Burnley FC ownership: A look at Pace, JJ Watt, Dude Perfect source of Wealth and net worth | OneFootball

Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed following the Clarets' 2-1 defeat at Tottenham in May. There must have been a sense of relief amongst travelling fans, thankful that their dreadful season had all-but drawn to a close.

On the back of 2022/23, Vincent Kompany’s side appeared to be the pick of the promoted bunch. Viewed as a potential wildcard team, Burnley were riding high, having amassed 101 points on their way to the Championship title.

But quickly, the optimism surrounding the club began to fade. Throughout the campaign, Burnley have struggled to trade blows with their top-flight opponents, and, despite playing an open brand of football, the Clarets have gone down tamely, without showing much fight.

While supporters of the Lancashire outfit looked resigned to relegation from an early juncture, the wound caused by their players’ failure to beat the drop will take time to heal. Thankfully, Burnley will approach next season with an owner-manager combination well-versed in delivering second-tier success instantly.

Kompany has cut a deflated figure in front of the cameras for some of this term. The Belgian has worn the scars of Burnley’s underwhelming survival effort visibly and has stood up for his players in especially difficult moments.

Yet away from the spotlight, the club’s owners, most visibly Burnley Chairman, Alan Pace, will understandably shoulder the bulk of the blame.

Here, FLW takes a closer look at Burnley FC’s ownership, places key figures within the club’s hierarchy under the microscope and breaks down their source of wealth and net worth.

Alan Pace, ALK Capital

From Wall Street to North-West England, ALK Capital’s managing director, Alan Pace, achieved his long-held dream of becoming a Premier League owner in 2020 when the stateside firm’s capital sports investment arm ‘Velocity Sports Partners’ acquired an 84% stake in the Clarets for £170 million.

The 56-year-old worked for twenty years as an investment banker before breaking into the world of sports. When ALK Capital completed their Burnley takeover, Pace assumed the position of club Chairman, succeeding Mike Garlick.

However, Pace was more than a blind appointment driven by irresponsible American owners. Before taking up the hands-on role in Lancashire, he had experience leading MLS outfit Real Salt Lake during a spell as club president and had driven the launch of recruitment technology products to help scouts spot future footballing talents.

As club Chairman, Pace has often been caught in the firing line despite being highly visible and appearing to have forged a positive relationship with Kompany and most of the Clarets’ fans.

In sacking long-serving manager Sean Dyche before the club’s relegation in 2022, he received widespread backlash. However, after bringing in Kompany and driving a welcome shift in Burnley’s play-style, he worked to turn perceptions around.

Pace controls around 50% of the ALK shareholding in the club and partners less visible investors Michael Smith and Stuart Hunt. His reported net worth stands at £190 million. Burnley’s Chairman will play a pivotal role in re-shaping the Clarets squad to compete for the Championship title next season.

JJ Watt and Kealia Watt

Last year, Burnley announced that former NFL star Justin James (JJ) Watt and his wife, ex-USA Women international Kealia Watt, had reached an agreement to invest in the club.

The pair boast an estimated net worth of £40 million and have previously made sizeable philanthropic investments through the Justin J. Watt Foundation.

‘JJ Watt’ played in the NFL for 12 seasons, primarily as a tight end for the Houston Texans, while Keila Watt spent most of her career playing for the Houston Dash before retiring at the Chicago Red Stars in 2022.

Both athletes have highlighted that their involvement with Burnley has helped to aid their transition from their respective professional sporting careers.

‘Dude Perfect’

This season, Burnley have lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. As a result, the side has slim pickings to choose from when it comes to notable highlights for this campaign.

On the contrary, the five-man YouTube group ‘Dude Perfect’ have monetized their showreel-creating ability.

Working under the Dude Perfect channel name, Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and brothers Coby and Cory Cotton have racked up over 60 million subscribers on the platform through producing sports and trick-shot content.

The Dude Perfect sports entertainment group confirmed their investment in Burnley last August and highlighted that their decision to work with the Clarets was influenced by JJ and Keila Watt.

The group is worth approximately £78 million. Their involvement at Burnley may help to grow the club’s brand on the other side of the Atlantic.