Winklevoss Twins invest $4.5m worth of Bitcoin into non-league club Real Bedford

Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss attending The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala 2017
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss attending The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala 2017. Credit: PA Images

Football is no stranger to famous faces investing in clubs - from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny buying Wrexham FC, to NFL stars Tom Brady and JJ Watt pumping cash into Birmingham City and Burnley respectively.

But now you can add the Winklevoss twins to that list.

The Americans are most famous for their legal spat with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he stole the idea for the social networking site from them.

But now the pair, both former Olympic rowers, have turned their attention to another social activity - the non-league football club Real Bedford.

The Winklevoss brothers took part on the 2010 boat race, their Oxford crea losing out to Cambridge Credit: PA images

The club, which currently sits atop the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division - four steps below the football league, have just received millions of dollars of investment from the brothers.

The club announced that the pair have put $4.5m of the cryptocurrency into the club, becoming co-owners with Peter McCormack.

Mr McCormack, who is from the town and has a podcast about cryptocurrency, bought Bedford FC in 2021, renaming the club Real Bedford.

He said: "This has been a great few years for the club as we hit all of our growth goals and supported the community in a sustainable way.

"The demands of a fast-growing club are significant, and the backing from Tyler and Cameron will allow us to continue investing in Bedford and the local community."

The Winklevoss twins now run an investment firm and a cryptocurrency exchange called Gemini, which has been a sponsor of the club for the last two years.

A statement announcing the news on the club's website said: "Cameron, Tyler, and Peter all share a deep conviction in bitcoin and its ability to help supercharge RBFC’s quest to make it into the Premier League.

"Tyler and Cameron also understand first-hand the transformative power of sport. To that end, this investment will continue to support RBFC’s community-building approach to football now and in the future."

The club said the new cash injection would allow it to create a bitcoin treasury to "secure the club’s long-term ambitions", develop a new training centre and the launch of a football academy to nurture local talent.

Tyler Winklevoss said: "Since our first conversation more than two years ago, Peter has proven he knows how to build a successful club and we’re excited to work alongside him as co-owners.”

Co-owner Peter McCormack: "The backing from Tyler and Cameron will allow us to continue investing in Bedford and the local community." Credit: Real Bedford FC

Cameron Winklevoss added: "Seeing the progress Peter has made with Real Bedford and his community-building approach has truly been inspiring. His ability to translate vision into action is exactly why we believe in this project.

"We’re not just investing in a football club, we’re investing in a dream to bring Premier League football to Bedford. We firmly believe Peter is the right leader to make this dream a reality.”

The region has a number of pioneering clubs experimenting with ownership and funding models.

Essex-based Hashtag United started out playing exhibition games, streaming the matches on YouTube.

The club became so popular it officially joined the football pyramid and currently plays in the Isthmian League.

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