Darragh MacAnthony (born 24 March 1976) is an Irish football chairman, author and entrepreneur.

Early life and education

MacAnthony, the son of Austin MacAnthony, a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

owner, MacAnthony was educated at St Mary's College, Dublin. He moved to Spain with his family as a 15-year-old. He is a fan of

Liverpool FC Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

Peterborough United

Since September 2006 MacAnthony has been chairman of Peterborough United F.C. Outgoing chairman

Barry Fry Barry Francis Fry (born 7 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager. A winger, Fry was an apprentice at Manchester United in his youth, and had brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he reti ...

cited a Sky One documentary, '' Big Ron Manager'', as a factor in attracting investment from MacAnthony. MacAnthony took over as chairman at Peterborough at the age of 30, making him the youngest chairman in the Football League. As a sign of his ambition, a printed note from MacAnthony was added to Peterborough United's match programme in August 2007. In it, he promised fans promotion from

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

to the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

in two seasons, which was duly delivered, though the club were subsequently relegated to League One. MacAnthony became owner of the club in August 2007, buying the club for a nominal £1 after taking on the club's debts. In January 2007, manager Keith Alexander was sacked and replaced by

Darren Ferguson Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Preston No ...

, who was at the time untried as a manager. Ferguson initially delivered big returns, delivering back-to-back promotions in his first two full seasons. Ferguson left Peterborough, by mutual consent, on 9 November 2009 after a disappointing start to the 2009–10 season. Peterborough were relegated in 2010. In the 2010–11 season MacAnthony reappointed Darren Ferguson, and Peterborough United were once again promoted to the second tier. The club spent two seasons in the Championship after winning promotion. On 4 May 2013, Peterborough were relegated to League One after losing to

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3–2 on the final match of the Championship season. Peterborough's total of 54 points during the 2012–13 season is the highest by a relegated team in Championship history.

Business interests

MacAnthony attended a business college in London, but left after three months. He formed the property group Macanthony Realty International (MRI) in 2000, selling overseas holiday homes to mainly Irish and British customers. From a head office in Marbella, the company offered properties in countries including the Bahamas, Bulgaria, Cyprus and the Dominican Republic, with MacAnthony stating in 2005 that he gave the number of his personal mobile telephone to clients. The '' Sunday Times Rich List'' estimated his wealth at £150 million in 2007, and £68 million in 2008. MacAnthony provided £250,000 for the Helping Hands Group at the time it opened, a private company which supports disabled people in the Peterborough Area. MacAnthony appeared in court in April 2012, charged with 'Theft and Swindle' relating to furniture packs purchased by clients of MRI Overseas Property which the clients claimed were never delivered. MacAnthony has constantly denied the claims but the solicitor representing the clients, Antonio Flores, claims he has further clients wishing to take action against MacAnthony once the first case is completed. In September 2011 a former employee was awarded €157,767.31, plus interest and legal fees by a Spanish Court, for the non-payment of commission by MacAnthony Realty International (MRI). MacAnthony published an autobiography, ''From Hobby To Obsession'' in 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macanthony, Darragh 1976 births Living people Businesspeople from County Dublin Republic of Ireland football chairmen and investors Peterborough United F.C. People educated at St Mary's College, Dublin