Former Northampton Town and Wycombe Wanderers striker Adebayo Akinfenwa has become a shareholder and part-owner of FC Farsley, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 43-year-old joined the ownership group because of his close friendship with former Premier League goalkeeper David Stockdale and his wife, Katie. Akinfenwa and Stockdale spent several years together at Wycombe Wanderers, where they helped the club enjoy one of the most successful periods in its history.
David and Katie Stockdale took control of the club's holding company in December 2025 after Farsley Celtic, the original semi-professional side, went into liquidation because of financial problems. Since then, the couple have worked to rebuild football in the local community by creating FC Farsley, with David serving as co-owner, director of football and first-team manager.
Speaking about his decision to invest, Akinfenwa said he wanted to give something back to football after spending more than two decades as a professional player. He explained that the project is about more than results on the pitch. It is also about creating opportunities for young players and building a club that truly belongs to its community.
FC Farsley will begin life in the Yorkshire Amateur League Supreme Division, the 12th level of English football next season.
The club was denied a place in Step 6 of England's National League System but has now secured a league where it can begin its journey as a phoenix club following the collapse of Farsley Celtic.
Work is also underway to improve the club's facilities. Plans are in place to replace the grass surface at Throstle Nest with a modern 3G artificial pitch, while the team's first-ever pre-season friendly is scheduled to take place against Shirebrook Town on Saturday.
Akinfenwa: Inspiring many despite missing out on Nigeria
Akinfenwa enjoyed a long professional career in English football, playing 794 senior matches and scoring 233 goals before retiring at the age of 40. Nicknamed “The Beast” because of his powerful build, he became a fan favourite and was famously recognised by the EA Sports FIFA video game as the world's strongest footballer.
His professional journey began with FK Atlantas in Lithuania before spells at Barry Town in Wales and several English clubs, including Doncaster Rovers, Torquay United, Swansea City, Millwall, Gillingham and Northampton Town, where he enjoyed two successful periods.
His popularity grew even more during his time at AFC Wimbledon between 2014 and 2016. He scored against his boyhood club Liverpool in the FA Cup and helped Wimbledon earn promotion to League One in 2016.
Akinfenwa then joined Wycombe Wanderers in 2016 and enjoyed the finest years of his career. He became the club's highest EFL goalscorer and played a key role in helping Wycombe reach the Championship for the first time in their history in 2020. He retired after playing his final professional match at Wembley Stadium in the 2022 League One play-off final.
Although born in London, Akinfenwa was eligible to represent Nigeria through his parents and often spoke about his desire to play for the Super Eagles. However, he never received a call-up.
One major reason was the fierce competition for places. During his best years, Nigeria had several established strikers, including Yakubu Ayegbeni, Obafemi Martins, Emmanuel Emenike and Odion Ighalo, who were playing regularly at the highest level in Europe.
Akinfenwa also admitted that playing mainly in England's lower divisions worked against him. He once revealed there had been informal discussions about representing Nigeria when he was 21, but the national team coaches were not convinced because he was not playing top-flight football.
