Liverpool owner John W Henry sees growth of over £500m in net worth

According to the newest rankings of America's wealthiest people, Liverpool primary owner John W Henry's net worth has climbed by £581 million this year. The current issue of Forbes magazine's 'Forbes 400' stated that Henry, 72, the founder and CEO of Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, has experienced a growth of $800 million (£581 million) since the publication of the last issue in April 2021.

In the last seven months, Henry's net worth has risen from $2.8 billion (£2.04 billion) to $3.6 billion (£2.62 billion). Henry, who gained his fortune in commodities trading before founding Fenway Sports Group in 2001, then known as New England Sports Ventures, has built his empire over the last 20 years by purchasing and successfully operating both the Boston Red Sox baseball team and the Liverpool football club.

He has been designated one of America's 400 wealthiest people, occupying number 318 on the list, thanks to a huge increase in his net worth over the past year. Henry is the 35th most powerful sports owner in the United States.

While the pandemic wreaked havoc on businesses, particularly sports businesses, Henry and FSG engendered some key changes behind the scenes that have boosted their net worth.

Liverpool primary owner John W Henry ranks as the 35th most powerful sports owner in the United States

Liverpool FC players in action

Though both Liverpool and the Red Sox's bottom lines have suffered, the worth of both clubs has improved in the last year, with Liverpool now ranked as the world's 12th most valuable sporting team and the Red Sox the 20th. The FSG business has increased as well, thanks to a $750 million investment from RedBird Capital Partners in March to help accelerate expansion across the board with a number of projects, including one in Liverpool.

FSG became the second investor in basketball player, Liverpool fan and FSG partner LeBron James' company SpringHill Entertainment, the $725 million company he created with business partner and another FSG partner Maverick Carter, earlier this month.

RedBird, Liverpool's clothing supplier Nike, and Epic Games, the creators of the enormously famous Fortnite video game, were all lead investors in the agreement. Henry also controls the Boston Globe newspaper and related media platforms, which he bought from the New York Times Company for $70 million in 2013. Linda Pizzuti Henry, his wife, is the current CEO of Boston Globe Media Partners.