KSI has built one of the most recognizable personal brands in British entertainment, moving from YouTube videos to boxing matches to a seat on the judging panel of Britain’s Got Talent. His latest move, however, goes further than anything he has attempted before. The influencer and content creator, whose real name is Olajide Olatunji, has acquired a minority stake in Dagenham and Redbridge FC, a club currently competing in the sixth tier of English football, and he is documenting the entire journey on camera.
The project, titled Race to the Top, is being produced alongside After Party Studios and will initially debut on KSI’s YouTube channel, which has more than 17 million subscribers. With a combined social media reach of 33.5 million across his platforms, the series is positioned to reach an audience far beyond traditional football viewership. Plans call for the show to be dubbed into 14 languages, signaling ambitions that extend well beyond the United Kingdom.
A familiar blueprint with a new name attached
The premise will feel familiar to anyone who followed the rise of Welcome to Wrexham, the acclaimed docuseries that chronicled how actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased and attempted to transform Wrexham AFC, a club that was also in the lower rungs of English football when they took over in 2021. KSI’s entry point is one tier lower than where Wrexham stood at that time, making the climb he is envisioning even steeper.
Dagenham and Redbridge, known to supporters as the Daggers, compete in the National League South. The gap between that level and the Premier League is substantial, spanning multiple promotions and years of sustained success. KSI has framed the challenge not as a deterrent but as the point, positioning the series as a genuine long-shot story with all the uncertainty and drama that comes with it.
Behind the camera is a familiar face
Directing the series is Ben Doyle, who works under the creative name RVBBERDUCK and previously helmed KSI: Can’t Lose, a documentary that tracked the YouTube star’s transition into professional boxing. That earlier project captured a pivotal and unlikely transformation, and Doyle brings the same familiarity with his subject to this new chapter.
Production is already underway. Cameras are rolling as KSI settles into ownership, with footage expected to include boardroom meetings, interactions with club staff and players, and the reactions of supporters navigating this unexpected new era for their club. The first match KSI will attend as an owner, a fixture against Dorking Wanderers, is set to be part of the early filming.
What the series promises to show
According to the project’s description, Race to the Top will offer close access to the daily realities of running a non-league football club in the current landscape of the sport. That includes the financial pressures, the tactical decisions, and the human stories that rarely make it into mainstream sports coverage.
The series is set to continue through the 2026 to 2027 season, giving it enough runway to capture not just the novelty of a celebrity takeover but the harder and more complicated work that follows. Whether KSI can genuinely move the club up the football pyramid remains to be seen, but the story of trying is already being told.
For a creator who has spent his career turning personal challenges into watchable content, the takeover of a struggling football club may be the most compelling thing he has ever put in front of a camera.
