The money behind Derby County: How David Clowes built his fortune | OneFootball

The reluctant owner has backed John Eustace with over £13.5m this summer

Derby County owner David Clowes has shown his unwavering commitment to manager John Eustace this summer, backing him with over £13.5m to bring in 13 new players.

The lifelong Rams fan is surely seen by many as one of English football's most respected owners - after saving the club from liquidation three years ago.

By his own admission, Clowes revealed how Derby were just one week from going bust before he took matters into his own hands.

Now worth an estimated £380m according to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List, FLW take a look at the origins behind how Clowes was able to put the funds together to buy the club, and stadium of course.

The Origins of Derby County owner David Clowes' wealth

David Clowes' wealth can be traced back to 1964, when his father Charles founded the CWC Group.

Starting from humble beginnings in Derbyshire, Charles Clowes built what would become a major property and development portfolio spanning more than 130 sites - across industrial, office, retail, and housing sectors.

In 2010, his firm bought a 300-acre industrial and distribution portfolio from Wilson Bowden Developments for £46m.

The following year, they delivered a giant distribution warehouse to supermarket chain Marks & Spencer for their online operations - and that created up to one thousand jobs.

According to company statements, Charles was still "doing deals almost to the day he died," which sadly was in 2015.

How David Clowes became involved in the family business

David Clowes began working in the family business in 1985, and became a director six years later at the age of 22. However, before fully committing to property development, Clowes trained as a pilot for British Midland International in 2000 and actually flew commercially until 2012.

This aviation background remains part of his identity. Clowes is still listed as "Pilot" in his occupation on Companies House records.

David took over as Group Chairman when his father passed away, while his brother Thomas became Managing Director in 2023. Under David's leadership, Clowes Developments achieved its strongest financial performance in history - with the 22/23 year seeing turnover reach £253.2m.

As per the 'Our Story' page on the companies' website, they currently hold over 3,000 acres of land and 15,000 residential plots. Their clients include the likes of Tesco and Mercedes-Benz.

David Clowes has spent heavy this summer as a reluctant hero for Derby County

Clowes is a lifelong supporter of the East Midlands club and had a season ticket in the North Stand at Pride Park.

This was why he was initially a reluctant participant in the club's rescue, writing in his takeover letter: "As a private person, I did not want the publicity and would prefer to remain an anonymous supporter watching the team from my usual seat."

Derby had been in administration for nearly 10 months when he stepped forward in June 2022,with debts that exceeded £55m.

"I honestly believe that if we hadn't done the deal on July 1st the club would have gone in another five days," Clowes admitted to The Telegraph after completing the takeover.

The summer window has seen unprecedented spending under Clowes ownership, Patrick Agyemang's £5.8m signing from Charlotte is Derby's most expensive since admin.

Midfielder Lewis Travis cost a reported £3m from Blackburn Rovers, while Scotland international Max Johnston's deal could be worth £3.5m including add-ons.

BBC Radio Derby confirmed that this spending spree has been "entirely funded by Clowes Developments", with a senior club source stating that all the costs "align perfectly with both the current budget and the business strategy."

This statement was provided due to speculation about whether or not the Rams have had outside investment. John Percy reported last September that the club were looking for new investors to help "boost their spending power".

So, Clowes' willingness to back Eustace with his own funds shows that, for now, the fortune built through his family's property development continues to serve the club's ambitions very well.