Who is Tottenham Hotspurs Owner? Who leads the Ownership of the Premier League Giants

The English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur is one of the biggest and most famous clubs in England and Europe. In fact, they are amongst the top 10 richest football clubs in the world as of 2024. Tottenham have been consistently competing in the English top tier since the formation of the Premier League in 1992. Though they have never managed to lift the league trophy in the modern era and are still seeking major success in terms of trophies and championships.

Nicknamed ‘the Lily Whites’ their last significant title was the English League (EFL) when they defeated Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in the 2007-08 season. Regardless, they still maintain their reputation as an elite club as Spurs are celebrated for their rich history, successful background, massive fanbase, and majestic and modern Tottenham Hotspurs stadium. The club is backed by a strong revenue system, exceptional commercial operations and global popularity.

Spurs are a commercial powerhouse attracting substantial deals and sponsorships. Moreover, they have a world-class academy and youth system which attracts the finest talents to their ranks and they are counted among the Big Six teams of English football alongside Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City. On that note, let’s comprehend the background, ownership history & structure of the North London club in this article.

Background

Tottenham Hotspurs’ is one of the oldest English clubs as their history dates back to the late 1880s, when a group of schoolboys from ‘Hotspur Cricket Club’ formed the club Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club in London. Decade, later, the club adopted professionalism in 1995 taking their first significant step in English football and played their matches at White Hart Lane stadium from 1889 to 2017. In 1901, they were crowned the FA Cup champions securing this feat as a non-league club.

After suffering multiple relegations since 1911, Spurs eventually won the promotion to Division One in 1951 and went on to become the English Champions twice, During that timeframe, they created history by becoming the first-ever British club to clinch a European triumph following their UEFA Cup (UEFA Europa League) title in 1971/72 season and again won the competition in 1983/84 season.

The London side enjoyed numerous successes in domestic competitions adding an incredible, eight FA Cups, four Leagues Cup (EFL) and seven Community Shield trophies. In their most recent achievements, the Lily Whites finished as the Premier League runners-up in the 2016/17 campaign and progressed to the UEFA Champions League final in 2018/19 both times the manager was Mauricio Pochettinho.

Also Read: Who Owns Real Madrid? The Truth Behind One of the Biggest Teams in Club Football

Since, the club is based in North London and shares historic rivalries with its fellow clubs from the English capitals, such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Fulham in English football. Over the years, Tottenham have been home to some of the Greatest players such as Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Harry Kane, Glenn Hoddle, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Teddy Sheringham have worn the white jersey to play for the club English outfit.

List of Tottenham’s major Silverware and titles:

Title	Year
Division One (English Football League) x 2	1951, 1961
UEFA Cup (Europa League) x 2	1972, 1984
English FA Cup x 8	1901,1921,1961,1962, 1967,1981,1982, 1991
English League Cup x 4	1908,1971, 1973, 1999
Community Shield x 7	1922,1952, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1982, 1992
Division Two (Second tier) x 2	1920, 1950

Also Read: Who is the Arsenal owner? A Detailed Timeline of the Arsenal Ownership History

Tottenham Hotspurs Ownership History

Tottenham have witnessed various ownership transitions over the years, during the early years of its foundation as a football institution John Oliver was the chairman and one of the founders till 1998. From the early 1900s to the next fifty years Charles Roberts and Arthur Richardson were at the helm foreseeing the team till 1982. In 1982, the club made a significant step in welcoming the British property developer Irving Scholar, who bought decisive shares of the club and led to numerous on-pitch successes including the UEFA Cup victory and multiple domestic silverware.

After Scholar’s departure, a prominent figure and businessman acquired the majority stakes in the club, however, under his ownership regime Spurs endured financial instability and their performance on the field was hugely impacted by the management’s bold decisions. His tenure felt the heat of criticism and eventually sold his entire stake to ENIC Group in 2001 but was involved in the club’s administration till 2003. In 2001, Joe Lewis led Consterium ENIC to take over the entire ownership to become their new Tottenham owner.

Owners	Period
John Oliver	1882-1898
Charles Roberts	1898-1943
Arthur Richardson	1943-1951
Irving Scholar	1982-1991
Alan Sugar	1991-2001
ENIC Group	2001-present

The ENIC Group’s Ownership Reign at Spurs

The current Tottenham owner is the English National Invest Company (ENIC) Group. The investment firm was founded and previously owned by Joe Lewis, who served as the head of ENIC during the purchase of the club. In 2022, Joe Lewis passed on his ownership role to his family trust holds the majority 86.58% share of the investment company which ultimately owns the Premier League club. Daniel Levy also has some key percentage of the share within the ENIC Group and also heads the team’s top brass as Chairman.

Also Read: Aston Villa Owner: Who Owns Aston Villa Football Club?

The remaining 14.4% shares are in the hands of private investors, who are involved in the key decision-making of the club’s functioning. Levy has been the face of the Lewis family consumerism Guardianship and also serves as the managing director of ENIC Group.

Over the years, Daniel Levy has been a prominent figure in running the club bringing in hefty financial deals and building strategies for the football operations. The Englishman is been largely credited for the construction of the marvellous Tottenham Hotspur Stadium inaugurated in 2019, it’s one of the best stadiums in the world. Not only that but his administrative skills have helped them remain amongst the Premier League top six and attained financial stability.

Tottenham chairman has maintained a conservative approach when it comes to spending in the market. Thanks to his vision, the club avoid panic buys and acquires well-researched and profitable buys after significant strategic planning. Levy has maintained a pragmatic approach to spending huge on established players and focuses more on players with the scope of development which it difficult for them to compete for the titles and continental championships due to the lesser quality of the squad.

However, in the past two years, the trend has changed after the appointment of Agne Postecoglou, making several record-breaking signings utilising their strong financial background but in a sustainable way. This summer, Tottenham smashed the club’s previous records to sign Dominic Solanke from Premier League rivals Bournemouth for a £65 million fee as he became the club’s most expensive arrival in its history. And, they have shown improvements under the guidance of Agne Prostecoglu playing fluid attacking football

Also Read: Who Is the Manchester United Owner? The Full Story Behind Manchester United’s Unique Ownership

FAQs