Long before a series of strokes eight years ago robbed him of his health, Malcolm Glazer was already laying plans for the “stable ownership” of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United after his death.

Now that day has arrived, the sombre mood at One Buccaneer Place is tempered by the knowledge that Glazer’s advance planning means it’s business as usual as the franchise moves forward in the hands of sons Joel, Bryan and Edward.

Glazer installed the three siblings as co-chairmen soon after buying the Buccaneers for a then-record $192 million in 1995, and expressed his desire for the club to remain in the family’s hands as part of what he called a multi-faceted plan for its long-term future.

The brothers were instrumental in seeing through many of the various spokes of their father’s master plan, including the construction of Raymond James Stadium, the hiring of experienced personnel to revive the Bucs’ fortunes on the field and the forging of closer ties between the club and local businesses and the community.

And since their father’s ill-health left him a reluctant observer in the day-to-day running of the Buccaneers, and also that of Manchester United, which he bought in 2005, it has been the younger Glazers acting as owners and operators of both.

Joel Glazer, arguably the most active of the brothers, and who is equally as enthusiastic in his other role as co-chairman at Old Trafford, has represented Tampa Bay at NFL owners’ meetings since 2005.

But control of both franchises is a family affair, with the other Glazer siblings Avie, Kevin and Darcie also executives or board members on both sides of the Atlantic. With such a deep investment in both lucrative sporting ventures, nothing is expected to change, in the short term at least, in Florida or in Manchester.

Allen Barrett, public relations manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said it was too early to be discussing the immediate future of the franchise so soon after Glazer’s death on Wednesday at 85. “The mood here is what I’d expect, everyone’s trying to get through it,” he said.

But Barrett, along with the other franchise employees, is not expecting any significant change of direction. Amid the condolences and tributes, and the planning for Glazer’s funeral, work continues on the field in the hands of new Bucs’ coach Lovie Smith, the former Chicago Bears head coach appointed in January to turn things around after a miserable 2013 season which saw only four victories.

Off-season workouts are continuing this week, and only hours before Glazer’s death was announced, Smith was expressing his excitement about working with second-year wide receiver Johnthan Banks, whom he said was: “A great fit for our scheme.”