'Wilf and Stormzy don't just stand on the sidelines and watch'
- Published
Among the clubs taking part in the FA Cup extra preliminary round this weekend are AFC Croydon Athletic whose co-owners include former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha - now playing in Turkey at Galatasaray - and music superstar Stormzy.
The two friends were brought up in Croydon and in June 2023 it was announced they had bought their childhood hometown football club along with Danny Young, former head of player care at nearby Crystal Palace.
AFC Croydon Athletic play in the ninth tier of English football.
"Wilf and Stormzy don't just stand on the sidelines and watch," Brandon Pierrick, AFC Croydon Athletic's captain, tells me. "They come into the dressing room and are part of the squad and the camaraderie."
Pierrick, by the way, was playing with Zaha in the Premier League four years ago but his first league game of 2024-25 will be against Ramsgate on 10 August in the Isthmian League South East Division.