Exclusive | LA Angry Birds mogul and ’80s pop legend pump $8M into tiny soccer club in bid to create next Wrexham

Tears for Fears star Curt Smith sang about ruling the world — and now he is backing a Hollywood-style bid to transform his hometown soccer club into the next Wrexham.

Smith, 65, co-founder of the ’80s hitmakers, is among the investors in an LA-led consortium that has taken over Bath City Football Club, and will serve as the club’s celebrity ambassador.

The group has pumped more than £6 million (about $8 million) into the club in southwest England.

The investors hope to emulate the extraordinary success of Wrexham AFC, transformed into a global brand after its acquisition by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” singer grew up in the working-class Snow Hill area of Bath, before finding worldwide fame with Tears for Fears, and finally making Los Angeles home in 1998.

He told the California Post of his latest gig: “I prefer to remain pretty lowkey. Becoming ‘the face’ as an ambassador runs against what I would normally do.”

“But because it’s my hometown, I think it’s an important thing for me to do,” Smith said.

He hopes the investment will help Bath City climb the English soccer pyramid while revitalizing Twerton, the neighborhood where the club’s stadium is located.

“You can’t take it away from the community and just be doing this for profit. You have to give back to them,” Smith explained. “We can leave an area of the city in a better space than it is now. If that happens, that would be fantastic.”

The investor group is led by British-born LA technology and entertainment entrepreneur Andrew Stalbow, who helped turn Angry Birds into a global entertainment franchise before cofounding Santa Monica mobile-gaming company Seriously.

“I don’t think I’d be able to do this if it wasn’t for LA,” Stalbow told The Post.

“The ability to build a brand that is interesting globally, raise venture capital and tell stories in an interesting way — that’s Los Angeles.”

Stalbow said the group plans to produce daily behind-the-scenes videos documenting Bath City’s progress, creating a real-time version of the formula that helped turn “Welcome to Wrexham” into a global hit.

“Everything I’ve learned in Los Angeles around content production, distribution and partnerships is going to allow us to stand out and differentiate the club. We’ll be creating a daily video behind the scenes of the club that I think will be interesting not just to people around Bath and in the UK, but around the world,” he said.

“One of the opportunities we have is to do everything in a much more live environment than waiting for the end of the season,” Stalbow added.

Stalbow said he was inspired to invest in a soccer club by viewing sporting events in LA.

“I’ve experienced LAFC, LA Galaxy, the Lakers, the Clippers and NFL games,” he said. “It’s such a brilliant sporting experience in America for the fans.”

”In the UK,” he continued, “football fans traditionally get in five minutes before the game starts and leave straight after. Here in the US, I wanted to get there early because the food was so good, the view was good — it was just such a fun experience.”

Bath City FC “is way down the leagues in the English football pyramid, but it has all the foundations to be amazing,” he said.

“We can take over ownership but not really treat ourselves as owners. We’re custodians, and we’re partners with the club, the city and the community.”

Bath City currently plays in the Southern League Premier South, the seventh tier of English soccer, after being relegated from National League South last season.

Stalbow said after the deal was completed on Sept. 10: “Our role is to unlock Bath City’s potential and transform the club. Our work starts today.”

Smith regularly attends Los Angeles Football Club, which counts actor Will Ferrell among its ownership group, and has been a season-ticket holder since the club launched in 2018.

“If you go to an LAFC game, it’s really the closest I’ve seen to an English football game,” Smith said. “They’re loud and involved.”

Smith, married to longtime wife Frances Pennington, said he looks forward to returning to Los Angeles after a hectic tour schedule with his band.

“I love the consistency of the weather and the space — the fact that you can be in a big city and feel like you live in the country,” he told The Post.

“Coming back to LA is still a relief to me. This is our home.”

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