Former chairman and owner of Leeds United Former owner/chairman of Chelsea
Kenneth William Bates (born 4 December 1931) is a British businessman, football executive and hotelier. He was involved in the development of Wembley Stadium and is the former owner and chairman of football clubs Chelsea and Leeds United.
Bates spent five years as chairman of Oldham Athletic during the 1960s and also had a spell at Wigan Athletic. In 1982, he purchased Chelsea for £1. 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 they had a debt burden of around £80 million.[1] In July 2003, he sold the club to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from whom he received approximately £18 million.[2]
In January 2005, Bates bought a 50% stake in Leeds United, another club struggling under a heavy debt burden. In May 2007, Leeds entered administration, and were relegated to League One. The club regained Championship status in 2010 and, in May 2011, it was confirmed that Bates had become the sole owner. In November 2012, Bates sold his holdings in Leeds United to GFH Capital.
^Mark Fleming (21 February 2011). "Jesper Gronkjaer: The winger who scored Chelsea's £1bn goal". The Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
^Mihir Bose (2 July 2003). "Bates sells off Chelsea to a Russian billionaire". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
was confirmed that Bates had become the sole owner. In November 2012, Bates sold his holdings in Leeds United to GFH Capital. Bates was born in Ealing...
Best Actor. In 1969, he starred in the Ken Russell film Women in Love with Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson. Bates went on to star in The Go-Between, An...
and tsunami hit the island. In the late 1970s, the British businessman KenBates attempted to lease a large part of the neighbouring island of Anegada...
of Stamford Bridge in 1991, commissioned by former Chelsea FC chairman KenBates, integrating retail, commercial, hotel and residential usages around the...
England not hosting the 2018 World Cup. On 28 December 2009, chairman KenBates spoke about future plans to increase the capacity of the South Stand in...
GFH Capital, having initially acquired 100% ownership of the club from KenBates in December 2012. On 7 February 2014 GFH Capital announced that they had...
second leg. After Gullit's controversial sacking by Chelsea, chairman KenBates said of Gullit, "I didn't like his arrogance – in fact I never liked him...
continued to own the club until 1982, when his great-nephew Brian sold it to KenBates. Mears died in 1912, and his grave is in the nearby Brompton Cemetery...
during a dispute for control of Chelsea FC between the sitting chairman KenBates and Matthew Harding, it was revealed in the media that Marwan owned 1...
British Government and Bates received approximately US$1.5 million in compensation. "POSITIVE ACTION MOVEMENT: When KenBates Took Over His Homeland in...
attempt to redevelop Stamford Bridge during the 1970s. He sold the club to KenBates a year later for a nominal sum of £1. Mears came under fire when his shares...
the edge of the airbag and the crew was concerned he had died. Stuntman KenBates stood in for Willis when his character is hanging from the building. A...
League One for the first time in their history. Nonetheless, chairman KenBates retained Wise for the 2007–08 season. On 4 August, Leeds were granted...
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