Who is the Newcastle United owner? A Detailed Timeline of the Newcastle United Ownership History

Newcastle United is one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in the UK. On the list of the greatest teams in the Premier League, it has been a mainstay with a rich tradition. With a global fanbase of almost 4.4 million, the Magpies have been running strong in the English top flight. And now, with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia backing them financially, the new Newcastle United owner is on song both on and off the pitch.

Since the Tyne-based outfit came into existence in 1892, it won four Premier League titles and six FA Cups, outlining the rich legacy in English football. A lot of credit for this constant success goes to the Newcastle United owners, who took the control of the club in different decades with their progressive purpose that saw the club lighting up the top division league and tournaments. 

Since 1894, multiple Newcastle United owners such as Alderman Fenwick family and Sir John Hall dedicated a lot with riches and heart to bring joy and glory to the St. James Park. A small list of powerful and football-loving businessmen and industrialists shaped the club in a glazing way so as to establish it as the proud face of Newcastle upon Tyne. Before talking about the history of the club’s ownership history, let’s go down the memory lane and discuss the beautiful history of it.

Club History

When England was known as Great Britain and was considered by locals to be the greatest country on earth, Newcastle had two football clubs: Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End. Once fierce rivals, these two sides merged after East End took control of West End due to the latter’s financial difficulties. In 1892, Newcastle United was formed, symbolizing the region’s love for football, and St. James’ Park became their home ground.

Denied entry into the top division of English football, the North Eastern club competed in the second division. Even before this, one of the fiercest rivalries in the UK emerged when Newcastle United faced their local rivals, Sunderland. This gave birth to the century-old Tyne-Wear Derby.

The most successful period in Newcastle United’s history came between 1904 and 1910, during which the Magpies won three of their four league titles and one FA Cup. Their last top-flight league title came in 1927, marking the beginning of the club’s gradual decline in the league. However, they won six FA Cup titles, highlighting their continued success in that competition. The Magpies were last relegated to the EFL Championship in 2016 but made a triumphant return to the Premier League the following year as Championship winners.

Despite the club’s rich history, several owners have been criticized for poor leadership and vision, tarnishing its legacy. Now, let’s turn our attention to the history of the club’s ownership lineage.

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History of Newcastle United Owners

When football began to bloom across the UK, football clubs of the country had a tradition to keep all managerial affairs to their countrymen. But, the tradition was broken in this case. The Alderman Fenwick family, who were Spanish nationals, turned the club into a private limited company before the merger of two clubs, and became the first unofficial Newcastle United owner. Until 1997, the ownership duties of the Magpies were dominated by the Seymour, Mckeag and Westwood family. 

With the evolution of the English top tier league, Newcastle United needed to change its management, and John Hall arrived with a progressive perspective with financial strength. He bought 72.9% stakes for just £3 million in 1991 and became the owner in 1997. For the first time, the club turned into a public limited company through a stock exchange listing. 

Since then, a lot of cash has been injected into the welfare fund of the club by the owners. After Hall stepped down as the chairman, his partner Mike Ashley took things into his hands and foreign funds began to shower. The prominent media group NTL also showed interest in taking over Newcastle United ownership, but they stopped their pursuit after buying just 6.3% shares of the club for £10 million in 1998. But, constant failures at the biggest stage of English football started to raise questions on the motives of the owners, and then the Saudi Arabian PIF came into the play and changed the course of the Magpies’ history. 

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Controversial Newcastle United Takeover by PIF in 2021

Then came the year of 2020. Rumors of the regime change at Newcastle United began to spread across England. By the end of that year, a consortium consisting of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media came with a millions of dollars proposal to buy the club.

It must be noted that the previous owner Ashley put Newcastle United up for sale in 2017 when the team was putting in shambolic displays on the pitch. An offer of £305 million was made by the consortium in 2020, drawing wide-range criticism from various sections of football fans due to involvement of Saudi Arabia, a country accused of several human rights violations. Even the PIF’s bid was regarded as “sportswashing” by the Premier League fans. 

After months-long consideration, the English football league committee approved the deal, and the Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman became the indirect owner of Newcastle United through the controversial takeover of the club. PIF became 80% shareholders, while the rest was evenly split between PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media in 2021.

What is the Current Ownership Situation of Newcastle United?

When Saudi-backed PIF acquired the majority stake of Newcastle United, the loyal fans of the club took it as an insult towards the incredible legacy that has been achieved over the years. 

The ultras of Magpies staged multiple protests outside St James Stadium and on the streets of Tyne to hold the sale of their beloved club to the Saudi investors. But, PIF, that is worth around £700 billion, as of 2024, ultimately became the major stakeholders in 2021. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is the governor of PIF, was appointed as the chairman of Newcastle United. 

Since then, the Premier League outfit has been one of the top spenders in the transfer market across the biggest European leagues. It broke the bank for signing players like Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali and Kieran Trippier. Newcastle’s biggest achievements since PIF’s ownership takeover are as follows – a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League table and first UEFA Champions League appearance after 20 years. In addition to that, the Toon outfit recorded a revenue growth of around £405 million in 2023. Despite facing criticism, the Saudi Arabian owners of Newcastle United look committed to take the club to new heights. Only time will tell how well they fare in their conquest of winning the hearts of the fans.

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