Given that they currently play their football in the ninth tier of English football, it is more than understandable if you have never heard of Real Bedford FC.
But, they are a club you may want to get familiar with as we could soon see them rapidly climbing the divisions thanks to a massive investment from billionaire twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
Winklevoss twins invest huge money into Real Bedford FC
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Who are Real Bedford FC?
Known as the Pirates, the club are unsurprisingly based in the county of Bedfordshire and currently play in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division – yes that's its real name – in which they currently sit atop the table.
They were founded in 2002 as a direct result of a merger between Bedford United and US Valerio and play at McMullen Park.
Who are the Winklevoss twins?
🗞 Club Statement:
"Real Bedford can confirm that the Winklevoss Twins have agreed to invest $4.5m into the club.
This will see Cameron and Tyler become co-owners of RBFC alongside Peter McCormack."
Learn more here 👇
— Real Bedford FC (@realbedford) April 12, 2024
Unlike Real Bedford, there is a fairly good chance that you have heard of these billionaires before as they endured a very public lawsuit against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. They believed the technology mogul stole the idea for the social media platform from them and were eventually recipients of a settlement worth approximately $20 million (£16 million).
In case you have watched the film ‘The Social Network', it was based on this very spat.
From there the duo have gone on to become cryptocurrency gurus and have even founded their own exchange called ‘Gemini'. This venture has been surrounded by controversy throughout, but the company has been sponsors of the club since 2022.
The pair will become co-owners of the Pirates thanks to the investment, alongside current owner Peter McCormack.
A huge investment
A reported $4.5 million (approximately £3.6 million) has been injected into the club by the twins – a truly monumental figure for a team in the ninth tier of the footballing pyramid.
That money is expected to be used to upgrade the Pirates' facilities, including the training ground and football academy to help secure the future of the club.
Perhaps controversially, Bitcoin is also a huge factor in the takeover, and they are expected to form a treasury of the cryptocurrency to help propel the side up the pyramid.
Speaking on the topic, Tyler Winklevoss said: “We share in Peter’s deep conviction in Bitcoin and its ability to supercharge RBFC’s quest to make it into the Premier League.”
While his brother Cameron explained the duo's excitement to get started, stating that “We’re not just investing in a football club. We’re investing in a dream to bring Premier League football to Bedford.”
So, will we one day see Real Bedford in the Premier League? Stranger things have happened.