Derby County ownership: A look at David Clowes' source of wealth + Net worth | OneFootball

After somewhat of a rollercoaster few seasons, Derby County will be back in the Championship for the 2024/25 campaign.

Having been relegated from the second tier in 2021/22 after being deducted 12 points for entering administration, and a further nine for financial irregularities, it looked a long way back for the Rams at the time.

However, a change of ownership, and bringing in Paul Warne has been the antidote.

Derby missed out on the play-offs last season by a single point, and this campaign, ensured they did not suffer the same fate by securing second place in the league and automatic promotion.

It is a great achievement for the club who will now have a busy summer ahead of them as they look to once again consolidate themselves in the third tier at the very least.

Today, though, we're looking at things at Pride Park off the pitch, namely the club's current ownership, what the source of their wealth is, and their net worth.

Derby County's ownership

According to Derby County's club website, the club's are owned by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, with the club managed by its board of directors David Clowes and Richard Tavernor.

Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd have owned Derby County since July 2022, when joint administrators Quantuma confirmed the completion of their purchase for an undisclosed amount.

In an open letter following the completion of the deal, David Clowes wrote on the clowes.co.uk website: "It is with an immense sense of pride that I write to you having finalised our agreement to buy Derby County and end nine months of uncertainty and fear over the future of our club."

"As a lifelong supporter, I could not stand by as the risk of losing Derby County became all too real. I could not have looked myself in the mirror if I had not done everything possible to protect it. That is why it is so exciting to be part of the process of building a fresh future at Pride Park for the fans and loyal club staff who have been through so much.

"The true spirit of this football club rests with the fans, it is nothing without them. Your support throughout some difficult times has been inspirational and we intend to build on that loyalty."

The open letter concluded: "Alongside my team, I will be doing everything in my power to make Derby County safe, secure, and successful for many generations to come."

David Clowes' net worth

Net worth is a notoriously difficult thing to know about an individual or business, so we must stress that these numbers may not be 100 percent accurate.

However, Clowes did feature on The Sunday Times Rich List in 2023, which gives us an indication of the sort of wealth he possesses.

On that Sunday Times Rich List, the Clowes family ranked joint 345th, with a worth of £350 million.

How David Clowes made his money

The Clowes family appear to have made their money through property, with David Clowes' father, Charles W Clowes having founded CWC back in 1964 - the company that would become Clowes Developments.

According to the Clowes Developments website, after founding CWC, Charles Clowes "diligently built up a major property and development portfolio including industrial, office, retail and housing over more than 120 sites. He had a passion for cars and motor racing as well as flying."

Sadly, Charles Clowes passed away in 2015, leaving his son David to succeed him as chairman of Clowes Developments.

Clowes Developments' website boasts of £300m worth of assets, 18,000 consented residential plots, and 3000 acres of development in the pipeline, as well as working with brands such as the NHS, Tesco, Mercedes-Benz and more.

Clowes first joined the business in 1985 and became a director of the company in 1991.