AFC Telford United: US consortium led by Chris Ball buys stake in Bucks

AFC Telford United are currently in the seventh tier of English football

A US-based consortium, including Shropshire-born film producer Chris Ball, has purchased a 21% share in non-league club AFC Telford United.

It comes two years after Walter Gleeson's Highclear Investments also bought a significant share of the club.

Interim chairman Ian Dosser said the investment "materially adds to the sustainability of AFC Telford".

The club are currently fourth in the Southern Central Premier League, having been relegated last season.

The Bucks were formed by a Supporters' Trust in 2004 following the liquidation of the former Telford United.

Ball, who is among 15 investors in the consortium, has been a fan of the cub since they were known as Wellington Town.

"Being a Shropshire lad and a huge football fan, I have been a lifelong supporter of AFC Telford United," Ball said in a club statement.

"I am thrilled, therefore, to have been able to put together a group of close friends, who all love football, to make an investment in the club."

The Hollywood film magnate made his name producing a number of blockbuster hits such as Memento (2000), The Prestige (2006) and Donnie Darko (2001).

Ball, a former banker, co-founded Wrekin Hill Entertainment in 2010, named after the famous geographical landmark near his hometown of Wellington.

Since AFC Telford United's reformation at the eighth tier of English football, they have reached the top tier of non-league twice, in 2011 and 2014, but have not returned since relegation in 2015.