Autographs of Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates (born 4 December 1931) is a British businessman, football executive and hotelier. He was involved in the development of Wembley Stadium and is a former owner and chairman of football clubs Chelsea and Leeds United.
Bates spent five years as chairman of Oldham Athletic during the 1960s and also had a spell at Wigan Athletic. In 1982, he purchased Chelsea for £1. During his tenure, he helped the club win a long-running battle with property developers who were attempting to evict them from their Stamford Bridge home. By the end of his reign, Chelsea were regularly finishing in the top six of the Premier League and had won their first major trophies since the 1970s, although they had a debt burden of around £80 million. In July 2003, he sold the club to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from whom he received approximately £18 million.
In January 2005, Bates bought a 50% stake in Leeds United, another club struggling under a heavy debt burden. In May 2007, Leeds entered administration, and were relegated to League One. The club regained Championship status in 2010 and, in May 2011, it was confirmed that Bates had become the sole owner. In November 2012, Bates sold his holdings in Leeds United to GFH Capital.
More about Ken Bates Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Ken Bates
The most expensive item with a signature of Ken Bates (Vintage 2001/02 Chelsea Shirt Mens XL Signed By Team With COA From Ken Bates) was sold in May 2024 for £139.99 while the cheapest item ( Chelsea FC Christmas Carols Programmes Signed Ron Harris,Ken Bates) found a new owner for £0.99 in March 2018. The month with the most items sold (5) was June 2025 with an average selling price of £6.95 for an autographed item of Ken Bates. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in May 2024 with £139.99 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £0.99 was March 2018. In average, an autographed item from Ken Bates is worth £5.95.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Ken Bates were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 |  |
 | SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
| SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
 | SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA APRIL 03 SIGNED BY CHAIRMEN BOB MURRAY AND KEN BATES | £5.95 | |
Latest News about Ken Bates
Almost 20 years on from the day Ken Bates sold Chelsea to an unknown Russian bil (26/03/2023): EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY ROBERT DINEEN: On the subject of overseas ownership, no investor is spared his censure, including the type of American wealth fund which bought Chelsea. 
40 years since Ken Bates bought Chelsea for just £1 (02/04/2022): WILL PICKWORTH: It was April 1982, and notorious businessman and football executive Ken Bates had just bought Chelsea for £1. They were in disarray, had huge debts and a fan base tarnished by hooliganism. Former Chelsea and Leeds owner Ken Bates says the Premier League should have BAN (11/03/2021): The 89-year-old British businessman was involved in the formation of the Premier League back in 1992 and was at the top of the pyramid at a time when most clubs were run solely within the UK.
