Joseph Brian Mears (25 April 1931 – 28 July 2009) was a chairman of
Chelsea Football Club
Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. The ...
. He was the son of
Joe Mears
John "Joe" Mears (20 January 1905 – 30 June 1966) was chairman of Chelsea Football Club and the Football Association.
Mears was the son and nephew of Chelsea F.C. founders, Joseph and Gus Mears respectively. He was a goalkeeper for the Old Ma ...
, also a chairman of Chelsea, and grandson of
Joseph Mears
Joseph Theophilus "JT" Mears (1871 – October 1935), was an English businessman, most notable for co-founding Chelsea Football Club.
He was born in 1871 in Hammersmith, London, the elder son of Joseph Mears, a builder.
In 1896, Mears and his b ...
, co-founder of the club. He was born in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, and educated at
Malvern College
Malvern College is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school in the British sen ...
. In 1950 he emigrated to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
where he began working life in a seed factory. He returned to the United Kingdom shortly afterwards and did his
national service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The l ...
as a radio operator in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
.
[Obituary, The Telegraph, 6 August 2009.](_blank)
Retrieved 10 January 2010
Brian Mears took over as chairman following the death of
Len Withey in 1969 and presided over the club's successful period in the early 1970s, when the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
and
Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
were won in consecutive seasons.
He remained in the position until 1981, when a boardroom
coup d'etat led by
Viscount Chelsea saw him removed with the club in a dire position both on and off the pitch, mainly a result of the disastrous attempt to redevelop
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to:
* Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England
** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066
* Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge
* Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
during the 1970s.
He sold the club to
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 the former owner and chairman of football clubs Chelsea and Leeds United.
Bates ...
a year later for a nominal sum of
£1. Mears came under fire when his shares in the Stamford Bridge freehold were later sold to property developers Marler Estates; he insisted that it was his wife who controlled the shares.
After leaving Chelsea, Mears relocated to the United States, where he was involved with several North American soccer teams and ran a car dealership in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
.
He wrote several books on Chelsea. Despite befriending Chelsea director
Matthew Harding
Matthew Charles Harding (26 December 1953 – 22 October 1996) was a British businessman, vice-chairman of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea Football Club and a major financial supporter of New Labour.
Early years and education
Harding was born in Hayw ...
and chairman
Bruce Buck
Bruce Mackie Buck (born March 1946) is an American lawyer and founding managing partner of the London office of law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He was also the Chairman of Chelsea Football Club. His practice areas are European m ...
in later years, he never set foot in Stamford Bridge again.
Mears married June Ware in 1955 and they had two children: a son, Christopher; and a daughter, Suzanne. Through Suzanne, Mears was the father-in-law to former footballer
Steve Wicks and grandfather to Wicks' son
Matt.
Mears died of heart failure on 28 July 2009.
Notes
References
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External links
Brian Mears– ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary
Brian Mears: Chelsea Football Club chairman– ''The Times'' obituary, 10 August 2009.
Chelsea F.C. chairmen and investors
English football chairmen and investors
People educated at Malvern College
British emigrants to Canada
1931 births
2009 deaths
20th-century English businesspeople
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