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 biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story 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�...