Who is Brooklyn Earick? Ex-DJ and NASA employee who's 'launched' £4.5bn Tottenham takeover bid
Wannabe Tottenham Hotspur owner Brooklyn Earick has led a varied life that has seen him DJ around the world, work for NASA and become a successful tech entrepreneur
The businessman reportedly spearheading a bid to buy Tottenham Hotspur ditched DJing for NASA before becoming a tech entrepreneur. The Sun reports a consortium headed by American Brooklyn Earick is looking to buy the club, weeks after two expressions of interest were rejected by Spurs’ majority owners ENIC, which is run by the Lewis family.
Talks between Earick and the club are said to have started while ex-chairman Daniel Levy was still at the helm but have accelerated since his shock departure was announced earlier this month.
The 12-man consortium, which reportedly includes NFL and NBA investors, are willing to spend £4.5billion on the club, £3.3bn on buying out ENIC and the Lewis family, plus £1.2bn transfers, which could could be made available as soon as January. That overall figure would surpass the record £4.25bn the consortium led by Todd Boehly paid to buy Chelsea in 2022. But who is Earick and why is he targeting Spurs?
Who is Brooklyn Earick?
Earick, 41, has led a varied life, to say the least. He spent around a decade as a DJ and music producer, performing around North America and in Europe while also developing a love for football.
He said in 2011: “It’s crazy how big electronic music is everywhere. I always relate it to soccer. Soccer is massive everywhere else in the world, and it’s just starting to gain a little steam here in the US. It’s kind of the same with electronic music.”
However, after becoming “burnt out” by the music scene, he made a drastic career change by getting a job at NASA as an electrical engineer. Speaking in an interview in 2016, he explained: “I spent the better part of a decade as a DJ and music producer. I’ve played shows all over the U.S, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe, from LA to NYC to London to Ibiza.
“I’m very fortunate to have done that for as long as I did, but I was definitely burnt out towards the end. So I hung up the headphones, moved to San Francisco and landed an internship at NASA Ames as an electrical engineer in the small spacecraft division.
“NASA is where I was first exposed to computer programming. I quickly realised how powerful it was, and loved the fact that if you had an idea, you could open your computer and start it right away. So I started taking online courses for both coding and design, reading books and brainstorming ideas.”
The skills he gained working at NASA inspired his next career change into the tech industry, where he worked on a variety of projects and formed high-level contacts.
Earick founded Redacted RnD, which describes itself as “a thought leader in blockchain innovation and digital assets.” Blockchain is a way of selling and recording digital currency, like Crypto. He also has a technology-focused investment fund called Algorith Capital.
Earlier this year, he was on the verge of buying the Maserati MSG Formula E team, but the deal fell through.
Why Tottenham?
Last season’s Europa League triumph aside, Spurs have been starved of success on the pitch. However, off it, the club is a roaring success thanks to its stunning stadium, regarded as one of the best sporting arenas on the planet.
Spurs make an estimated £4.8m from each matchday, with commercial revenue up a colossal 237 per cent compared to the last full season at the old White Hart Lane.
There is also the London factor, which is undoubtedly a pull for wannabe owners from overseas. A source close to Earick told the Sun: “Brooklyn and his team think everything is in place at Tottenham already.
“Spurs has a world-class stadium and training ground, the infrastructure is all in place. But with the investment they are ready to make, it will be the final step to turn the club into winners on the pitch as well.”
Spurs’ takeover stance
A club statement at the start of September said “Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale” after Amanda Staveley’s PCP International Finance and a consortium of investors led by Dr Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited were revealed to be interested in acquiring the north London club.
ENIC owns 87 per cent of Spurs, but due to the remaining shares being publicly traded, the club is subject to the UK Takeover Code. Therefore, any expression of interest or bid must be lodged with the Takeover Code panel and made public.
It is understood that the Lewis family trust has not been made aware of any consortium being ready to buy Tottenham. A source close to the Lewis family has reiterated that the club is not for sale.