How Bristol City and Bristol Rovers' owners made their millions | OneFootball

Football League World take a look at how Bristol City and Bristol Rovers' owners made their money.

Bristol City and Bristol Rovers have long been fierce rivals, but in recent years, their rivalry has faded as the two clubs have not found themselves in the same division.

Bristol City have been the more successful of the two sides in recent years, with the Robins having retained their Championship status for over nine years.

Meanwhile, Rovers have a varied recent history, with relegation to the National League in 2014 being a dark moment in their history. However, they have bounced back from that and currently find themselves in the division below their city rivals in League One.

The Gas will be eager to fight their way up, and you can bet that both sets of fans are craving a renewal of the league rivalry that hasn’t been seen since 2001.

Off the pitch, both clubs are backed by ambitious owners who have targets of pushing their clubs up to the next level. This requires a certain level of investment and below we have detailed how Stephen Lansdown of Bristol City and Hussain AlSaeed of Bristol Rovers made their money.

Stephen Lansdown - Rags to Riches

Lansdown's impressive journey began in 1981 when he co-founded a financial services company with his business partner, Peter Hargreaves, starting from the modest setting of his own bedroom. The pair quickly built a strong partnership, and their company, Hargreaves Lansdown, began to gain traction in the financial industry.

A pivotal moment came in 1987, when the company successfully navigated the aftermath of a major stock market crash, earning the trust of many clients at a time when confidence in the market was low.

Since then, they have adapted through changing technology and continued to grow as a company.

In 2007, the company experienced a large milestone when it went public by floating on the stock market, a process that converts a private company into a public one by selling shares. This move significantly increased the company's value and reach. Despite going public, Lansdown and Hargreaves retained 75% ownership, while the remaining 25% was distributed among institutions, employees, and clients, aligning their interests with the company’s long-term success.

The same year, Lansdown's company hit £1 billion in assets, but in 2024 it seems the time has come for him to sell the company. Having agreed a takeover worth £5.4 billion back in August, it seems he will sell his final shares, which total to 6% of the company.

The money that Lansdown has made through L and H has been heavily utilised at Bristol City. First involved with the club in 1996, he became acting chairman in 2002 and has done many great deeds to help the club thrive.

This was most evident in 2009 when he sold shares in his own company to try and fund a new stadium for the Robins. Unfortunately, this never came to fruition, but he changed paths and placed the money into renovating the current stadium.

Lansdown has been a true figurehead for the club, and when he eventually steps away from BS3, he will undoubtedly depart with the gratitude and best wishes of everyone associated with Bristol City.

August 2023 saw a change of ownership at Bristol Rovers, with Wael Al-Qadi selling 55% of his stake in the club to Kuwaiti businessman Hussain AlSaeed.

AlSaeed's net worth is currently unclear, but he stems from a career in banking, having been the Treasury and Investment Manager at the Commercial Bank of Kuwait.

Following that, he continued to build his career in finance as an Assistant and General Manager at Kuwait Investment International Company. He then went on to form his own company in the form of M.E.C Consultants, but it was real estate where he made his millions.

Founding the Al Elmam Estate Company in 1993, he has developed housing, shopping malls, offices and restaurants all over Kuwait.

While it is unclear just how much money this earned him, it is likely that it could be of great benefit to Rovers.