BIRMINGHAM, England — NFL great Tom Brady got to know some of the locals ahead of his first home match as minority owner of English soccer team Birmingham City.
Brady made an appearance at The Roost, a pub near St. Andrew’s stadium, before Birmingham’s game against Leeds in the second-tier Championship on Saturday.
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A few hours earlier, Brady posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Any plans before kick off guys? See you at St. Andrew’s.”
Brady then got to know the players as well by giving a pep talk before the game, Birmingham manager John Eustace said after his team scored a late goal to secure a 1-0 win.
“That is great, to have one of the most famous sporting people in the world come down and chat to the group,” Eustace said. “They were all very excited to listen to him and he gave us some real good words of advice. I think you can see today his presence at the club [is a benefit], the vision that he’s got for the football club is amazing.”
Speaking after the game, Brady said he hoped the day was just the start of a more positive future for a club that last played in the Premier League in the 2010-11 season.
“It was a great day, obviously winning the game, but seeing the experience of the fans and to turn out for this home game and to see all the different renovations that [chairman] Tom [Wagner] and the team that he’s put together has done has been very exciting,” he told ITV Sport.
“So things have happened kind of fast and furious but it’s been a great experience today and hopefully it’s the start of a very long-term meaningful impact to this community and sports fans around the world.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion has partnered with the club’s holding company, U.S.-based Knighthead Capital Management, and become chairman of a new advisory board.
Birmingham said Brady will “apply his extensive leadership experience and expertise across several components of the club.” That includes working alongside the sports science department to advise on health, nutrition and recovery programs.
“I think for me, I’m a fan of sports and I’ve been playing sports since I was a kid, been a big fan of your version of football for a long period of time, too,” Brady added. “It’s a global sport. I’ve enjoyed following it over a long period of time, I’ve had family involved in it for a long period of time.
“So when Yom presented me with an opportunity it was a no-brainer to me.”
Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He retired in February, after the Buccaneers’ loss in the playoffs.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.