Wrexham ace Kieffer Moore has embarked on an unexpected new venture, investing in property formerly owned by the family of Tony Blair. The Wales striker is among three footballers, both current and former, who have purchased a buy-to-let property portfolio previously under the ownership of Oldbury Residential.
The company was established by Cherie Blair, wife of the ex-Prime Minister, and their eldest son Euan in 2014. Land Registry documents reveal that a total of 31 properties were transferred to the group, including Moore, in March. The Times reports that the portfolio primarily comprises rental flats in Manchester.
Although the exact value of the transaction remains undisclosed, the properties are estimated to be worth around £3.3 million. Moore, who joined Wrexham from Sheffield United for a fee of £2m in August, is nearing the end of his football career at 33 and seems to be planning for his post-football life by becoming a landlord.
Other participants include former Wales international Christian Ribeiro, who had stints with Bristol City and Exeter before retiring in 2017, and Norwich right-back Jack Stacey. Manchester-based property investor Jay Puddy also has a stake in the Performance Property Group, which pledges on its website to guide footballers from “pitch to prosperity” and “ensure you retire a millionaire”.
The news of Moore expanding his interests beyond football emerged in the same week he expressed his aspiration to become a director of a football club one day. It comes after his recent graduation from the Professional Footballers’ Association Business School, where he earned a diploma in sport directorship.
“I don’t want to retire some day and have the feeling of not wanting to do something or not being able to stay active,” Moore told the BBC. “I want to remain in football and going into a director role or similar really appeals to me. I’ve always loved the intricacies of how football clubs are run. So doing this [degree] was a gateway, if I get the opportunity.”
Moore was among 13 new players who joined Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground this summer following their promotion to the Championship. The club’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac backed manager Phil Parkinson with approximately £33m in the transfer market.
The former Bournemouth and Ipswich striker has made an impressive start, netting five goals in ten appearances across all competitions for the Red Dragons this season. Wrexham currently sit 18th in the table after a mixed start to their campaign, securing ten points from their opening nine matches.
Whilst a remarkable fourth successive promotion appears improbable at this stage, Moore remains convinced the celebrity co-owners will realise their ambition of guiding Wrexham into the Premier League before long.
“The sky is the limit. You only to look at what’s happened over the last few years, the stand they’re building and infrastructure being put in place,” he said. “The club is definitely destined for the Premier League. When a club comes up from League One and spends £30m it shows the intent of what they want to achieve.
“There’s a bit of added pressure with the attention the club gets, but I’ve always loved having that burden of responsibility and think it’s a massive honour. The people we’ve brought in are exceptional. It’s taking us a bit of time to hit our stride but when everything comes together, we’ll creep up that table.”