England international Jude Bellingham has acquired a minority stake in The Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix, co-owners Warwickshire County Cricket Club said on Wednesday.
The Real Madrid midfielder will take a 1.2% holding and will focus mainly on community engagement and social projects. Warwickshire will remain the majority stakeholder with 50.4% shares, and Knighthead Capital Management will hold 48.4%.
“I feel like I owe the city something,” the 22-year-old said in a statement.
“I was fortunate growing up I had the option of playing cricket and playing football, but some kids don’t have that opportunity. It’s important that if I can get involved in something like this to shine a light on an opportunity for kids, then even better.”
The sixth season of the tournament, which uses a 100-ball format, runs from July 21 to August 16.