Does Elton John own Watford? History of Glastonbury singers relationship with Championship side - net worth

Sir Elton John has now allegedly played his last ever gig in the UK after performing as Glastonbury’s headline act in Worthy Farm on Sunday (25 June). The Tiny Dancer singer brought out stars such as Rina Sawayama, who sang Kiki Dee’s part in ‘Don’t go Breaking My Heart’ as well as the Killers’ lead singer Brandon flowers.

John, 76, said: “Oh wow, I never thought I’d play Glastonbury, but here I am. I’d better entertain you as you’ve been standing there so long. I’m so happy to be here. I’m never gonna forget this.”

Glastonbury saw the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X, Blondie, Cat Stevens and Becky Hill all perform with fans claiming that they saved the best until last when Elton John produced what is being called one of his best ever UK shows.

Certain fans, however, would have hoped that the ‘Rocket Man’ singer would have performed his final show at the home of his beloved Watford FC. In July 2022, John stopped off at Vicarage Road as part of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour but just how deep is the history between the Championship side and the British legend?

Does Elton John own Watford?

Sir Elton John does not currently own Watford but has been attending matches at Vicarage Road from the age of five with his father.

John first became the chairman and director of Watford FC in 1976 having been a lifelong fan and previous Vice-President of the side where he also performed at the stadium for the first time in front of more than 30,000 spectators. He appointed Graham Taylor as the manager and invested large sums of money as the club rose three divisions.

At the height of their success, Watford finished in the First Division as runners up to Liverpool and reached the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium a year later. In 1987, John then sold the club to Jack Pretchey but continued to remain president. He repurchased the club ten years later once again becoming chairman before stepping down in 2002 when Watford needed a full-time chairman.

John still continued as president and although he is now no longer the majority shareholder, John still holds a significant financial interest. Watford opened the “Sir Elton John Stand” in December 2014 and John said the occasion was “one of the greatest days of my life.”

What has Sir Elton John said about Watford?

John appeared at the final game of the 2020/21 season, meeting the side who helped Watford achieve Premier League promotion. The singer-songwriter said: “What can I say? It’s in my heart, in my soul, you can’t get rid of it. My passion for this club has never died and I’m so proud of this club. I’ve seen a lot of football at this club, ever since I was five years old, and we played in blue and there were two of the old stands.

“From when I first came in here as a Vice-President [in 1973], to see us now, we took it on an amazing journey. I’m so proud, considering where we came from, what this club was, what it means to the community. That was Graham’s passion, and we carried that on during Covid with the hospital next door. It’s been an amazing trip.”

In 2022, John said he hoped to become more involved with the club again. At one of his two Vicarage Road shows, the Pinner-born singer said: “It really hit home last night how much I love this place. I said to Scott Duxbury [chairman] today, ‘Next year when I finish, I’m going to take a much more active role in the club because I won’t have any gigs to do’.”