AFC Bournemouth have been fully owned by the Black Knight Football Club UK Limited since 2002. American billionaire Bill Foley owns this company, just like many other football clubs he has stakes in. Bournemouth owner Bill Foley bought the club in December 2022, thus marking a new era for the club. It signified a new beginning for the “Cherries” as it brought an end to Maxim Demin's era as owner.
The Dorset-based club had an ownership change that cost them approximately 124 million dollars. The club has been doing quite well since finding its way back to the Premier League in the 2022-23 season. Not only did the club find its way back, but they are also overachieving in the Premier League. Their 9th-place finish this year was their best recorded in the UK's top flight.
Who is AFC Bournemouth Owner?
The question that arises is, who is the owner of AFC Bournemouth football club? AFC Bournemouth owner is Black Knight Football Club UK Limited, which is in turn owned by Bill Foley. Foley started in financial services, and that is his main bread and butter. However, he has been a huge investor in sports and has ownership of multiple sports organizations both in the USA and the UK. His concern, Black Knight, primarily focuses on the sporting aspects and owns stakes in different clubs across the US, UK, and even New Zealand.
Other Sports Teams Owned by Bill Foley
Foley has multiple stakes in different sports clubs spanning continents. In New Zealand, he owns the local Auckland City FC. In Scotland, he is a shareholder with Hibernian, and in his home country, the US, he owns a local ice hockey team called the Vegan Golden Knights. Bill was even contemplating the possibilities of buying a team in the NFL. He wanted to buy the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that didn't materialize. Eventually, business magnate Shahid Khan got possession of the club.
Bill Foley Source of Income
Bill Foley has various sources of income, which have helped him generate a lot of wealth. He owns ski resorts in the Whitefish Mountains, has restaurants and hotels, among many others, which create revenue worth billions. Now, if we solely take the Black Knight Football Club into perspective, it only concerns itself with managing the daily activities of the football club. BKFC has made investments in clubs like Auckland FC (New Zealand) and Moreirense FC (Portugal). FC Lorient (France) and Hibernian FC (Scotland) are also managed by BKFC.
AFC Bournemouth Owners Net Worth
Forbes has evaluated Bill Foley's net worth to be around 2.7 billion dollars. The AFC Bournemouth football club owners net worth is substantial, courtesy of their multiple sources of income. Over the last five years, Foley has seen a stable growth in his business. But nothing comes close to the current financial year, where he made the most profit. A huge difference compared to his last year's net worth of 1.96 billion dollars.
| Year | Total Net Woth |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $2.73 billion |
| 2024 | $1.96 billion |
| 2023 | $1.60 billion |
| 2022 | $1.40 billion |
| 2021 | $1.90 billion |
AFC Bournemouth Owners History: From Past to Present
Bournemouth has undergone huge changes over its 126 years of age. The club, which was formerly known as Boscombe Football Club, became Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in 1923. It became AFC Bournemouth in 1971. From then onwards, the name has stayed on. Eddie Mitchell's ownership brought about a positive influence on the club.
Eddie Mitchell sold the club in 2013, and then the ownership went to Russian business magnate Maxim Demin. Demin took charge of the business for 11 years and then sold it off to Bill Foley. Foley, in collaboration with Cannae Holdings, took on the leadership duties at the club. Surprisingly, Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan is also a minor shareholder in the company. He, along with Kosmos founder Nullah Sarker, also holds stakes at the company.
| Owners | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Eddie Mitchell | 2009-2013 |
| Maxim Demin | 2011-2022 |
| Bill Foley and the Black Knight Football Club | 2022-present |
AFC Bournemouth Owners Controversy
Bill Foley has recently stirred up some controversy that pertains to the club's financial standing. Moreover, Foley's decision to sack Manager Gary O Neal was also not received well by the fans. He came in as a filler for the club, taking up the role of a caretaker manager. By then, Scott Parker had already made his exit from the club and had impressed the management with his coaching skills. Despite that, he got axed by Foley and Co., which understandably spurred the fans.
Foley, who is a self-proclaimed dictator, likes to be in charge of most things, and that has not gone down well with the fans of the club.
Then came the controversial write-off for an amount of 71.4 million euros. The shareholder write-off helped the Cherries increase their profits. This was all made possible as the Premier League management committee had granted it. The debt, as a result, got waived off, which came in handy to buy players like Milos Kerkez and Illya Zabarnyi.
