How Blackburn Rovers, Burnley FC and Preston North End's owners made their millions | OneFootball

Burnley, Blackburn and Preston are all run by wealthy individuals, here's how each owner made their money

Football splits opinion in Lancashire, even more so now than ever, with the three biggest clubs in the region all playing in the same league.

Blackburn, Burnley and Preston are all plying their trade in the Championship, but that's been something of a rare occurrence over the last decade, with the Clarets spending most of it in the Premier League, while Blackburn and Preston have both had spells in League One.

All three clubs have different ownership statuses too, and although that doesn't directly contribute to success, it does play a significant part.

Preston are owned by a family, who attended Deepdale in their youth, which leaves them at one end of the spectrum, while Blackburn are owned by an Indian company who have no emotional ties to the club.

Burnley find themselves somewhere in the middle, but their ownership down the years has probably had the edge on the other two, despite their owner being worth considerably less than the other two clubs'.

Blackburn's owners are worth the most of the Lancashire trio

Estimated to be worth an eye-watering £1.56 billion, the Venkys are among the richest owners in the Championship, but they've certainly got a strained relationship with the Rovers faithful.

Their net worth dwarfs the reported £190mBurnley owner Alan Pace is worth, and it's still well in excess of the rumoured £1.1 billion the late Trevor Hemmings passed down to his family, who own Preston.

All three owners made their wealth in different circumstances, with Rovers' owners making their money in animal-related industries - mainly chicken - as their brand 'Venkys' is well-known in India.

Mostly renowned for their involvement in the poultry industry, the Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group (Venkys) has its headquarters in the west Indian city of Pune.

Preston's owners reside from a little closer to home, and although the late Hemmings had his fingers in a lot of pies where business was concerned, he's perhaps best known for his involvement in the horse racing industry.

Hemmings was the owner of three Grand National winners and amassed a property and leisure empire that at various times included racecourses, Pontins holiday camps, Blackpool Tower - all of which he claimed despite starting out with a capital of £12!

Pace comes from a different background still, as self-professed "financial guru and sports technology innovator", while the 56-year-old worked for twenty years as an investment banker before breaking into the world of sports.

Pace did at least have a bit of a footballing background when he took over Burnley in December 2020, as he spent 20 months as interim president of MLS team Real Salt Lake and has reportedly attempted to buy Sheffield United previously.

Blackburn have never got out of the second tier since dropping into it over 10 years ago a little after the Venkys assumed majority control, so finances certainly don't guarantee success.

The Venkys acquired a 99.9% share in Rovers back in November 2010, with the Indian conglomerate gaining the shares from a trust that the late Jack Walker had founded for £54m.

Filling the void left behind by Walker was always likely to be difficult, as after he poured his heart and soul into the football club, which ultimately saw them win the Premier League title in 1995.

It's been a downward spiral since then for Rovers, who dropped down as much as two divisions at one point, while for Preston and Burnley, whose owners don't quite have the same riches, the picture has been much different.

Although Preston's owners aren't worth all that much less than Blackburn's, they've endured a torrid time too as they've struggled to bridge the gap to the Premier League, or even the Championship's big hitters.

But while they haven't quite been able to compete on the same levels as their rivals, they've at least been able to fall back on the fact that their owners have links to the club and have their best interests at heart.

Burnley can also claim that to an extent, as Alan Pace evidently cares about the club, but as an American owner, his primary interest is building the club as a business and ultimately making money.

His leveraged buyout to acquire the club was risky, and heavily relies on success on the pitch, which given his lowly net worth, Burnley desperately need.