Revealed: NFL star's link to Walsall FC

Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby is one of the investors in Trivela Group, which bought an initial 51 per cent stake in the Saddlers in June this year.

The 38-year-old caught the eye by wearing a Walsall shirt when arriving at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday for the Packers’ NFL international series showdown with the New York Giants, yet his support for the club stretches beyond being a mere fan and is also financial.

Crosby is a long-time friend of Trivela chief and Saddlers co-chairman Ben Boycott, with the pair having previously worked together at Christian charity group Vapor Ministries.

Boycott, who is based in Alabama, contacted Crosby, a lifelong fan of English football, to see if he would be interested in joining Trivela ahead of the takeover.

“A couple years back, Mason and I were in Haiti together at one of those sites where we really saw football be a catalyst to transform a community, and really kind of revitalise a community.” Boycott explained this week to Packers News.

“We've been friends for a long time and we've kind of had those long conversations about just the impact that sport can have in people's lives. He and I are both very passionate about that.”

The Packers arrived in London on Friday and Crosby admitted some frustration at being unable to make it to the Poundland Bescot Stadium for Saturday’s 3-1 win over Wimbledon.

“I just can’t chance it,” Crosby said before the Packers took off for London. “I can just see the trains stopping or I’m stuck in traffic and I’m an hour and a half late (for a team meeting). It’s just not going to work out.

“They (Walsall) are in the lowest of the four tiers. But this is a good team and a good organisation and being a part of a soccer team is something that really appealed to me.”