How all 24 EFL Championship clubs owners made their money

It was an incredibly entertaining start to the new Championship season.

Southampton and Leicester City both enjoyed winning starts to the campaign after their relegations from the Premier League last season, while Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town were both victorious on their return to the second tier following their promotions from League One.

Stoke City and Watford recorded comprehensive victories over Rotherham United and Queens Park Rangers respectively and Leeds United’s thrilling draw against Cardiff City was another of the highlights of the opening weekend.

It is set to be an incredibly competitive division this season and clubs will be looking to strengthen their squad with less than a month to go until the closure of the transfer window.

Managers across the league will be hoping for significant financial backing from their owners over the coming weeks and with that in mind, we looked at how each of the owners of the 24 Championship clubs made their fortune.

Birmingham City – Tom Wagner

Wagner has brought hope and optimism to St Andrew’s after acquiring a 45.98% stake in the club.

The American is the co-founder of Knighthead Capital Management, which manages about €9 billion of assets, while he was previously managing director of Goldman, Sachs & Co.

NFL legend Tom Brady has links with Wagner and he became a minority over of the club last week, assuming the role of chairman of a new advisory board.

Brady played in the NFL for 23 years, representing the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he is regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time.

Blackburn Rovers – The Venky’s

Rovers’ owners made their money in the poultry industry, with the business beginning in 1971 and expanding across Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East.

In 2012, the company was thought to be worth around £1.5 billion and the family are believed to be worth more than £2 billion.

However, the owners have been advised by the Indian government to reduce overseas investment, meaning Rovers’ budget for the season has been cut by 20 per cent, leading to doubts over the future of manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Bristol City – Steve Lansdown

Lansdown co-founded the financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown with Peter Hargreaves.

The 70-year-old, who is also the majority shareholder of the Bristol Bears and Bristol Flyers, was estimated to be worth £1.72 billion in 2019.

Cardiff City – Vincent Tan

Tan was the managing director of McDonald’s in Malaysia in 1982 before becoming the founder of Berjaya Corporation Berhad, a group that controls a wide range of businesses in consumer marketing, property development, investment and hotels.

The 71-year-old invested in the Bluebirds in May 2010 and the club have secured two promotions to the Premier League during his tenure in 2013 and 2018, but there have also been controversies, such as changing the kit colour from blue to red, which was subsequently reversed.

Coventry City – Doug King

King took over the Sky Blues in January, initially purchasing 85% of the club before acquiring the remaining 15%.

He is the CEO of Yelo Enterprises, who produce food and feed from UK-grown rapeseed, while he is also the CEO of RMCA Capital LLP, who oversee investments of over $400 million.

King has provided Coventry manager Mark Robins with significant funds in the transfer market this summer, including breaking the club’s transfer record to sign Antalyaspor striker Haji Wright.

Huddersfield Town – Kevin M. Nagle

Nagle was the co-founder and CEO of EnvisionRx, a health care and pharmacy benefit management company from October 2001 to March 2014.

He is also the chairman and CEO of Sacramento Republic FC and basketball side Sacramento Kings.

Hull City – Acun Ilicali

Ilicali is the owner of the Turkish TV channel TV8 and the founder and director of ACUNMEDYA, an international television production company.

The company produces competition programs like Fear Factor, Survivor, Var Misın Yok Musun, Yetenek Sizsiniz Türkiye, O Ses Türkiye and Exathlon in Turkey and it has also produced programs in Greece.

Ipswich Town – Gamechanger 20 Ltd

The main owner of the Tractor Boys is ORG, an American investment fund who, according to the East Anglian Daily Times, “manage funds on behalf of large US pension pot – the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System – and who own 90% of Gamechanger 20 Ltd”.

Edward Schwartz co-founded the organisation in 1999 and is the ORG representative for the club, while Brett Johnson, Berke Bakay and Mark Detmer, who enjoyed success previously with Pheonix Rising FC, also form part of the board.

Leeds United – 49ers Enterprises

The 49ers Enterprises completed a full takeover at Elland Road this summer.

The group are the investment arm of the American football team the San Francisco 49ers and they initially invested in the club in 2018.

A number of high-profile sportsmen are minority stakeholders in the club, including golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas and NBA star Russell Westbrook.

Leicester City – The Srivaddhanaprabha family

Leicester’s owner is Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha and he is the son of late former Foxes owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprahba, who was the founder, owner and chairman of King Power, a travel retail group which is the largest duty-free retailer in Thailand.

Top became involved with Leicester City in August 2010 when the Asia Football Investments consortium bought the club, assuming the role of vice-chairman.

He became chairman of the club in October 2018 after the tragic death of his father in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprahba was estimated to be the fifth-richest man in Thailand, with Forbes magazine estimating him to be worth $4.9 billion, while Top was said to be the fifth-youngest billionaire in Asia on the same publication’s 2020 World Billionaires List.

Middlesbrough – Steve Gibson

Gibson is the founder of Bulkhaul Limited, a company involved in the global transportation of bulk liquids, powders and gases.

He is the majority owner of Gibson O’Neill Company Ltd, a group which includes Bulkhaul, Middlesbrough FC and Rockliffe Hall Hotel.

Gibson is a lifelong Boro fan and helped save the club from liquidation by forming a consortium in 1986.

Millwall – Millwall Holdings

Millwall were owned by John Berlyson, the founder of Chestnut Hill Ventures LLC, until his death last month.

Chestnut Hill Ventures are a private equity company and they hold a 93.17 per cent stake in Millwall Holdings Limited.

Berlyson’s son, James, took over as chairman of the club after the passing of his father.

Norwich City – Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones

Celebrity chief Delia Smith is the Canaries’ majority shareholder alongside her husband Michael Wynn Jones.

Smith has appeared on a number of television shows and written a host of cookery books to build her wealth and prior to investing in the club, she was a season ticket holder at Carrow Road..

Last August, American businessman and principal owner of the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers franchise Mark Attanasio purchased an 18% stake in the club.

Plymouth Argyle – Simon Hallett

US-based businessman Hallett took control at Home Park in 2018.

He is a partner in the investment management business Harding Loevner and his net worth has been estimated to be around £66 million.

Argyle have achieved plenty of success during Hallett’s reign, achieving promotion from League Two in 2020 before securing promotion from League One last season.

Preston North End – The Hemmings family

Trevor Hemmings was the owner of North End until his death in October 2021.

He first made his fortune in the building industry and went on to own the Lilywhites, Northern Trust Co. Ltd, Classic Lodges Ltd and Trust Inns Ltd, as well as owning over 100 racehorses.

Hemmings was estimated to be worth £1.115 billion in 2021.

After Hemmings’ passing, the family pledged their continued support for the club, with his son Craig remaining in his role as chairman.

Queens Park Rangers – Total Soccer Growth

The R’s majority shareholder is Malaysian businessman Ruben Gnanalingam.

Gnanalingam invested in the club with Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun in 2011, but Fernandes opted to reduce his shareholding this summer to focus on his other business interests.

The 46-year-old is currently the executive chairman of Westports Malaysia, a company that is owned by his family and was estimated to be worth $360 million in 2012.

Rotherham United – Tony Stewart

Stewart made his fortune as the head of ASD Lighting.

He saved the club in 2008 when they were in administration and there has been significant progress under his ownership, with the Millers bouncing between the Championship and League One in recent years.

Sheffield Wednesday – Dejphon Chansiri

Chansiri is a Thai businessman whose family made their wealth in seafood through their company Thai Union Group, which includes John West, Fisho and Chicken of the Sea.

His father Kraisorn is the chairman of the company, while his older brother Thiraphong is company president and the family were listed at number 41 on Forbes Thailand’s 50 richest people of 2019.

Southampton – Sport Republic

Sport Republic are a sports investment firm founded by Rasmus Ankersen and Henrik Kraft, funded by Serbian businessman Dragan Solak.

Solak is the founder and majority owner of the United Group media house, which has become one of the most prominent media companies in south east Europe, providing broadband, mobile and TV services in eight countries.

He is said to be worth €1.22 billion and in 2021, he was understood to be the richest man in Serbia.

Stoke City – The Coates family

Peter Coates and his son John are the co-chairman of Stoke.

Peter founded Stadia Catering in the 1960s and local radio station Signal 1 in 1983 as he began to make his fortune and the family’s wealth increased when daughter Denise founded the betting company bet365 in 2000, which now sponsors the Potters’ stadium.

The revenue of bet365 was said to be £2.981 billion in 2019.