemouth’s Michael B Jordan and Wrexham A.F.C’s Ryan Reynolds, but this is the first time football’s seen a player and musician join forces in an English takeover bid.

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