How Norwich City and Ipswich Town's owners made their millions | OneFootball

Football League World looks at how Norwich City and their rivals Ipswich Town's owners made their millions

The East Anglian Derby played between Norwich City and Ipswich Town was one of the Football League's fiercest rivalries, but Ipswich Town's recent promotion to the Premier League symbolised the beginning of a new chapter for the relationship between the two clubs.

Somewhat ironically, last December's meeting between the Canaries and the Tractor Boys marked the first meeting between the two sides since 2019, as the Suffolk side suffered relegation to League One at the end of the 2018/19 Championship campaign, while their Norfolk counterparts won promotion to the Premier League.

The Canaries' top-flight stint would last just one season, while the Tractor Boys spent four successive seasons in the third tier, earning promotion back to the Championship in 2023.

But upon their return to the second tier, Kieran McKenna's men produced the almost unfathomable feat of back-to-back promotions to the Premier League.

But despite their incredible promotion-winning exploits, it was in fact the Canaries who claimed East Anglian bragging rights, as the two sides played out a 2-2 draw at Portman Road last December, before Norwich won 1-0 at Carrow Road in April.

And as the Tractor Boys revel in the glory of their Premier League status, while the Carrow road faithful cherish last season's derby memories, Football League World compares how the owners of the two clubs made their millions.

The Canaries' ownership changed hands in October 2024, when Mark Attanasio became the sole majority shareholder, taking the reins from long-standing owners Delia Smith and her husband, Michael Wynn Jones.

After owning the club for more than 25 years, and overseeing five promotions to the Premier League, Smith and Wynn Jones were made honorary life presidents at Carrow Road.

Attanasio was initially appointed to the club's board of directors in September 2022, just over two years before he completed his takeover at Carrow Road.

The American businessman is best known for his ownership of the Major League Baseball team, Milwaukee Brewers, who he purchased back in 2004.

The 67-year-old made his fortunes by co-founding the Los Angeles-based investment firm Crescent Capital Group in 1991, and is also a part-owner of the American Hockey League side Milwaukee Admirals.

Tractor Boys owners made their riches through investment funds

While the Tractor Boys and Canaries are bitter rivals, one thing they now share in common is the presence of American owners who made their millions through investment firms.

The Suffolk side were purchased back in 2021 by US-based consortium Gamechanger 20 Ltd back in 2021, and have enjoyed a successful time since, with two memorable promotion campaigns.

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, a US investment fund called ORG, who manage funds for a large US pension pot, the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, own 90% of Gamchanger 20 Ltd.

The Tractor Boys takeover was fronted by a trio of American businessmen, Brett Johnson, Berke Bakay and Mark Detmer, who are also board members of the US soccer club Phoenix Rising FC.

Rising are co-owned by Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba, and won the USL Championship in 2023, the same year the Tractor Boys won promotion to the Championship.