UK Edition
David Beckham joins Class of 92 as co-owner of Salford City
David Beckham is set to join his “Class of 92” former Manchester United team-mates as a co-owner at Salford City as Gary Neville cited Bournemouth’s rise from relative obscurity to the Premier League as an inspiration for the ambitious non-league club.
Beckham, the former England captain, has agreed to buy a 10 per cent stake in the National League club alongside his old United team-mates Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil.
If the move is approved by the Football Association, as expected, it will see the Class of 92 become Salford’s majority shareholders with a 60 per cent stake. Singapore businessman, Peter Lim, has agreed to reduce his shareholding to 40 per cent to accommodate Beckham, whose moves to start a Major League Franchise in the US precluded him from being part of the original takeover of Salford in 2014.
Beckham - whose Inter Miami outfit are due to start playing in the MLS next year - plans to visit Salford in the next two to three weeks and will attend a game as soon as the FA approve him.
“It’s a special group of people so to now be part of this incredible team is exciting. We all have ambitions, we all have goals and you have to have big ones to reach for the sky,” Beckham said. “Salford is where I grew up really so I’ve got such fond memories and when all of us are sat watching our team will be a proud moment.”
Salford are currently third in the National League, a point behind leaders Leyton Orient, and are targeting promotion to League Two at the first attempt after securing three promotions in just four seasons.
Speaking at a press conference at Hotel Football in the shadow of United’s Old Trafford stadium - the hotel he and Giggs co-own with Lim - Gary Neville said the ultimate ambition was to take Salford into the Premier League. The former England defender used Bournemouth, who were still in the fourth tier in 2003 after decades spent in the lower reaches, as an example of what can be achieved.
“It feels like a million miles away because at the moment the challenge just to get into the Football League is a huge one but, of course, it’d be an absolute dream if we could become a Premier League club,” he said.
“You look at Bournemouth, who have about 10,000 people watching them and you have that ambition to think, ‘Could you be a Bournemouth?’
“Now Bournemouth have got a rich history… but when you think about a size of club like Bournemouth in the Premier League and how they’re competing, how they’re running the club, we see that type of club being an example to us if we look into the distance.”