American philanthropist related to Henry Ford announced as chairman and majority shareholder of SPFL club in shock move
And now Ford's great-great-grandson is looking to move an SPFL club into top gear as their new chairman and majority shareholder.
3
3
Calvin Ford is a philanthropist and board member of a number of charities and committees.
And now he's taking his first steps into the world of football business with Scottish Championship side Livingston.
The second-tier runners-up will present Ford to fans at Almondvale Satdium before the second leg of the promotion play-off semi-final against Partick Thistle tonight.
Ford has acquired 100% of John McIlvogue's shares in Baycup Ltd, which was the majority shareholder of Livi for two years.
McIlvogue said in a club statement: "When I chose to invest in the football club I did so to be of help whether short, medium or long term.
"It has been a great pleasure to support the club through its difficulties and see it bounce back with the first silverware in over a decade and a real fight for Premiership promotion.
"I believe the time is now right for me to pass on my shares to an investor with a real appetite to take the club forward on and off the park.
"When I joined the club, I said my only aim was that when I leave the club is in a better place than when I arrived, and I believe I have achieved this with Calvin's acquisition of my shareholding.
"I look forward to watch the club thrive with Calvin's support and guidance."
Ford added: "I am overjoyed and honoured to be part of Livingston Football Club.
Radio 1 DJ says 'I've become a legend' as he adopts SPFL team and plans trip to Livingston
"What drew me to wanting to be involved was the incredible leadership that people like Davie Martindale and John Ward portray.
"They have a passion for this club and community that is contagious, and I look forward to being part of something special here."
Outgoing chairman John Ward said: "I am delighted to welcome Calvin to the club.
"I feel that for the first time in the history of Livingston Football Club we will have an owner who is working in the best interests of the club and fans.
"As a director of Livingston Football Club, I look forward to working with Calvin.
"I believe his integrity and enthusiasm for football will bring a sea change to Livingston and the wider West Lothian community."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
World Cup winner's contract terminated just THREE games into the season after clashes with fans who called him a 'wife beater'
A World Cup winner has had his contract terminated just three matches into the new season, calling an end to his turbulent 15-month spell at the football club. Jerome Boateng, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany during his decade-long spell at Bayern Munich between 2011 and 2021, signed a two-year deal with top flight Austrian club LASK Linz on May 31 last year after becoming a free agent. But the 36-year-old defender's contract has now been terminated a year early by mutual consent after a torrid spell, with Boateng chalking up just 13 appearances for the club since the free transfer following a wealth of injury issues. Just months after his arrival in Austria, Boateng avoided jail time but was handed a suspended fine and a warning after a German court found him guilty of premeditated bodily harm against his ex-girlfriend. The mother of his twin daughters accused Boateng of hurling a lamp at her, which missed, during a fight they had on holiday in 2018 — and then of injuring her arm by throwing a small cool box at her and later hitting her and pulling her hair. Boateng was ordered to pay a total of just over £84,000 to charity organisations by the judge, a court spokesperson said in July 2024, while the suspended fine of just over £168,000 only had to be paid if he committed another offence. He was not charged with assault, coercion or defamation on the legal principle of 'in dubio pro reo', which dictates that a decision should favour the defendant in criminal cases if there is any ambiguity or doubt regarding their guilt. Despite avoiding jail time, Boateng's legal case led to LASK fans loudly booing and insulting the former Germany international with 'wife beater' chants back in March. Keen to pursue a fresh chapter elsewhere, Boateng said in a club statement on Wednesday: 'I would like to thank LASK for their trust and the time we spent together here in Linz. 'It was an enriching experience to work in a new environment once again. Now the time is right for me to open a new chapter. 'I will soon announce what new challenges — both sporting and personal — await me in the future.' Meanwhile, LASK sporting director Dino Buric added: 'Jerome has always behaved professionally throughout his time at LASK and has done everything he can to help the team with his experience. 'He has played an important role, especially for our young players, by providing them with excellent support and encouragement.'
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Map: House prices climbing at fastest rate in more than a year - here's where they are highest
House prices climbed at their fastest pace in more than a year last month, as the market rebounded from disruption caused by changes to stamp duty. The average UK property value rose 3.7 per cent to £269,000 in the 12 months to June, up from 2.7 per cent growth in May, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The acceleration came after the threshold at which buyers pay stamp duty was cut from £250,000 to £125,000 in April, a move that briefly cooled activity before prices bounced back. It comes amid a backdrop of cooling interest rates, which dropped again to 4 per cent earlier this month. Jean Jameson, chief sales officer at Foxtons, said more people will be buying houses following the interest rate cut, and we can expect to see this pick up in the autumn. Average house prices increased to £291,000 (3.3 per cent) in England, £210,000 (2.6 per cent) in Wales, and £192,000 (5.9 per cent) in Scotland, in the 12 months to June. Meanwhile, average UK monthly private rents increased by 5.9 per cent, to £1,343, in the 12 months to July, the statistics body said. Average rents increased to £1,398 (6.0 per cent) in England, £807 (7.9 per cent) in Wales, and £999 (3.6 per cent) in Scotland, in the 12 months to July. Kensington and Chelsea remains the most expensive place to buy a home in the UK, with the average property costing £1.46 million, according to the ONS. Prices there edged up by 2 per cent over the past year. The City of Westminster took second place, with homes averaging just over £1 million, although values fell by 3.3 per cent. Camden came in third, where prices rose 4.1 per cent to £876,065, followed by the City of London at £845,614 after a 0.4 per cent increase. Richmond upon Thames saw one of the strongest annual rises, with prices climbing 6.2 per cent to £825,299. At the other end, sharp declines were recorded in Wandsworth (-7 per cent) and Islington (-5 per cent), despite average prices still topping £679,000 and £701,000 respectively. Elmbridge in Surrey had the fastest growth among the top 10, as prices jumped 7.4 per cent to £755,879, while Haringey saw a 5.4 per cent rise to £626,67. Elliott Jordan-Doak, senior UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: 'House prices are recovering quickly from the disruption caused by the hike to stamp duty in April. 'Month-to-month house price inflation can be volatile at the best of times, so the sharp gains in house prices in May and June could be partly undone by a fall in July's data. 'But cutting through the noise, we think fundamental housing demand remains solid, indicating that house prices can continue to rise steadily over the course of the second half of 2025.'
Auto Express
8 minutes ago
- Auto Express
It's bank holiday weekend! Get ready for 'extremely busy' roads and EV chargers
Drivers are being told to brace for queues on both the motorway and at EV charging stations this August bank holiday. Over 17 million getaway trips are expected to take place between Friday and Monday. A report by the RAC and transportation analytics firm, INRIX, suggests as many as three million journeys are expected to take place on Friday alone, rising to 3.4 million on Saturday – potentially making it the busiest travel day across the long weekend. If you're planning on avoiding the worst of the traffic, the RAC says it's best to remain off the roads between 10am and 7pm on Friday, 9am and 5pm on Saturday and 11am and 6pm on Monday. Advertisement - Article continues below The best time to travel, according to the RAC, is in the evening past 7pm on Friday, or in the morning before 9am and 11am on Saturday and Monday respectively. Being bang in the middle of the weekend, Sunday's traffic is supposed to remain average. As is probably expected, the RAC anticipates the M5 heading southbound between Bristol and Devon to take the biggest brunt of the traffic as holidaymakers flood to the coast to soak up the last rays of summer sun. Delays of over 40 minutes are expected in the 50-mile stretch between junction 15 near Bristol and junction 23 for Bridgwater on Friday and Saturday, while the M20 in Kent also has the potential for queues surpassing half-an-hour. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Team leader for mobile servicing and repairs at the RAC, Nick Mullender, said the organisation is 'expecting major roads to airports and coastal destinations to be extremely busy, especially the South East and South West regions which could end up bearing the brunt of most holiday hold-ups.' Mullender then advised 'Anyone planning routes through these areas [to] set off as early as possible or be prepared to spend longer in traffic.' As more people take to the roads over the weekend, this will ultimately result in a greater strain on the UK's public EV charging network. Chargepoint operator, BP pulse, estimates that demand could rise by more than five per cent and has thus advised drivers to try and plug-in during quieter times – typically in the early morning and late evening – in order to avoid queues. 'The August bank holiday is always a busy time on the roads, and with EVs increasingly popular, we're expecting to see higher demand for EV charging than ever before,' said bp pulse's UK general manager, Valerio Ferro. 'However, the good news is that fast charging infrastructure has continued to grow significantly over the past 12 months, and bp pulse's network is available across the UK for EV drivers to stop off and top up their battery when they need it.' As of July 2025, the number of public chargepoints across the UK grew by 27 per cent year-on-year to over 82,000 units. While it's worth pointing out that not all of these are operational at all times, operators are as of late 2023 expected by law to display at least 99 per cent reliability across their network, making it less stressful for those needing to charge up. Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from... Find a car with the experts Car Deal of the Day: Bag a desirable plug-in hybrid BMW X3 M Sport for less than £380 a month Car Deal of the Day: Bag a desirable plug-in hybrid BMW X3 M Sport for less than £380 a month The new BMW X3 is fresh out of the blocks, but you can already lease a well-specced one for an eye-opening £378 a month. It's our Car Deal of the Day … Best car tyres to buy now 2025: top tyres tested and reviewed Best car tyres to buy now 2025: top tyres tested and reviewed Nine brands go head to head in our annual test, but which one should you put on your car? Product group tests 13 Aug 2025 What cars qualify for the electric car grant? Full list with our best (and worst) picks What cars qualify for the electric car grant? Full list with our best (and worst) picks More than 20 electric cars are now eligible for a Government-funded discount. Which should you go for from the ever growing list?
