Burnley FC: Alan Pace's net worth compared to richest Premier League owners | OneFootball

FLW outline the net worth of Alan Pace and how Burnley's owner compares to some of the Premier League's elite.

Burnley are back in the Championship after a disappointing Premier League campaign last term, with Vincent Kompany and Alan Pace unable to work their magic in the top-flight.

In order to gain promotion from the Championship, it was a hugely successful season for Burnley in 2022/23, as the club returned to the Premier League at the first attempt after the Clarets secured the second title and accumulated 101 points in an excellent first season under the guidance of Kompany.

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

The goal this season is to return at the first time of asking yet again. Some calculated risks did not pay off in the Premier League, with a huge churn of players, but that same approach worked in the second tier and could do so again.

Chairman Alan Pace has been key to their success in recent campaigns, and significantly backed Kompany in the transfer market in recent years.

Alan Pace's investment in Burnley

Pace became involved with Burnley when his company, ALK Capital, bought a controlling 84% stake in the club in December 2020, with Pace taking over as chairman.

He joined during a turbulent time, as the Clarets finished 17th in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season, but the following season was a struggle and the club were relegated from the top-flight.

After spending much of the season in the bottom three, Pace controversially opted to sack long-serving manager Sean Dyche after almost 10 years in charge with just eight games remaining. U-23s boss Mike Jackson was appointed as caretaker, but after a positive start under Jackson, their form declined, and they were relegated on the final day of the campaign.

Pace instead moved in a different direction in a move which paid dividends, as he appointed Kompany as manager in June 2022, and he was supported in the market with big-money additions.

Despite the disappointment of relegation. Thankfully, Burnley will approach this season with an owner-manager combination well-versed in delivering second-tier success instantly. Although that manager, of course, is no longer Kompany after his exit to Bayern Munich.

It was understandable that Pace was keen to take his time to appoint Kompany's successor, and with such a talented squad, finding the right manager would give Burnley an excellent chance of making an immediate return to the Premier League. Two-time promotion winner Scott Parker was who he then turned to.

Pace is a "financial guru and sports technology innovator" and the managing director of ALK Capital. The 56-year-old worked for twenty years as an investment banker before breaking into the world of sports.

He was the head of sales and client solutions for the Prime Finance, Futures and Securities Services division at Citi, a New York-based investment bank, before being appointed as Managing Partner of ALK Capital in October 2019.

Pace spent 20 months as interim president of MLS team Real Salt Lake and has reportedly attempted to buy Sheffield United previously. He has a Wall Street background and has worked as a managing director for Lehman Brothers.

His reported net worth stands at £190 million. However, he is not the only important figure at the club. 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 ​​​​​​.

Burnley were competing financially with Premier League sides last season, so how does Pace compare in net worth terms? Well, he is dwarfed by most of their rivals of last season, with no fewer than 15 teams in the top-flight with an owner who has a net worth of over £2 billion.

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.

Even when factoring that in with the Watt family's net worth, there is only one owner with a lower net worth per Give Me Sport, which is Brentford's Matthew Benham. The majority of the league dwarf Pace and co. on that front, as shown below.

The likes of Chelsea, Man City, Aston Villa, and Man United are all in excess of £12 billion, whilst Newcastle United have the richest owners in the world, and Burnley's finances pale in comparison on that front.