As doubts continued to grow over the very survival of Derby County, David Clowes has stepped in and revealed that his business has bought Pride Park Stadium and is ready to take the club out of administration.
The stadium – which was not part of the administration – had been a potential stumbling block for whoever was going to buy the club, but his announcement that a deal had been struck in secrecy a week ago is a huge relief to fans.
As is the Clowes Developments announcement of a loan to tide the club over and provide it with the lifeline it needs to start a new season in League One and build itself up again.
Now it is just a question of waiting for administrators Quantuma to announce a positive response to the commercial property business’s formal bid to take over the club.
Clowes Developments is one of the biggest privately-owned property investment and development firms in the UK with interests in commercial, residential, leisure, industrial and mixed use properties.
The £83 million turnover business is based off the A42 between Derby and Ashbourne and has property assets valued at £300 million. There are more than 50 office and business parks in its portfolio, some 18,000 consented housing plots and 3,000 acres of development land in the pipeline.
Big sites across the region include the East Midlands Distribution Centre at Castle Donington, which includes a vast Marks & Spencer distribution hub.
Other big schemes include Centrix Business Park, Corby, Castlewood Business Park, in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Tournament Fields, in Warwick.
The £800 million Fairham site, south of Nottingham, will deliver up to 3,000 new homes and a million sq ft of commercial space, creating 2,500 new jobs.
There is also the Tramshed, St James Street and The Island, all in Derby, Forbes Park, in Long Eaton and Etiquette Park, Ilkeston – to name but a handful.
Chairman David Clowes – the man who is leading the Derby County negotiations on behalf of Clowes – is a Rams fan and the latest member of the family to have a key position within the business.
The 53-year-old joined in June 1985 and was appointed a director in 1991, talking full responsibility as chairman of the group in February 2015.
As well as attending Derby home and away fixtures he has a lifelong passion for flying, attending Oxford Air Training School back in 1994 before getting his Airline Transport Pilots Licence.
He joined British Midland, based at East Midlands Airport, in 2000 – while still a director at Clowes – firstly as a first officer on Fokker 100 and Fokker 70 aircraft, then flying Boeing 737s. He became a Captain in December 2004 and worked for British Midland until 2012.
Announcing his move for Derby County he said: “With a deadline looming and the start of the next season getting closer, we needed to do something.
“As a local and established property company, purchasing the stadium seemed the obvious first step.
“Secondly, as a proud Derby supporter, it was inconceivable to me that the club was at risk of falling away.
“We’ve worked tirelessly behind the scenes on the stadium purchase and loan agreement to be able to get the club going again in time for the next season.
“Players, staff and fans needed some good news, and we are delighted to play a part in delivering that.
“As a long-standing loyal supporter, I am personally delighted that we are in a position to be able to secure the future of the football Club. This is a very proud and humbling moment for Clowes Developments.”
