You Can Technically Buy a Share of Chelsea F.C.
Updated July 23 2020, 5:01 p.m. ET
With only a few games left from the FA Cup championship, one thing has become abundantly clear for soccer fans. Chelsea F.C. is back on track, and they are ready to claim a victory, having beaten some of their biggest rivals during the past few matches.
However, it has been a long — and expensive—road for the British soccer club. In 2015, Chelsea received a £1.04 billion in interest-free loans according to Fordstam, meaning the team's owner Roman Abramovich owes himself.
So, is Chelsea F.C. in debt?
As Bleacher Report explained, Roman's net worth is £5.85/$9.2 billion and the "debt" means the Russian billionaire more likely to stay in west London and expand his footballing enterprise.
And buying Chelsea has never been about money for Roman.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
"No, it's not about making money," he told BBC Business. "I have many much less risky ways of making money than this. I don't want to throw my money away, but it's really about having fun—and that means success and trophies."
FYI, Chelsea F.C. is worth an estimated $1.09 billion, per to Forbes.
Is Chelsea F.C. publicly traded?
If you are a fan looking to buy shares of Chelsea F.C., you might be out of luck.
"There's no loose shares. The club is controlled by a holding company named Fordstam which Roman owns," a reddit user explained. "Chelsea Pitch Owners own the name Chelsea Football Club Ltd and license it to Roman to use as the club's operating name."
However, you can "buy" symbolic shares here, which are used to pay down the "debt". Just don't expect any financial return on this investment.
There are other football clubs on the stock market that have shares you can add to your portfolio, including Manchester United, Juventus, and AS Roma.
Chelsea F.C. has a bunch of solid sponsorships — just look at their uniform.
According to Campaign Live, the connectivity companyThree — the number 3 is prominently displayed on the team's jersey — is set to transform Stamford Bridge, the home stadium of the soccer club, into a 5G-enabled zone within the first year of the partnership.
In addition to lending their logo for the dazzling soccer jersey design, the telecommunications company has pledged to deliver a more convenient and faster browsing experience for all fans and smartphone users visiting the historic arena.
Yokohama will continue to serve as the official tire partner of Chelsea.
The tire manufacturing company struck up a monumental sponsorship deal with the club in 2015, and they were the principal sponsor of the brand before Three came along.
In addition to the principal sponsors — which Chelsea F.C. lists as Three and Nike — the soccer club signed lucrative deals with companies ranging from Australian deodorant brand, Sure, South-Korean multinational automotive manufacturer, Hyundai, and British private medical insurance provider, Vitality.
