Manchester City head a worldwide group of 13 partner clubs, while Red Bull own five football teams in Europe and the Americas. Last month, Chelsea acquired a majority stake in French Ligue 1 club Strasbourg to become the latest major team to move into the business of multi-club ownership.
Have you heard of the Pacific Media Group, King Power International, INEOS or Eagle Football Holdings? They are also multi-club ownership groups with teams in all corners of the globe.
While much of fans' focus understandably centres on transfers, managerial changes and, when the season starts, results on the pitch, the evolution of the game off the pitch is leading to new thinking within the corridors of power.