Ranking the 9 most loyal owners in the EFL Championship | OneFootball

Football League World take a look at the Championship's most loyal owners and ranks them accordingly

Success is often hard to achieve in football without the backing of a strong owner.

Fortunes can change very quickly when new groups take control at clubs, with cash and ambition ultimately proving to be the driving force behind positive results.

Football is an expensive business and owners more often than not have to be prepared to pump more money into a club than they’re getting out.

This makes loyalty a desirable trait among those in charge and Football League World have ranked the top nine owners in the Championship in terms of their commitment to the cause.

9 Wrexham AFC - Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s well-documented ownership of Wrexham may still be fairly recent, but the loyalty they have shown to the club in that period is almost unmatched.

After purchasing the club in 2021, the American pair have helped transform the Welsh outfit, guiding them from the National League to the Championship whilst taking their profile onto the global stage.

A Disney+ documentary and Deadpool cameo show how much the Red Dragons mean to Reynolds and McElhenney, with their loyalty clear to see so far.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Wrexham in the Premier League before long, with the Hollywood duo backing them all the way.

Although John Coates has only been the full-time owner of Stoke City for just over 12 months, the Coates family has been involved with the club for over 40 years now.

Success has been hard to find at the Bet365 Stadium in recent times, but that hasn’t been down to a lack of investment.

The Coates family have pumped money into the Potters for multiple years and with a few more correct footballing decisions, will hope to see the club fight higher up the second-tier in the near future.

7 Derby County – David Clowes

Derby County were saved in a sense by David Clowes, after being relegated from the Championship in 2022 following a 12-point deduction for entering administration, and a further nine for financial irregularities.

Under their new owner, the Rams bounced back, and just three years later are making ambitious signings in their bid to push towards the Championship’s top six.

Clowes has shown immense loyalty to the cause during his early stages as Derby County owner and will hope to reap the rewards in years to come.

6 Portsmouth - Michael Eisner

Michael Eisner has been in charge of Portsmouth for eight years now and proven himself to be a capable football owner in that time period.

The former Disney chief executive has continuously invested in Pompey throughout his tenure and saw his work pay off with promotion to the Championship in 2024.

Eisner’s loyalty has seen him commit to the Fratton Park outfit for the long term, installing a desperately needed stable culture at Portsmouth

5 Preston North End – The Hemmings Family

Preston North End may often be lamented for their seemingly stagnant nature, but the loyalty shown to them by the Hemmings Family has to be commended.

They have been involved with the Lilywhites since the 1970s when Trevor Hemmings was a director at the club.

He bought the Lilywhites in 2010 and following his passing 11 years later, his son Craig has owned the Lancashire outfit.

It’s unlikely that PNE will be able to compete for promotion regularly under their current ownership model, but can you put a price on stability? Clubs such as Sheffield Wednesday, Bury and Bolton Wanderers would argue not.

4

Leicester City have enjoyed success that other clubs could only dream of in the past decade, winning the Premier League in 2016 before adding the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2021.

They have been owned and backed tremendously by the Srivaddhanaprabha family in that time, which sees them rank so far up this list.

Some of the Foxes’ fans believe that it is time for some new blood following two relegations from the top-flight in three years and that may yet prove to be beneficial for the club.

However, one thing that can’t be questioned is the family’s loyalty and the lifetime of positivity they’ve injected into Leicester City over the past decade.

3 Millwall - James Berylson

Millwall have been owned by the Berylson family since 2007, and by James Berylson since his father John’s passing in 2023.

That time has seen the family put over £100 million into the football club and subsequently compete higher up the EFL, establishing themselves as play-off challengers in recent times.

This loyalty isn’t lost on the Lions’ fanbase, who are eternally grateful for the Berylsons’ backing over the years.

2 Bristol City - Steve Lansdown

Our top two see rare examples of loyalty not often found in modern football, which makes these instances all the more unique and special.

Steve Lansdown has been involved with Bristol City since 1996, taking on the role of chairman in 2002.

Growing up in Bristol means that the 72-year-old has always had the club’s best interests at heart, recently investing in new infrastructure and modern facilities at Ashton Gate.

After finishing in the play-offs last term, Bristol City look to be a side on a positive, sustainable upward trajectory, with Lansdown’s unwavering loyalty to thank.

1 Middlesbrough – Steve Gibson

There could only be one owner at the top of our list, and that is Middlesbrough’s Steve Gibson.

The 67-year-old became Middlesbrough's youngest ever director at just 26, and he's been performing his role as chairman since 1994. He is a lifelong Boro fan and helped save the club from liquidation by forming a consortium in 1986.

Some of Boro’s best times have come under Gibson’s ownership, including a 2004 League Cup win, two UEFA Cup campaigns and many years as a Premier League outfit.