Birmingham City, the English soccer team co-owned by NFL legend Tom Brady, was one of three teams relegated from the English Second Division Championship on Saturday.
The Blues beat Norwich 1-0 but needed help in one of their three games to survive. However, wins over Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn were unable to stop Birmingham City from dropping into England's third tier, where they would be playing for the first time since 1995.
He currently plays for Rotherham and Huddersfield Town and will join League One side Birmingham next season.
Thank you for supporting Bluenose during this difficult first year. We have a long way to go, but with you we can achieve great things in the future 💙 https://t.co/Bn4TRE6czK
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 4, 2024
Saturday marked the end of a checkered first season for Birmingham's American owners. The team has appointed three head coaches during the 2023-24 season, including Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney. When Rooney replaced John Eustace in October, they were sixth out of 24 teams.
Eustace moved to Blackburn, who defeated league champions Leicester City and retained their Championship status until the following season.
Brady joined Birmingham City's ownership group in August after forming a partnership with the club's holding company, Knighthead Capital Management. Brady has previously partnered with Knighthead Capital on other ventures, and chairman Tom Wagner was keen to bring the seven-time Super Bowl champion's winning mentality to the club.
“Tom Brady joining the Birmingham team is a statement of intent. We are setting world-class standards,” Wagner said in August, adding, “Tom has invested his time and extensive expertise. I'm doing it,” he said.
Mr. Brady did not attend the University of St. Andrews on Saturday. He was in Miami on Friday for this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, and was in Los Angeles to geek out on a celebrity lineup that included former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as part of a Netflix special. I'm planning on heading there.
