It’s expensive to own a football club these days, so here’s how much the owners of the 24 clubs in the EFL Championship are worth. Since football clubs began to proliferate in the 1860s, the great and the excellent have participated. From the mill and factory owners of the Industrial Revolution to the Hollywood superstars and business speculators of the 2020s, professional football would be considerably different today if they had not been involved. A professional sport necessitates the payment of salary, and it is a fact of the game that the necessity to obtain the greatest players in order to compete will always take precedence over all other factors. Clubs have traditionally relied on the generosity of others to be competitive, whether it’s the ‘Scotch professors’ of the 1870s or the quest for a Premier League spot in the twenty-first century. It should be noted that assessing the wealth of high-profile individuals, such as football club owners, is not a precise science. Valuations can vary greatly from source to source. One of the individuals named below has no idea what the answer is! It’s definitely not as easy as what they have in their bank accounts. Several are owned on behalf of hedge funds, while others have several owners. (A plus sign next to the quantity indicates that someone’s value is not known or cannot be calculated, although it may be extremely significant.)
24West Bromwich Albion – £80m+
Shilen Patel, the American owner of West Bromwich Albion, was claimed to have a net worth of roughly $100 million (£80 million) in February 2024, however he is the son of Kilan Patel, the American philanthropist, who has been estimated to be worth $250 million (£190 million).
23Watford – £99m
The Pozzos and their distinct perspective on managers are well-known in Championship circles. They made their fortune with the tool-making company Freud and have expanded it through sporting ventures, including the Italian team Udinese. Pozzo is reported to be worth approximately $130 million, or £99 million.
22Millwall – £133.3m
Millwall was rocked by the accidental death of chairman John Berylson in 2023, but his family has maintained faith in the club, and his son James is now chairman. The family made their fortune through Chestnut Hill Ventures, which owns 94% of the club’s shares. As of 2017, they were estimated to be worth $175 million, or approximately £133.3 million at the current exchange rate.
21Sheffield United – £150m+
Sheffield United’s valuation, like that of many other clubs on this list, is impossible to determine. Steven Rosen’s net worth is not publicly accessible. He is another wealth fund manager. However, major partner Helmy Eltoukhy’s net worth has been assessed at $197 million (£150 million).
20Blackburn Rovers – £163.5m
Rovers has been owned by the Indian poultry conglomerate Venkys since 2010, but things can get complex quickly. The club is owned by Venky’s London Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Venky’s India. Venky’s London is worth roughly £29.5 million, whereas the main firm is worth little over $2.1 billion, or £1.6 billion. Venky’s London is owed a stunning £134 million by Blackburn Rovers, bringing their paper worth up to £163.5 million.
Rovers has been owned by the Indian poultry conglomerate Venkys since 2010, but things can get complex quickly. The club is owned by Venky’s London Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Venky’s India. Venky’s London is worth roughly £29.5 million, whereas the main firm is worth little over $2.1 billion, or £1.6 billion. Venky’s London is owed a stunning £134 million by Blackburn Rovers, bringing their paper worth up to £163.5 million.
19Swansea City – £230m
Following the sale of the Swans in November 2024, Andy Coleman, Brett Cravat, and Jason Cohen became the club’s majority shareholders, with a combined net worth of £230 million. They possess 77.4% of the club’s shares.
18Wrexham – £305m
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, by far the most well-known owners in the Championship, have achieved success in both acting and other businesses. They have been estimated to have a total net worth of $400 million, or £305 million.
17Coventry City – £305m
King has led a revolution at Coventry City, who are now top of the Championship after finishing in the play-offs last season. The owner has reconnected the team with its home stadium by purchasing The CBS Arena, and he is estimated to be worth $400 million, or £305 million, based on investments made by the investment fund he leads.
16Hull City – £225m-£375m
The ownership of Acun Illicali has not been without controversy. The club’s Turkish owner became wealthy from his engagement in the media. Earlier this year, The League Paper estimated his worth at between £225 million and £375 million. It’s possible that Illicali doesn’t even know himself, as The League Paper quoted him as saying, “It’s impossible for me to know my monthly income, I’m beyond calculation.”
15Derby County – £380m
David Clowes bought the Rams out of administration in 2023, and his family currently owns the team. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2025, their property investments have netted them £380 million.
14Sheffield Wednesday – £438m*
Dejphon Chansiri’s net wealth is unlikely to be relevant for much longer while he is under administration. Chansiri’s wealth is linked to his family, who Forbes assessed to have a net worth of $575 million (£438 million) in 2020, with an anticipated income of $4.2 billion from their firm.
13Middlesbrough – £640m
Steve Gibson is the Championship’s longest-serving club owner, having acquired the team in 1994. He was reported to be on The Sunday Times Rich List 2024 and valued £640 million, but he did not appear on their 2025 list.
12Preston North End – £1.115bn
The Hemmings family rescued Preston North End out of a financial crisis in 2010, and the Sunday Times’ 2021 Rich List assessed them at slightly more than £1.115 billion. Trevor Hemmings died later that year at the age of 86, but the family, who made their money in various leisure-related businesses, retains full control of the club.
11Birmingham City – £1.34bn+
Given the cost of their new Sports Quarter, Birmingham City’s owners must be affluent. Knighthead Capital Management controls the club, with Tom Wagner owning 45.98% of it. In January 2025, Birmingham Live estimated his net worth to be $1.6 billion (£1.34 billion).
10Oxford United – £1.265bn
Oxford United has extremely affluent owners. Erick Thohir is an Indonesian politician and businessman who previously owned Italian giants Inter Milan and MLS club DC United, while his partner in this enterprise, Anindya Bakrie, is a businessman and philanthropist with a lot of money. Their riches is incredibly oblique. Thohir’s net worth was estimated to be around £105 million in early 2023, despite the fact that he co-founded a coal-mining corporation worth billions. Bakrie’s wealth is linked to his family’s business and might reach £1.15 billion.
9Norwich City – £1.45bn
Mark Attanasio purchased Norwich City in 2023. He is the managing partner and co-founder of Crescent Capital Group, an investment firm based in Los Angeles, as well as the chairman and principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.9 billion (£1.45 billion).
8Queens Park Rangers – £1.6bn
Ruben Gnanalingam is QPR’s biggest shareholder, with a 60% stake in the club. His family gained their riches through Westport Holdings, whose primary source of income is cargo. They are said to be valued $2.1 billion, or £1.6 billion.
7Stoke City – £2bn
The Coates family is incredibly affluent because they control Bet365, a gambling empire. According to Forbes, John Coates is worth a staggering $2.7 billion, or little more than £2 billion.
6Bristol City – £2.3bn
The Lansdown family faced conjecture at the outset of the season about Saudi boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh, but nothing came of it, and they remain in command of Ashton Gate. Earlier in 2025, Forbes estimated the family’s net fortune to be $3 billion (£2.3 billion).
5Leicester City – £2.66bn
Again, the Leicester owners’ fortune is tied to their family. According to Forbes, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and his family are worth $3.5 billion (£2.66 billion). Aiyawatt is the son of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter crash near the club’s stadium in October 2018. It should be noted, however, that the family firm, King Power, has been described as having “unraveled in just five years, falling from political favorite to financial pariah” as a result of the long-term impact of Covid-19 on Thailand’s tourism economy.
4Portsmouth – £2.9bn
Michael Eisner, previously of Disney, purchased Portsmouth in 2017. In October 2024, his net worth was listed as $3.8 billion (£2.9 billion).
3Charlton Athletic – £4.27bn
The Addicks suffered from mismanagement for numerous years, but with their sale to Global Football Partners in 2023, they appear to have found more stable ownership. Two of the original three parties behind the takeover remain, while the third, Charlie Methven, stepped down as CEO in the summer. Joshua Friedman, the CEO of a hedge fund, is thought to be worth approximately £4 billion, while Gabriel Brener is estimated to be worth roughly £270 million.
2Southampton – £5.75bn
Sport Republic, based in Serbia, may not be popular among Southampton fans, but the major investors are very wealthy. According to a 2023 Sun article, lead investor Dragan Šolak’s net worth is estimated at over $1.65 billion (£1.25 billion), co-founder Henrik Kraft is estimated to be worth around £2 billion (£1.5 billion), and Rasmus Ankersen is worth $3.9 billion (£3 billion).
1Ipswich Town – £10bn
According to the East Anglian Daily Times in April 2021, Gamechanger 2.0 Ltd, the American consortium that owns Ipswich Town, is owned by a hedge fund called ORG, which “manages funds on behalf of a large US pension pot – the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System – and who own 90% of Gamechanger 20 Ltd.” At the time, the fund was worth £13 billion, or approximately £10 billion.
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