Seriously Co-Founder Andrew Stalbow Leads Investor Group Acquiring Bath City FC

Seriously co-founder Andrew Stalbow is leading an investor group that is set to acquire England football club Bath City FC. Stalbow is heading up the Bath City Holding Company, which consists of over 50 investors with backgrounds spanning games, tech, sports, finance, healthcare, and consulting. The group includes Tears for Fears co-founder Curt Smith, who is slated to become a club Ambassador following the purchase. The community-owned non-league club confirmed that a threshold for the sale has now been reached, and if the deal completes, Stalbow will be named executive chairman.

The investor group has successfully raised approximately £6 million in a seed round to invest directly into the club. The semi-professional club currently plays outside the top professional leagues, and the new investors aim to fund infrastructure upgrades to make Bath City football league-ready. Under the proposed structure, the new board will feature a designated seat for a Bath City Supporters Society representative, a position to be filled by current chair David McDonagh. Furthermore, members of the society will retain prior consent rights over key fundamental aspects of the club along with enhanced consultation rights.

Stalbow brings extensive games industry experience to the football club. He previously worked at Angry Birds studio Rovio as executive vice president of strategic partnerships and co-founded Best Fiends developer Seriously, serving as its CEO before selling the company to Playtika. Earlier in his career, he worked as senior vice president of mobile at 20th Century Fox, collaborating on intellectual properties such as Avatar and The Simpsons. Addressing fans in a video, Stalbow described the acquisition as the biggest project of his career, expressing gratitude for the community's support and emphasizing a commitment to unlocking the potential of Bath City.

Bath City chair David McDonagh called the milestone a momentous occasion for the club, noting the overwhelmingly positive reaction from supporters. Specifically, 96% of Supporters Society members voted to approve the transaction. McDonagh thanked shareholders for returning their paperwork diligently and praised the collective efforts of the club and fanbase to secure the agreement. With the vision laid out by Stalbow and his team, club leadership looks forward to the future with optimism under new custodianship designed to deliver for both fans and the wider community.