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Alan Pace – Burnley FC Owner, Ownership Structure & Net Worth

Burnley

Burnley

Premier League / England

Burnley have made their way back into the Premier League for the 2025/26 season and have had a pretty rollercoaster of a journey in going up and down in the English league football system over the 21st century. The Burnley FC owners are currently Velocity Sports Partners, which is the sports investment company for the American firm ALK Capital. The Burnley ownership includes their chairman, Alan Pace, under whose guidance they have been promoted to the Premier League twice. The Burnley FC owners have helped raise the club's value to over £196 million, making them among the most valuable teams in British football. The Burnley management team has faced criticism for saddling the club with unnecessary debts after their takeover, creating a sweet-and-sour relationship between the Burnley owners and the supporters.

Who Are Burnley Owners?

The Burnley ownership structure changed drastically in 2020 when the USA-based investment firm, ALK Capital, took over the club 2020. ALK Capital's sporting arm, Velocity Sports Partners, became the Burnley FC owners in December 2020 when they acquired an 84% majority ownership stake in the English club for a rumored £170 million. Soon after that, ALK Capital's managing partner, Alan Pace, became the club's chairman as part of the new Burnley owners regime and acted as a representative of the American firm too.

The Burnley football club owners have expanded the Burnley FC ownership over the years as well. In May 2023, the Burnley FC management team decided to bring in NFL legend J.J. Watt and his wife Kealia Watt as minority investors at Burnley. That same year, the Burnley owners also welcomed YouTube group Dude Perfect, who boast over 60 million subscribers on the platform, as a minority investor to join the Burnley FC owners.

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Burnley FC Management Team

The Burnley FC management team stretches well beyond their chairman, Alan Pace. The Burnley football club owners have set up a pretty efficient structure to ensure smooth operations of the club off the pitch. The Burnley FC management team includes Alan Pace as well as a number of key directors who hold influential roles in the club. There are also other key roles being occupied by people who ensure that the players are looked after well and the club is run like a well-oiled machine.

RoleName
ChairmanAlan Pace
DirectorsStuart Hunt, Mike Smith, Dave Checketts, Antonio Davila
Chief Operating OfficerMatt Williams
Director of OperationsDoug Metcalfe
Finance DirectorAndrew Thompson
Director of Football DevelopmentPaul Jenkins
Director of Fan ExperienceRussell Ball

Burnley FC Sporting Director

The Burnley football club owners decided to appoint Paul Jenkins as their Director of Football Development in 2023. Jenkins had initially served as an academy director at the club before being promoted to the role. The Burnley owners have benefited from Jenkins' smart work, as it was Paul who played a role in appointing Scott Parker as the Burnley manager in 2024 and gave him the necessary tools to help them regain promotion to the Premier League.

Paul Jenkins was responsible for Burnley's astounding 2024 summer transfer window activity, when they signed 15 players and sold 20, which saw the club rake in over £50 million from the sales of Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge. The Burnley owners have instilled utmost trust in Jenkins over the years, and that paid off with their promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Sporting DirectorTenure
Frank McParland2015
Paul Jenkins2023-Present

Other Sports Teams Owned By ALK Capital & J.J. Watts

The Burnley owners seem poised to transition Burnley into a multi-club ownership model in July 2025. The Burnley FC owners, ALK Capital and J.J. Watts, are reportedly close to acquiring a majority ownership stake in La Liga club Espanyol that will help them act as a sister club for Burnley FC.

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Who is Alan Pace?

Alan Pace was appointed as the Burnley FC owner when the ALK Capital group completed the takeover of the club in 2020. Alan Pace is a businessman with a history of working in the finance scene, as he's also a Managing Partner at ALK Capital. He initially earned his popularity as the managing director for the Lehman Brothers from 1994 to 2006.

He went on to become a partner for the Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake in 2006 and also served as the CEO for Citicorp Securities Services, a brand of the Citibank group. Alan Pace currently works as a partner for the ALK Capital firm and as the Burnley FC owner and chairman. He is involved in major operations within the club, which vary from their player recruitment strategy to making key financial decisions within the club and securing commercial sponsorship revenue deals as well. Alan Pace has been the Burnley FC chairman since late 2020, and the Clarets have been promoted twice to the Premier League under his tenure.

Alan Pace Primary Business

The ability to be part of the Burnley FC ownership has helped Pace maintain his stature as a successful businessman. His primary source of income is mostly as a Managing Partner for ALK Capital, where he earns some impressive profit in his prestigious role. His potential source of income from being a Burnley chairman has not been disclosed to the public yet. However, Alan Pace net worth has soared over the years because of his flourishing business ventures.

Alan Pace Net Worth

Here we look at the Alan Pace net worth. The 56-year-old businessman has been able to build up an impressive personal portfolio as the current Burnley owner and also a Managing Partner of ALK Capital. The Alan Pace net worth in 2025 is estimated to be around £190 million, which includes his lifetime earnings as well as the value of his assets.

YearTotal Net Worth
2025£190 million
2024£190 million
2023£190 million

Note: Net worth is approximate and based on available data from various sources.

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Burnley Ownership History: From Past to Present

Burnley FC was formed on 18 May 1882, and it was in 1898 that it was transformed to be a limited company. The Burnley owners from 1898-2020 consisted of the supporters being in control of the club and various local businessmen from the Lancashire area investing in the club to keep it afloat.

The Burnley football club owners in the past include some influential names like Harry Windle, who was their chairman in their 1920-21 English first division title-winning season. Bob Lard played a huge role in transforming Burnley as the Burnley FC owner, creating their training ground and emphasizing their youth policy, as well as helping them win the 1959-60 First Division title. Alan Pace became part of the Burnley ownership in 2020 when his ALK Capital investment firm took over the majority stake, marking the first time local businessmen or supporters didn't control the club.

Owner NameTenure
Albert Jobbling1882-1883
John Rawcliffe1883-1885
John Bradley1885-1887
Wyatt Granger1896-1899
Edwin Whitehead1899-1909
Harry Windle1909-1930
William Bracewell1930-1932
Edward Tate1932-1934
Tom Clegg1934-1948
Ernest Kay1948-1952
Wilfried Hopkinson1952-1955
Bob Lord1955-1981
John Jackson1981-1985
Frank Teasdale1985-1998
Barry Kilby1998-2012
John Banaszkiewicz, Mike Garlick2012-2015
Mike Garlick2015-2020
Alan Pace2020-Present

Burnley FC Owners Controversy

Since Alan Pace became the Burnley owner, there has been controversy around the Burnley FC ownership. That is because of the ALK Capital executing a leveraged takeover, for which they took the aid of major bank loans of £65 million with an 8% rate of intest, as well as another £70 million bank loan. Their net debt was recorded at over £60 million in Burnley's financial results for the 2023-24 season.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns Burnley FC?

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Burnley FC is majority-owned by ALK Capital, a US-based investment firm, with Alan Pace serving as chairman.

How did ALK Capital take control of Burnley?

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In December 2020, ALK acquired an 84% stake in the club, funding the deal through a leveraged buyout and replacing then-chairman Mike Garlick.

How wealthy is Alan Pace or ALK Capital?

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Alan Pace’s personal net worth is  around £190 million.

Does ALK Capital own other football clubs?

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Currently, Burnley is ALK’s main football holding, though reports suggest the group is exploring a multi-club model with potential investment in clubs like Espanyol.

What role does Alan Pace play at Burnley?

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As chairman, Pace is involved in all major club operations—from recruitment strategy to financial planning and commercial partnerships.

Are there any other notable Burnley investors?

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Yes, NFL star J.J. Watt, his wife Kealia Watt, and the YouTube group Dude Perfect joined as minority investors in 2023.