Arsenal Football Club have certainly been a profitable investment over the last few decades. They are one of the few teams with a very small ownership group.
Is Arsenal owned by one person? Arsenal are owned by just one person, US businessman Stan Kroenke. Kroenke is the owner of 100% of the shares in the Kroenke Sports and Entertainment Group, the holding company that owns 100% of the shares of Arsenal FC.
Arsenal’s ownership group is a pretty simple one particularly when you compare it to others in the Premier League. Arsenal Football Club is owned by Arsenal Holdings Limited. Kroenke Sports and Entertainment bought 100% of the shares of Arsenal Holding Limited in 2018, making them the sole owner of Arsenal FC.
Stan Kroenke is the sole owner of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, having founded the company in 1995. This means that Kroenke is the sole owner of Arsenal Football Club. This has only been the case since 2018, when Kroenke’s company purchased the remaining shares, having slowly accumulated more and more shares in Arsenal since 2007. He also owns the NBA Franchise the Denver Nuggets which is riding a wave of success featuring 2 x MVP Nicola Jokic as they push for the NBA title and Jokic’s 3rd straight MVP trophy.
Arsenal Previous Owners
Red & White Holdings
When Stan Kroenke began investing in Arsenal FC, he had to compete alongside Red & White holdings which was co-owned by Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri. The pair bought a 14.58% stake in Arsenal in 2007, buying the stake from former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.
They quickly increased the shareholding to 23% later that year and increased it to 25% in 2008. When Stan Kroenke began expanding his share in the club, the pair refused to sell their shares to Kroenke, even expanding their own holdings to over 30%. After friction with the rest of the board, the pair finally decided to sell.
Usmanov accepted a £550 million offer for his stake in Arsenal from Stan Kroenke, making the American the sole owner of the club. Usmanov and Moshiri are still involved in the Premier League, currently the majority stakeholder in Everton FC.
Danny Fiszman
Danny Fiszman was one of the more interesting characters to be an owner of a football club. He was actually bought into Arsenal on the advice of his friend David Dein who was also an investor in the club. Fiszman made his fortune in diamonds, trading rough diamonds to become one of the richest men in the UK.
He bought into the club in 1991, beginning with 10,00 shares. The value of those shares grew massively and he began selling it off in 2007. Fiszman sold 659 shares in 2007 for just over £3.9 million. He would begin to start selling off in the next few years, slowly selling more and more of the club to Kroenke.
Just two days before Fiszman’s death, he sold his remaining shares in the club to Kroenke, passing away on April 13th 2011 due to throat cancer.
David Dein
David Dein was one of the most involved shareholders in Arsenal FC. Dein made his money as a sugar trader, originally buying shares in the club in 1983. Dein bought 16.6% of the club and was appointed as vice-chairman of Arsenal.
During his time as vice-chairman, Dein was crucial in the growing success of the club. He was one of the architects of the Premier League which has given the top flight of English football a sustainable future. Dein was the man behind Arsene Wenger’s appointment as manager which turned Wenger into the club’s most successful manager.
He was also massively involved in the transfers of the club, helping to sign Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright as two of his best signings. Wright spoke very fondly about Dein, calling him a father figure. Dein was crucial in the team transforming Highbury into an all-seater stadium to make the stadium cheaper.
Unfortunately, Dean began to fall out with the other members of the board in the middle of the 2000s. Arsenal were going through a huge amount of change in the 2000s and had taken on huge debts due to their move from Highbury to the Emirates. In looking for new investment, Dein was one of the men to be moved on.
He decided to sell his shares in the club in August 2007, selling his 14.58% of the club to Red & White Holdings which was owned by Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri. Since leaving Arsenal he has started a project aimed at providing coaching and other sporting qualifications for prisoners, with Arsene Wenger helping him to raise £150,000.
Arsenal Directors
Lord Harris of Peckham
Lord Harris of Peckham was appointed to the board of Arsenal in November 2005. A keen philanthropist, he made his money thanks to founding Carpetright in 1988, with the company growing to become one of the biggest carpet businesses in the UK. He has made many donations to different schools and colleges, particularly in the Peckham area.
Stan Kroenke
Arsenal fans will already know quite a bit about Stan Kroenke. The American businessman bought into Arsenal in 2007, slowly expanding his ownership of the club before becoming the sole owner in 2018. Kroenke has a long history of sports investing, primarily the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and the Colorado Rapids of the MLS.
Kroenke made his money through real estate and has put a lot of his own fortune into the football club. Kroenke was appointed to the board in September 2008 when he was a minority shareholder, keeping that role as he became the majority shareholder.
Josh Kroenke
Josh Kroenke is the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment as well as the President of the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. Josh is the son of Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke and became involved in his father’s business very early on. He joined the board in December 2013 and remains there today.
Tim Lewis- Non-executive Director
Long-time lawyer Tim Lewis is the newest member of the board of directors. He was appointed to the position in June 2020. Lewis has had a long-time friendship with the Kroenke group, being an advisor to them since they bought into Arsenal. He joined the Board after leaving his position with London-based law firm Clifford Chance.