Snoop Dogg keen to turn Swansea into a ‘global name’

Snoop Dogg has spoken of his ambition to help transform Swansea City into a “global name” after becoming a co-owner and investor at the Championship club.

The 54-year-old rapper took a minority stake in Swansea last July and says his long-term goal is to help drive the club back towards the Premier League by increasing its commercial reach and revenue streams.

“I always wanted to invest in a soccer team,” Snoop Dogg told Wales Online. “I want to be real hands on, I want to take the club in a direction maybe it hasn’t been before.

“We want to take Swansea to the Premier League, and to do that we are going to need money – that’s the reality of the game these days. I want to introduce sponsorship deals and publicity that will make them a global name.”

Despite selling more than 30 million albums worldwide, Snoop Dogg has yet to attend a Swansea match in person.

His son, Cordell Broadus, represented the family in the directors’ box for the draw with Watford last August, while fellow co-owner Martha Stewart was present for the pre-Christmas fixture against Wrexham.

Swansea have indicated that Snoop Dogg is expected to attend a game at some stage this season, although no date has yet been confirmed.

“For real I want to meet with the fans,” he said. “These fans are passionate, they are real, and I want to hear what they got to say when I am in Swansea.

“I knew I always wanted to invest in a soccer team – it’s been a dream of mine for years, it was all about waiting for the right opportunity.”

Snoop Dogg joined an ownership group that already included Real Madrid and Croatia legend Luka Modric, who became a co-owner last April, and American businesswoman Martha Stewart, who invested in December.

Swansea’s US-led ownership, headed by Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen, believe the involvement of globally recognised figures will raise the club’s profile and help generate the income required to compete at the top end of English football once again.