Bill Kenwright, who has died aged 78 after a lengthy illness, combined the twin passions of football and theatre, as chairman of Everton FC and producer of more West End and touring shows than any of his contemporaries. On the road he sometimes cut corners and appeared a bit parsimonious with both the talent and his money. There was, however, never any doubt about his commitment to that talent, or his ingenuity in raising – and making – money, even though he finally succeeded, in early 2016, in finding the right billionaire to take over the club he had supported since boyhood. Having become the club’s largest shareholder and hugely popular chairman in 2004, in early 2016 he sold a 49.9% stake in Everton to the Iranian billionaire Fahrad Moshiri, who was formerly associated with Arsenal.
But splits in the boardroom, rumours, plans to move to a new ground – with a 52,888 stadium now under construction on the Liverpool waterfront to replace the antiquated Goodison Park – and the sale to Manchester United of the teenage prodigy Wayne Rooney at the start of his chairmanship all contributed to high stress levels in Kenwright’s life. In recent months, he was effectively ousted by the money men and the proposed sale of the club to a major American company, 777 Partners.
