David Clowes’ decision to buy Derby County in July 2022 was one that was extremely last minute, and he was the last viable option to take over a club that was walking a tight rope over liquidation.
The Rams had been in administration for nearly 10 months by the time the 55-year-old completed the deal to become the new owner, and he quickly set about rebuilding a team that had been decimated over the course of the summer.
The East Midlands outfit were in the third tier for the first time since 1986, and despite failing to win promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking, under the guidance of Paul Warne, the club returned to the EFL’s highest division in 2023/24.
Derby have not had the season that they would have hoped for so far, but there is plenty of time to turn their fortunes around. Clowes backed his now former manager in both the summer and January transfer windows, and Football League World has taken a look at how he made his money.
Clowes has been involved in his family’s business for decades
Not many knew of the Rams’ owner before he completed his takeover two-and-a-half years ago, but he has been involved in property development in Derbyshire for a number of years.
His father, Charles E. Clowes, created the CWC Group in 1964 and helped build a property and development portfolio on more than 120 sites over the course of the next 50 years.
However, upon his death in 2015, his son David took over as chairman, while his other son Thomas became the new managing director.
Clowes Developments has been a huge part of Derby’s owner’s life, having started work in 1985 before being appointed as a director just six years later.
However, this has not been the only way he has made his money, with interests away from property development and football. Clowes is a former pilot, and spent 12 years with British Midland as a First Officer and then a Captain.
He still flies today, but purely for leisure, and operates a Super King Air 200.
Before becoming the chairman and owner at Derby, the 55-year-old had a season ticket in the North Stand at Pride Park, but was forced to give that up to sit in the Director’s Box.
Clowes continues to be a calm presence at Derby
It’s been an incredible rise for the Rams with Clowes in charge of the club, and after what could have been a disastrous year for the East Midlands side following relegation and administration, he backed the club to bring in a host of new stars who formed the spine of the team throughout their time in League One.
He hired Warne, who is a specialist in League One, and he gave him time to help turnaround a stuttering start to the 2023/24 campaign, eventually securing promotion back to the Championship on the final day of the season.
| Derby County Transfer Money Spent since David Clowes’ Takeover | |
|---|---|
| Corey Blackett-Taylor (January 2024) | £300,000 |
| Ebou Adams | £500,000 |
| Kenzo Goudmijn | £600,000 |
| Jacob Widell Zetterstrom | £1.4m |
| Lars-Jorgen Salvesen | £800,000 |
| Matt Clarke | Undisclosed |
| Sondres Langas | £4m |
A poor run of form over the course of the last few months left Clowes with a decision to make with his now ex-manager, but the decision to bring John Eustace to the club is an excellent one and once again proves the 55-year-old’s nous as a businessman.
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