Summary
- KSI has agreed a deal in principle to take a minority stake in sixth-tier side Dagenham & Redbridge, joining the club’s revamped ownership group
- The YouTuber, musician and boxer frames the move as a full-circle moment tied to his old FIFA “Race to Division One” series and wants to restore the club’s former highs
- Backed by new investors Happy Fan Group and fellow shareholder Andy Carroll, Dagenham & Redbridge hope KSI’s profile can fuel ambitions of climbing back up the English football pyramid
KSI is swapping virtual career modes for real‑world control, agreeing a deal in principle to join the ownership group at National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge. Multiple reports say the 32‑year‑old creator will take around a 20 per cent stake, pending National League approval, plugging into a club that was recently taken over by US‑based consortium Happy Fan Group.
For KSI, born Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, the link‑up is rooted in history as much as hype. Dagenham & Redbridge were the unlikely stars of his cult FIFA “Race to Division One” series, and he has cast this move as a full‑circle return to a team he once managed on screen. Now, instead of chasing promotion with a controller, he is promising fans he wants to bring the Daggers “back to the glory days” and ultimately push them towards the Premier League, starting with the realistic first step of escaping the sixth tier.
The timing lands as Dagenham & Redbridge overhaul their boardroom and squad, with former England striker Andy Carroll already installed as a shareholder and ex‑player Anwar Uddin stepping in as chairman. KSI’s arrival adds global reach and a direct line to millions of young fans, turning a lower‑league club on London’s fringes into a fresh experiment in creator‑driven football ownership, with all eyes on how far that online energy can move the needle on the pitch.
