"Some of the richest" - John Coates wealth pointed out in Stoke City long haul debate | OneFootball

FLW's Potters fan pundit has backed John Coates to help the club return to success and believes that he will stay in ST4 long-term

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

FLW's Stoke City fan pundit believes that owner John Coates is in it for the long haul at the bet365 Stadium due to his family's long-standing affiliation to the Potters and money that they continue to pump into the club each year, despite financial losses and poor on-pitch performances in recent seasons.

Stoke were first backed by the Coates family in 1986, and the club is still run by their local billionaire supporters to this day, nearly 40 years on.

Stoke-on-Trent born Peter Coates was the Potters' chairman for over 12 years, before he resigned from his position in 1998 amid fierce criticism from supporters, but stayed on as a director.

Fast-forward eight more years, and the Coates family took charge of the Potters once again, with the club in sizeable debt and in mid-table obscurity in the Championship. They then managed to guide Stoke back to the top-flight for the first time since 1985 in 2008 with Tony Pulis as manager.

The Potters have since been run by Peter himself, with his son John as his vice-chairman, then the pair of them became co-owners in 2020. John was appointed full-time owner of the club in the summer of 2024, with Peter fulling stepping away as the club went through a structural change.

Stoke fan pundit makes 'very lucky' admission amid long haul prediction

The Coates' have long been regarded as some of the richest owners in England in terms of outright wealth, and they displayed those riches by clearing all of the club's debt as part of their ownership change last summer, despite Stoke's recent years of struggles in the Championship.

According to Forbes, John Coates' net worth currently sits at around $2.5 billion as it stands, which roughly equates to £1.93 billion, meaning he is the 1,406th richest person in the world right now, according to their calculations. His wealth comes primarily from bookmaking, after co-founded online gambling company bet365 alongside his sister Denise in 2001.

FLW's Potters fan pundit, Sam Harrison, believes that John Coates will stay at the club for a good while yet, given his family connections, and he believes that he is the right man to lead the club back to the top-flight soon due to his wealth and long-term vision for the Potters.

"In terms of Stoke’s owners, I think it is one where they are going to be here for a longer period of time," Sam told FLW.

"Obviously there is a lot going on in Stoke’s board, or off the pitch at the club, and obviously fingers crossed that Stoke stay up, but if there was a dramatic turn of events in the last seven games and we did go down to League One, I think it is one where there would be talk about the owners going ‘have they used their money wisely?’

"But, no, I don’t think so. I think they are in it for the long haul. They are still in the top 10 richest owners, or something like that.

"With that, it speaks for itself. You’re not going to find owners, or you would be very lucky to find owners as rich as they are.

"They have invested most seasons, and don’t get me wrong, obviously there have been bits that have gone wrong, but having that money to spend is huge for a club like Stoke that want to have progression.

"I know it hasn't happened, but these owners are the ones that are going to help that.

"They’ve invested a lot of money into the club. There is still loads of development happening. It’d be a shock if anything did change with them.

"Obviously, elsewhere, lower down in the board we might see changes, or we might not.

"The owners are in it for the long haul. They are some of the richest owners, and it is one where they will want to continue adding to that investment in the club, add to their vision, and obviously find the right people to help get Stoke back to winning ways."

Stoke fans need success on the pitch to continue to back Coates

Stoke City fans have not had much to cheer about in terms of on-pitch success in recent years, but they should certainly be thankful for how the club is run behind the scenes by Coates and his board.

The Potters have been lounging around the bottom half of the Championship since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, and while current outright chairman Coates has struggled to help their club back to the top flight in the years since, off the pitch has been a different story altogether.

It should come as no surprise that their chief is all about putting fans first, given the fact that his family are lifelong supporters of the club themselves and hail from the local area, and the Coates' must be credited with how they have treated Stoke supporters in years gone by in terms of low ticket prices and offers to loyal fans.

The club have offered free coach travel for their away supporters to every league game on the road for the last 12 seasons, and have frozen season ticket prices at the same amount for the last 18 years, while safe standing and a new fan zone were both installed at the bet365 Stadium ahead of the new campaign last summer.

Supporters being taken care of in terms of ticket prices is all well and good, but Potters fans would surely like to see the team progress more in the Championship soon after so many years of mediocrity.

Stoke have finished 16th, 15th, 14th, 14th, 16th, and 17th in their six respective seasons since relegation in 2018, which is a dismal return given their stature as a club, financial prowess and money invested into the team over the last few years.

This season looks set to end no differently, with three head-coaches so far, and Mark Robins now at the helm and aiming to help the club survive relegation to League One.

The Potters' season ticket prices have been frozen across the board since 2007, yet attendances at the bet365 Stadium have seen a sharp decline in recent years, from an average of 29,280 in 2017/18 to an average of 22,742 last season, according to transfermarkt.

It is clear that, while the core of Stoke's fanbase remains engaged and involved despite the team's poor showings over the last few years, likely due to season ticket prices remaining good value, Stoke must start to improve on the pitch under Robins if the owners want to see an increase in match-going supporters and continuing support from the majority of the fanbase.