TV presenter Knowles buys stake in Cornish Pirates
TV presenter Nick Knowles has become a shareholder in Championship rugby side Cornish Pirates, joining a growing ownership group as the club seeks investment to work towards Premiership status. Knowles, best known for DIY SOS and National Lottery: Who Dares Wins, has been an ambassador for the club for over a season, and chief executive Sally Pettipher said his rugby background, connections and public profile would raise the Pirates' national and international visibility.
The club has sought fresh investment since long-serving owner Sir Dicky Evans ended his near-30-year association with it in January 2025, and its ownership now combines American investors, including Pittsburgh-based Stonewood Capital Management, with local shareholders. Pettipher described Knowles's stake as part of a 10-year plan rather than a "lottery win", noting the Pirates must meet strict Premiership entry standards, including a business plan supporting a £5m player salary floor, despite generating income from just 14 home matches a year. Separately, the club's new main grandstand at the Mennaye Field, damaged by Storm Goretti in January, will not be ready for the pre-season match against Saracens on 28 August.
- Nick Knowles becomes a Cornish Pirates shareholder
- Club rebuilding ownership since Sir Dicky Evans's exit
- New grandstand won't be ready for 28 August Saracens game
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Cornish Pirates are a rugby union club based in Penzance, Cornwall. They play in the Championship, the tier below the Premiership, England’s top men’s rugby league. The club has been trying to attract investment to support its long-term plans.
The Pirates were owned for nearly 30 years by local businessman Sir Dicky Evans, who ended his involvement in January 2025. The club now has a wider group of owners, including American investors and local shareholders. Nick Knowles is best known as a television presenter, but he also has a rugby background and has represented the club as an ambassador.
Promotion to the Premiership depends on meeting entry standards as well as sporting results. Those standards include a business plan that can support a minimum player salary spend of £5 million; the Pirates earn much of their income from a limited number of home matches. How the club attracts and uses investment is therefore relevant to its prospects of reaching the top division.