David Gold
Encyclopedia
David Gold in Stepney
, East London
is an English
businessman. He was the chairman of Birmingham City
until 2009 and since 2010 he has been the joint-chairman of West Ham United
. Gold was raised in abject poverty in the slums of East London and for some time lived at 442 Green Street
near to West Ham's Boleyn Ground
. His father was an East End criminal, known locally as 'Goldy', who spent time in prison
during Gold's early years.
, lingerie chain Knickerbox, and owned pornographic magazine
company Gold Star Publications (GSP), printing and distribution businesses and until 2006, corporate air service Gold Air International. GGI was jointly owned by David and his brother Ralph, until David bought out Ralph's share in 2008.
In 2006 he sold his charter airline, Gold Air for £4.4m. The brothers in 2007 sold their share in Sport Newspapers
, following falling sales and profits. His daughter Jacqueline Gold
is chief executive of Ann Summers and Knickerbox Ltd.
in May 2008, Gold was quoted as saying he was considering stepping down as joint head of the board of Birmingham City. He sold his Birmingham City shares in 2009.
In May 2005, Gold bought the second FA Cup
trophy at auction for £488,620, saying he wanted to prevent it being bought by overseas buyers.
In January 2010 Gold and David Sullivan acquired a 50 percent share of West Ham United giving them overall operational and commercial control of the club. They were appointed joint chairmen. They increased their share of the club to 30% each in May 2010 at a cost of £8 million. His time as chairman of West Ham has been conspicuous due to several incidents. In August 2010 his Rolls-Royce Phantom
car was attacked by Aston Villa
fans outside a pub
near Villa Park
after West Ham's 3-0 defeat. The car sustained £8,500 worth of damage. He described the incident as "the most frightening experience of my football life".
In November 2010 Gold criticised Birmingham City's new owners for reneging on their promise to keep him on as chairman following the sale of the club. Birmingham City and their acting chairman, Peter Pannu, responded by banning Gold from their ground St Andrew's for Birmingham City's game against West Ham on 6 November.
Gold later issued a personal apology to Pannu on West Ham's own website.
, an improvement on 2009 which saw the Golds rise six places to 178th in the rankings, however with another large decline of £150m in their fortunes to £300m.
The family dropped 51 places to 184th, with their fortune dropping £100m to £450m in the 2008 list. Previously they were valued at £550m and ranked 133rd in the Sunday Times
Rich List 2007
. Dropping from 119th, with a value of £525m in the Sunday Times
Rich List 2006. Previous rankings were 82nd – value £370m in 2001, 72nd – value £410m in 2002, 67th – value £465m in 2003, 79th – value £495m in 2004 and 92nd – value £515m in 2005.
's increase in the debt of Manchester United
and Portsmouth
going into administration in 2010, Gold has advocated regulating football clubs' debts. He feels it is "cheating" for a team to take on debts which they could never pay off without external assistance and that he "fears for the league".
Stepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
, East London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
businessman. He was the chairman of Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
until 2009 and since 2010 he has been the joint-chairman of West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
. Gold was raised in abject poverty in the slums of East London and for some time lived at 442 Green Street
Green Street, London
Green Street is a road in the London Borough of Newham, England. There is an official website for this road.The southern portion is the location of the Boleyn Ground, home to West Ham United...
near to West Ham's Boleyn Ground
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
. His father was an East End criminal, known locally as 'Goldy', who spent time in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
during Gold's early years.
Businesses
Gold owns Gold Group International (GGI), the parent company of the retailer Ann SummersAnn Summers
Ann Summers is a United Kingdom-based retailer specialising in sex toys and lingerie, with over 140 high street stores in the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Spain. In 2000, Ann Summers acquired the Knickerbox brand, a label with an emphasis on more comfortable and feminine underwear, while...
, lingerie chain Knickerbox, and owned pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazines, sometimes known as adult magazines, sex magazines or top-shelf magazines are pornographic magazines that contain content of a sexual nature. Adult magazines are mainly aimed towards men, and in some parts of the world, many men's first sight of a naked woman has been in an...
company Gold Star Publications (GSP), printing and distribution businesses and until 2006, corporate air service Gold Air International. GGI was jointly owned by David and his brother Ralph, until David bought out Ralph's share in 2008.
In 2006 he sold his charter airline, Gold Air for £4.4m. The brothers in 2007 sold their share in Sport Newspapers
Sport Newspapers
Sport Newspapers is the English publishing firm responsible for The Daily Sport, Sunday Sport and a number of mid-shelf and top shelf magazine titles such as Adult Sport, Sport Babes, Sport Reader's Wives and Ladsmag....
, following falling sales and profits. His daughter Jacqueline Gold
Jacqueline Gold
Jacqueline Gold is a British business woman, and is currently Chief Executive of the Gold Group International companies Ann Summers and Knickerbox. She is the 16th richest woman in Britain.-Early life:...
is chief executive of Ann Summers and Knickerbox Ltd.
Football clubs
Gold is the former chairman of Birmingham City. In 2007 the Gold brothers were believed to be in the process of selling their share in Birmingham City which followed Birmingham's return from relegation and lower than expected profits. After the club was relegated once again to the ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
in May 2008, Gold was quoted as saying he was considering stepping down as joint head of the board of Birmingham City. He sold his Birmingham City shares in 2009.
In May 2005, Gold bought the second FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
trophy at auction for £488,620, saying he wanted to prevent it being bought by overseas buyers.
In January 2010 Gold and David Sullivan acquired a 50 percent share of West Ham United giving them overall operational and commercial control of the club. They were appointed joint chairmen. They increased their share of the club to 30% each in May 2010 at a cost of £8 million. His time as chairman of West Ham has been conspicuous due to several incidents. In August 2010 his Rolls-Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royce has used the Phantom name on luxury cars over the past century:* Rolls-Royce Phantom I, 1925–1931* Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 1929–1936* Rolls-Royce Phantom III, 1936–1939* Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, 1950–1959...
car was attacked by Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
fans outside a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
near Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
after West Ham's 3-0 defeat. The car sustained £8,500 worth of damage. He described the incident as "the most frightening experience of my football life".
In November 2010 Gold criticised Birmingham City's new owners for reneging on their promise to keep him on as chairman following the sale of the club. Birmingham City and their acting chairman, Peter Pannu, responded by banning Gold from their ground St Andrew's for Birmingham City's game against West Ham on 6 November.
Gold later issued a personal apology to Pannu on West Ham's own website.
Sunday Times Rich List ranking
In 2010 the Gold family fortune rose to £360m placing them 186th in the Rich List 2010Sunday Times Rich List 2010
The Sunday Times Rich List 2010 was published on 25 April 2010.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
, an improvement on 2009 which saw the Golds rise six places to 178th in the rankings, however with another large decline of £150m in their fortunes to £300m.
The family dropped 51 places to 184th, with their fortune dropping £100m to £450m in the 2008 list. Previously they were valued at £550m and ranked 133rd in the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
Rich List 2007
Sunday Times Rich List 2007
The Sunday Times Rich List 2007 was published on 29 April 2007. The online edition was published on 30 April 2007.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
. Dropping from 119th, with a value of £525m in the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
Rich List 2006. Previous rankings were 82nd – value £370m in 2001, 72nd – value £410m in 2002, 67th – value £465m in 2003, 79th – value £495m in 2004 and 92nd – value £515m in 2005.
Autobiography
In 2005, Gold wrote his autobiography Pure Gold with professional co-writer Bob Harris. This dwells on his early childhood poverty, ascent as a pornographer, and involvement with Birmingham City.Advocate of lowering football club debt
After the campaign against Malcolm GlazerMalcolm Glazer
Malcolm Irving Glazer is an American businessman and sports team owner. He is the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, most notably in the food processing industry...
's increase in the debt of Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
going into administration in 2010, Gold has advocated regulating football clubs' debts. He feels it is "cheating" for a team to take on debts which they could never pay off without external assistance and that he "fears for the league".