Tom Brady announced on his birthday, August 3, that he is investing in and becoming a minority owner of the English soccer club Birmingham City.

Brady, 46, announced on Thursday that he has "entered a partnership" with Birmingham's new owners Knighthead Capital Management LLC. 

The partnership will see Brady become chairman of a new advisory board at Birmingham City. 

"Birmingham is an iconic club with so much history and passion and to be part of the Blues is a real honor for me," Brady said on the club's website. 

"BCFC is built on teamwork and determination and I’m excited to work alongside the board, management and players to make our second-city club second to none.

"I’ve been part of some amazing teams in my day, and I’m looking forward to applying my perspective to create that same success here in Birmingham." 

Here we go! Proud to be part of the Blues family ??? @BCFC pic.twitter.com/lSEbzzpcBk

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) August 3, 2023

Birmingham currently play in the EFL Championship, the second-highest league in English soccer. They last played in the Premier League in 2011. 

Tom Wagner, the co-founder of Birmingham's new owner Knighthead Capital Management, said: “Tom Brady joining the Birmingham City team is a statement of intent. We are setting the bar at world class.

"Tom is both investing and committing his time and extensive expertise.

"As Chair of the Advisory Board, Tom will have a direct impact on the Club. The Men’s, Women’s, and Academy teams are going to benefit from the knowledge.

"The goal that Tom has committed to own is to make Birmingham City a respected leader in nutrition, health, wellness, and recovery across the world of football.

“A commitment to Blues fans was made on Monday 8 May 2023, to add experts from the world of sport and football to the team, putting in place the building blocks for future success. With Garry Cook as CEO, Hope Powell as Women’s Technical Director and now Tom Brady we are off to a fast start.

"Success does not come overnight. It takes time. But when you have great leaders in place everything becomes possible.”

We just getting started. ? pic.twitter.com/ypBZ0Dw21L

— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) August 3, 2023

Brady is the latest American celebrity to invest in an English soccer club. 

Former NFL star JJ Watt has also invested in Premier League club Burnley, and gave Brady a cheeky shout-out on Twitter on Thursday:

Football ? Football https://t.co/QOe1AhVzZc

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) August 3, 2023

Tom Brady's Irish roots

Brady's great-great-grandfather John Brady emigrated to the United States from Milltown in 1850, escaping the Great Famine and finding work as a laborer in Boston. 

Shortly after arriving in the US, John Brady met Bridget Bailey - another Famine emigrant - and started a family.

Census records state that John and Bridget had two children, including Brady's great-grandfather Philip. 

John and Bridget moved to California before the outbreak of the US Civil War and settled in the Mission District of the booming city of San Francisco. 

Philip Brady became a San Francisco firefighter and responded to the earthquake that devastated the city in 1906. 

Tom Brady Jr. has often talked up his Irish roots, notably taking time during a press conference to underline his Irish pride when the New England Patriots played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London in 2009. 

"My father is 100 percent Irish. We took a trip over there together and visited some of the places where my family came from. That was a great experience for me and obviously, I am very proud of my Irish roots," Brady said in 2009. 

In July, Brady's parents and siblings paid a visit to their ancestral homeland in Co Cavan.