Louis Tomlinson has bought Doncaster Rovers Football Club, it has been confirmed. The One Direction star, who was born in Doncaster and has been a life-long fan of the South Yorkshire club, has teamed up with the club's former chairman John Ryan.
Louis Tomlinson
"It's done, the takeover is complete," a spokesperson for Louis told the Press Association. The 22-year-old singer also hinted at the exciting announcement on Twitter, writing, "Got some news today!!! Stay tuned! #FansUnited :)." Louis, who is estimated to be worth £15million, followed up the post with another tweet, asking fans to donate to the Tomlinson Ryan Trust.
"Ahhhh here we go :) We want you to be part of our big idea for #drfc on @CrowdfunderUK: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/trust #FansUnited," he posted.
John Ryan appears in a video with Louis Tomlinson
The crowd funding campaign is aiming to raise £2million for the football club and will most likely be reached in no time. In the first ten minutes, the donation page received £500,000.Louis and John, who have tried twice before to finalise the deal, chose to save their club after it was relegated to the third tier of English football in May. "For me, this is all about the football, the community and restoring the excitement and desire to making Doncaster Rovers the most exciting club to play for in Yorkshire," wrote Louis in a statement.
"I want to see the Doncaster Rovers supporters get the club the success it deserves. I grew up in Doncaster and have felt the love for football run through the town, it's for that reason that I have a real personal passion to make Doncaster Rovers a success story. "This is a big step which I believe will open up opportunities to provide a very, very exciting future for the club and its supporters."
Louis is a big football fan
At the start of the season, Louis signed on to play for the club's Reserves team and has since participated in various charity games. While businessman John is the lesser known of the two men, he is expected to take a more hands-on approach to the running of the club, of which he was a chairman for 15 years. Louis will instead have to prioritise his commitments with One Direction, performing around the UK, Europe and across the world.