Stoke City has been supported by the Coates family for nearly 18 years, and John Coates was appointed sole owner and chairman of the club a few months ago, ahead of the new season.
Peter Coates, who was born and raised in the area, was the Potters’ first chairman from 1986 to 1999. He founded bet365 in 2000 after selling the club to a group of Icelandic businessmen, who then sold it back to him in 2006 after he had amassed even more wealth through his new venture.
The first years of Coates’ second spell as Potters manager saw the club go from strength to strength as Tony Pulis led the club into the top flight in 2008 for the first time in 23 years, and they stayed there for ten years before problems arose under Mark Hughes, and the owners were chastised when Stoke were relegated to the Championship in 2018.
With the club still unable to improve in the second tier, Peter’s son, John, assumed co-ownership in 2020, and he took full control of the club last month following a structural change and demerger from bet365, assuring fans that “it’s very much business as usual” in terms of the club’s day-to-day operations.
John Coates’ net-worth compared to Premier League owners
The Coates have long been regarded as some of England’s wealthiest owners, and they demonstrated that wealth by clearing all of the club’s debt as part of their ownership move last month, despite the club’s recent struggles in the Championship.
According to Forbes, John Coates’ net worth is currently around $4.3 billion, which roughly corresponds to £3.23 billion, making him the 808th richest person in the world according to their calculations.
When compared to Premier League clubs, his net worth is lower than 13 other owners but higher than Leicester City, Everton, Bournemouth, Brighton, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford.
John Coates’ riches compared to Premier League owners (GiveMeSport)
Club
Owners
Net Worth
Tottenham Hotspur
Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy
£4.48 billion.
Crystal Palace
John Textor, Dave Blitzer, Josh Harris, and Steve Parish
£4.25 billion.
Stoke City
John Coates
£3.23 billion.
Leicester City
The Srivaddhanaprabha family
£2.7 billion.
Everton
Farhad Moshiri
£2.24 billion.
Bournemouth
William P. Foley
£1.24 billion.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Tony Bloom
£1 billion.
Southampton
Sport Republic, Katharina Liebherr
£1 billion.
Nottingham Forest
Evangelos Marinakis
£479 Million
Brentford
Matthew Benham
£216.3 million.
Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Manchester City are all understandably at the top of the wealth table in the Premier League, but it may surprise some that Coates’ net worth is comparable to Tottenham Hotspur owners Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis, given the two clubs’ contrasting positions.
John Coates aims to take Stoke back to the top
Stoke’s on-field troubles have been well known in recent years, but off-field, the tale has been mostly different, with major financial issues avoided thanks to the owners’ astute business decisions.
Faith in the owners’ ability to return the Potters to the top division has faded, with years of failures and poor footballing decisions culminating in yet another sacking this week, when Steven Schumacher left the bet365 Stadium after only nine months in command.
Steven Schumacher Stoke City
In an interview with The Athletic in March, an unnamed former senior member of staff at Stoke explained that the 54-year-old chief “falls in love with his managers, gives them everything they want, and stays in love with them until one day he wakes up and sacks them, and then he has to start all over again,” and that trend must end soon if the club is to improve on the field.
Coates has been steadfast in his pursuit of “long-term success” for Stoke despite financial losses over the years, most likely due to his family’s close ties to the city and club, and new head coach Narcis Pelach is the latest in a long line of recent Stoke managers who must begin to improve their fortunes.
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