Who Owns Football? - The Changing Face of Club Ownership

'a must-read' - Daniel Storey

'Superb, from the first page to the last' - Daniel Taylor

Football journalist Nick Miller lifts the lid on football club ownership: the defining issue shaping the modern game.

Football club owners can take teams to the heights of the Champions League or send them out of existence entirely. They have to tread a precarious tightrope, navigating the issues presented by super leagues, rapidly escalating wages, transfer fees and financial fair play.

Who Owns Football? uncovers the jeopardy, strategies, transformative successes and horror stories, steering you through the complex world in which the people who control our game live and operate. There's the owner who was a safe-breaker, the man who tried to burn down his own stadium and even one who was accused of war crimes.

This insightful guide is full of fascinating characters, high finance and shady deals. Miller examines the forces at play and discusses how today's football club ownership models face up to an impending crisis. But among the potential doom, there are some bright lights, people who are doing things differently and might make you think there is some hope after all.

List of contents

Prologue
Introduction
A Brief History of Football Ownership
State Ownership
Fan Ownership
Celebrity Ownership
What Makes a Good Owner?
The Worst Owners of All Time
Strange Tales from The World of Football Ownership
El Presidente
Multi-Club Ownership
Defining Moments in Football Ownership
Honourable Mentions List

About the author

Nick Miller is a football writer for The Athletic. Before that he worked for ESPN, the Guardian, Football365 and anyone else who would have him. He was the editor of The Totally Football Yearbook. Who Owns Football? is his second book. @NickMiller79

Product details

• Authors: Miller Nick
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 16.07.2026
• EAN: 9781399417150
• ISBN: 978-1-3994-1715-0
• No. of pages: 256
• Subjects: Guides > Sport > General, dictionaries, handbooks, yearbooks, history; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; Hospitality industry, SPORTS & RECREATION / Soccer, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Sports, Biography: sport, Football (Soccer, Association football), Association football (Soccer), Sports management & facilities, Sports management and facilities, Tourism industry, Hospitality, sports, leisure and tourism industries