Tom Brady continues to make his presence felt well beyond the football field. On Monday’s episode of Front Office Sports Today, the seven-time Super Bowl champion sat down for an interview where he discussed his growing portfolio as a team owner — including his involvement with English soccer club Birmingham City.
Brady joins a wave of celebrities and elite athletes expanding into sports ownership, particularly within European soccer. His name now appears alongside other big stars like LeBron James (Liverpool), Kevin Durant (Philadelphia Union), and Patrick Mahomes (Sporting KC).
Since retiring in Feb. 2023, Brady has invested in the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and Birmingham City — a club featured in the upcoming Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues docuseries set to debut Aug. 1 on Prime Video.
When asked why so many athletes are drawn to owning sports teams, Brady’s answer wasn’t about the bottom line.
“I don’t look at it from a business standpoint,” Brady said. “I look at it from a purpose driven standpoint. For me, it’s about being a part of competition and trying to help other people be successful, so I enjoy the process and the product that happens on the field… I want to see other people be successful in their life and their sporting career. I had so many mentors that were a part of my life that allowed me to be successful, and if I can play a role in other people’s life then it’s a very exciting thing for me.”
He said his decades of playing experience still give him unique insight as an owner.
“I just can only rely on my own experiences of playing and performing at a high level and try to convey those messages of what needs to be done or said at the right moment [and] at the right time, so that these teams can be their best,” Brady said. “There are no shortcuts to success in sports. You have to have a great culture of people that believe in one another, and they want to show up every day to be the best they can be for their teammates.”
With cameras capturing the ups and downs of Birmingham City’s most pivotal season in years in the upcoming five-part Prime docuseries, Brady steps into a new kind of leadership role—one focused less on the pitch, and more on vision and culture.
“I’m more in a management role now,” Brady said. “I’m not in a day-to-day operational role. I feel like I can play a role from 30,000 feet to make sure the players are saying the right thing. the coaches are saying the right thing, [and] the processes for their success are correct. I can play a mentorship role in different ways in a lot of different areas.”
As for broader league business trends like private equity entering NFL ownership groups, Brady prefers to keep his focus closer to the field.
“To be honest, I don’t really focus much on that,” Brady said. “I really focus on the process of improvement for these clubs and for the players, and for the practices and the games. The business side, I know there’s a lot of other people involved in those things, and the business of sports is very intense and there’s a lot of different nuances to the business of sports as well, both in the U.K. and America. I think where my expertise fits is actually on the field.”
Asked about what’s next for him, Brady hinted that his current ventures might be enough — at least for now.
“My plate’s pretty full right now,” he said.
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