Ken Bates
Encyclopedia
Kenneth William Bates is a British
businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC
, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC
from 1982 until 2003.
After a short stint as chairman of Oldham Athletic, Bates bought struggling, debt-ridden Second Division side Chelsea for £1 in 1982. During his tenure he helped the club win a long-running battle with property developers who were attempting to evict them from their Stamford Bridge
home. By the end of his reign Chelsea were regularly finishing in the top six of the Premier League, and had won their first major trophies since the 1970s, although had a debt burden of around £80m. In July 2003 he sold the club to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
.
In January 2005, Bates bought a 50% stake in Leeds United, another club struggling under a heavy debt burden. Bates' tenure has seen Leeds go into administration and suffer relegation to the third tier
of English football in 2007
, although they regained their Championship
status in 2010 and are now considered "debt free". On 3 May 2011 Bates was confirmed as the new owner of Leeds United according to BBC
.
but was unsuccessful in pursuing a playing career in football. He made his personal fortune in the haulage
industry and later moved into quarrying, ready-mix concrete
and dairy
farming. He was involved with various other enterprises during the 1960s and 1970s, including a project on the British Virgin Islands
and setting up the Irish Trust Bank, which was completed in 1976, leaving thousands of investors out-of-pocket
. Twice married (present wife, Suzannah), he has five children. He spent five years as chairman of Oldham Athletic during the 1970s and also had a spell at Wigan Athletic
.
He currently resides in Monaco
as a tax exile
. He is however, under UK law, allowed to visit Britain for a maximum of 90 days in a calendar year.
, as well being tarnished by a notorious hooligan
element among their support. He fought (and, through sheer persistence, eventually won) a long-running legal battle with property developers, Marler Estates, who had purchased a substantial portion of the freehold
of Stamford Bridge
, Chelsea's home ground. He re-united the freehold with the club (and thus secured its future) after Marler's bankruptcy
following a market crash, which allowed him to do a deal with their banks and create the Chelsea Pitch Owners
, an organisation set-up to stave off future developers and attempted to make the club more financially viable.
Bates spent 21 years at Chelsea, during which time he attracted the headlines on many occasions (many times with the controversial headlines that the club could have done without) and employed no fewer than nine managers. His match-day programme notes, in which he often attacked various individuals, were also controversial. In 2002 he was sued for libel by Chelsea supporter David Johnstone after describing fans' group, the Chelsea Independent Supporters Association, as parasites; Bates eventually settled out of court.
During the 1990s, he was involved in a bitter dispute with Chelsea benefactor and vice-chairman, Matthew Harding
, over the club's future direction, which led to Harding being banned from the Chelsea boardroom. The dispute was ultimately only ended by Harding's death in a helicopter
crash in October 1996. Bates sparked further controversy by later describing Harding as an "evil man" the following year.
By the end of his chairmanship Stamford Bridge had been substantially refurbished and modernised, while he had become (at the time) Chelsea's most successful chairman. The club had won several major trophies and were consistently finishing in the top six of the Premiership
, with a top-class playing squad containing the likes of Gianfranco Zola
and Marcel Desailly
. However, its future was threatened by an estimated debt burden of £80 million, yet It was secured against the clubs ground, Stamford Bridge. In 2003 he sold the club to Russia
n oil billionaire Roman Abramovich
, for a sum of £140million making a £17million profit. Bruce Buck the current Chairman was in charge of the clubs sale to Roman Abramovich. After the takeover Bates was investigated by the FSA
for allegedly owning undeclared shares in Chelsea Village plc, but the case was eventually dropped. He stayed on as club chairman until March 2004, when he announced his resignation. Within a couple of weeks of his departure he was back in the limelight as he wrote a one off column in the Bolton Wanderers
matchday programme, incidentally and somewhat ironically against Chelsea.
Executive and was involved in the early stages of the project to rebuild Wembley Stadium
and was appointed chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd in 1997. He resigned in 2001, citing a lack of support from the board. Irked at the lack of progress, he later suggested that the best way to move the project forward was to shoot then-Minister for Sport, Kate Hoey
.
, Bates became the principal owner and chairman of then struggling Championship
team, Leeds United
purchasing 50% of the club. He was quoted as saying that he wanted "one last challenge".
Bates had a dispute with former club, Chelsea, having accused them of "tapping-up
" three Leeds youth players, accusations denied by Chelsea. Chelsea in turn reported Bates to the FA
for his comment that the current Chelsea directors are "a bunch of shysters from Siberia
", an alleged anti-semitic remark about Abramovich, something denied by Bates. Upon hearing that Chelsea had reported him, Bates said "I haven’t laughed so much since Ma caught her tits in the mangle." The FA also agreed with Bates stating that he had no case to answer. His own club Leeds have themselves come under scrutiny after non-league team Farsley Celtic
accused Leeds of improperly signing youngsters from them. The case brought against Chelsea
was eventually dropped after the two clubs agreed to a settlement privately.
Bates plans to eventually re-purchase Leeds' home stadium, Elland Road
, and the Thorp Arch
training-ground.
In May 2007, with Leeds United entering administration, it was announced that KPMG
acting as the administrator had agreed to sell the club to a newly-formed company called Leeds United Football Club Limited
of which Bates is one of three directors. During the summer he became unpopular with groups of fans. Protests were held at games ordering the Chairman to resign.
Since Bates' time as chairman at Leeds United he has worked with 4 managers (not including numerous caretaker managers in between managers leaving). Kevin Blackwell
was the manager when Bates joined Leeds and was sacked after playoff final failure and a disappointing league position during the following season. Dennis Wise
was then hired to replace Kevin Blackwell
, but after being the man in charge of Leeds being relegated to League 1 (for the first time in their entire history), Wise decided to join Newcastle United in a non managerial role despite Leeds' good start to the season (despite a fifteen point deduction).
Gary McAllister
was the man appointed to replace Wise, McAllister was able to guide Leeds to the League 1 playoff final (despite the 15 point deduction) but a 1-0 loss to Doncaster saw Leeds banished to League 1 for yet another year. In the 2008-09 season Leeds were one of the pre season favourites to promotion and after a good start their form faltered dramatically, and after a run of five straight defeats (including a one nil loss to Histon in the Fa Cup), Bates decided to sack McAllister. On the 23rd December Leeds United hired Simon Grayson
as their new manager.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
from 1982 until 2003.
After a short stint as chairman of Oldham Athletic, Bates bought struggling, debt-ridden Second Division side Chelsea for £1 in 1982. During his tenure he helped the club win a long-running battle with property developers who were attempting to evict them from their Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
home. By the end of his reign Chelsea were regularly finishing in the top six of the Premier League, and had won their first major trophies since the 1970s, although had a debt burden of around £80m. In July 2003 he sold the club to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
.
In January 2005, Bates bought a 50% stake in Leeds United, another club struggling under a heavy debt burden. Bates' tenure has seen Leeds go into administration and suffer relegation to the third tier
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
of English football in 2007
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
, although they regained their Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
status in 2010 and are now considered "debt free". On 3 May 2011 Bates was confirmed as the new owner of Leeds United according to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Biography
Bates was born in Ealing in 1931. His mother died shortly afterwards and his father absconded, so he was raised by his grandparents in a council flat. He grew up supporting Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
but was unsuccessful in pursuing a playing career in football. He made his personal fortune in the haulage
Haulage
Haulage may refer to:* The business of being a haulier or hauler , also called haulage contractor, common carrier, contract carrier, or private carrier, in other words of transporting goods by road or rail for other companies or one's own company.* The horizontal transport of ore, coal, supplies,...
industry and later moved into quarrying, ready-mix concrete
Ready-mix concrete
Ready-mix concrete is a type of concrete that is manufactured in a factory or batching plant, according to a set recipe, and then delivered to a work site, by truck mounted transit mixers . This results in a precise mixture, allowing specialty concrete mixtures to be developed and implemented on...
and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
farming. He was involved with various other enterprises during the 1960s and 1970s, including a project on the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
and setting up the Irish Trust Bank, which was completed in 1976, leaving thousands of investors out-of-pocket
Out-of-pocket expenses
Out-of-pocket expenses are direct outlays of cash which may or may not be later reimbursed.In operating a vehicle, gasoline, parking fees and tolls are considered out-of-pocket expenses for the trip...
. Twice married (present wife, Suzannah), he has five children. He spent five years as chairman of Oldham Athletic during the 1970s and also had a spell at Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
.
He currently resides in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
as a tax exile
Tax exile
A tax exile is one who chooses to leave a country with a high tax burden and instead to reside in a foreign nation or jurisdiction which takes a lower portion of earnings. Going into tax exile is a means of tax mitigation or avoidance.-Legal status:...
. He is however, under UK law, allowed to visit Britain for a maximum of 90 days in a calendar year.
Chelsea F.C.
Bates purchased Chelsea F.C. in 1982 for £1. When he purchased the club they were in serious financial trouble, and threatened with relegation to the Third DivisionFootball League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
, as well being tarnished by a notorious hooligan
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
element among their support. He fought (and, through sheer persistence, eventually won) a long-running legal battle with property developers, Marler Estates, who had purchased a substantial portion of the freehold
Fee simple
In English law, a fee simple is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. It is the most common way that real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved...
of Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, Chelsea's home ground. He re-united the freehold with the club (and thus secured its future) after Marler's bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
following a market crash, which allowed him to do a deal with their banks and create the Chelsea Pitch Owners
Chelsea Pitch Owners
Chelsea Pitch Owners plc a is a non-profit organization that owns both the freehold of the Stamford Bridge stadium and the naming rights of Chelsea Football Club.-History:...
, an organisation set-up to stave off future developers and attempted to make the club more financially viable.
Bates spent 21 years at Chelsea, during which time he attracted the headlines on many occasions (many times with the controversial headlines that the club could have done without) and employed no fewer than nine managers. His match-day programme notes, in which he often attacked various individuals, were also controversial. In 2002 he was sued for libel by Chelsea supporter David Johnstone after describing fans' group, the Chelsea Independent Supporters Association, as parasites; Bates eventually settled out of court.
During the 1990s, he was involved in a bitter dispute with Chelsea benefactor and vice-chairman, Matthew Harding
Matthew Harding
Matthew Harding was a British businessman, vice-chairman of Chelsea football club and a major financial supporter of New Labour .-Early years:...
, over the club's future direction, which led to Harding being banned from the Chelsea boardroom. The dispute was ultimately only ended by Harding's death in a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
crash in October 1996. Bates sparked further controversy by later describing Harding as an "evil man" the following year.
By the end of his chairmanship Stamford Bridge had been substantially refurbished and modernised, while he had become (at the time) Chelsea's most successful chairman. The club had won several major trophies and were consistently finishing in the top six of the Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
, with a top-class playing squad containing the likes of Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola, OBE, Ufficiale OMRI is a retired Italian footballer and manager, who most recently managed West Ham United from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi...
and Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
. However, its future was threatened by an estimated debt burden of £80 million, yet It was secured against the clubs ground, Stamford Bridge. In 2003 he sold the club to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n oil billionaire Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
, for a sum of £140million making a £17million profit. Bruce Buck the current Chairman was in charge of the clubs sale to Roman Abramovich. After the takeover Bates was investigated by the FSA
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
for allegedly owning undeclared shares in Chelsea Village plc, but the case was eventually dropped. He stayed on as club chairman until March 2004, when he announced his resignation. Within a couple of weeks of his departure he was back in the limelight as he wrote a one off column in the Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
matchday programme, incidentally and somewhat ironically against Chelsea.
FA and Wembley Stadium
Bates was an active member of the Football AssociationThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
Executive and was involved in the early stages of the project to rebuild Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
and was appointed chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd in 1997. He resigned in 2001, citing a lack of support from the board. Irked at the lack of progress, he later suggested that the best way to move the project forward was to shoot then-Minister for Sport, Kate Hoey
Kate Hoey
Catharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
.
Leeds United A.F.C.
In January 2005, after failing in a bid to invest in Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Bates became the principal owner and chairman of then struggling Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
team, Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
purchasing 50% of the club. He was quoted as saying that he wanted "one last challenge".
Bates had a dispute with former club, Chelsea, having accused them of "tapping-up
Tapping-up
In professional team sports, tapping up or tampering is an attempt to persuade a player contracted to one team to transfer to another team, without the knowledge or permission of the player's current team. This kind of approach is often made through the player's agent...
" three Leeds youth players, accusations denied by Chelsea. Chelsea in turn reported Bates to the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
for his comment that the current Chelsea directors are "a bunch of shysters from Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
", an alleged anti-semitic remark about Abramovich, something denied by Bates. Upon hearing that Chelsea had reported him, Bates said "I haven’t laughed so much since Ma caught her tits in the mangle." The FA also agreed with Bates stating that he had no case to answer. His own club Leeds have themselves come under scrutiny after non-league team Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic A.F.C.
Farsley Celtic Association Football Club was an English football club based in Farsley, in the City of Leeds. The club was known by the nicknames of the Villagers and the Celts; their colours were blue and white. Founded in 1908, the club spent their entire existence in non-league football, winning...
accused Leeds of improperly signing youngsters from them. The case brought against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
was eventually dropped after the two clubs agreed to a settlement privately.
Bates plans to eventually re-purchase Leeds' home stadium, Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
, and the Thorp Arch
Thorp Arch (training ground)
Thorp Arch is the training ground and Academy base of English football club, Leeds United. Located in the village of Thorp Arch, near to the town of Wetherby, the site covers 12.1 hectares. The facility consists of three sections, The Barn, The Grange and the training pitches...
training-ground.
In May 2007, with Leeds United entering administration, it was announced that KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
acting as the administrator had agreed to sell the club to a newly-formed company called Leeds United Football Club Limited
Leeds United Football Club Limited
Leeds United Football Club, founded 4 May 2007, is a limited company, the directors of which are Ken Bates, Shaun Harvey and Mark Taylor. The company purchased Leeds United A.F.C...
of which Bates is one of three directors. During the summer he became unpopular with groups of fans. Protests were held at games ordering the Chairman to resign.
Since Bates' time as chairman at Leeds United he has worked with 4 managers (not including numerous caretaker managers in between managers leaving). Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...
was the manager when Bates joined Leeds and was sacked after playoff final failure and a disappointing league position during the following season. Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
was then hired to replace Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...
, but after being the man in charge of Leeds being relegated to League 1 (for the first time in their entire history), Wise decided to join Newcastle United in a non managerial role despite Leeds' good start to the season (despite a fifteen point deduction).
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...
was the man appointed to replace Wise, McAllister was able to guide Leeds to the League 1 playoff final (despite the 15 point deduction) but a 1-0 loss to Doncaster saw Leeds banished to League 1 for yet another year. In the 2008-09 season Leeds were one of the pre season favourites to promotion and after a good start their form faltered dramatically, and after a run of five straight defeats (including a one nil loss to Histon in the Fa Cup), Bates decided to sack McAllister. On the 23rd December Leeds United hired Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson is a retired English footballer and current manager of Leeds United. He is the elder brother of cricketer Paul Grayson....
as their new manager.