Bio

Chairman  
President

Northampton Saints supporters will forever be in the debt of Keith Barwell – the first-ever non player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame – whose investment, commitment, and leadership helped the Club to transition into the professionalism and paved the way for modern-era success.

After first getting involved at the Gardens back in 1988, when he became a box holder following the lucrative sale of his newspaper chain, Barwell came to the fore in 1995 at the dawn of professionalism as England’s biggest clubs scrambled for investors.

Barwell’s initial £1m investment to become majority shareholder was followed by significant further investment over the years that followed, which helped to establish Saints as one of the best teams in Europe – with Northampton winning the Heineken Cup title in 2000.

‘Uncle’ Keith also firmly believed in creating a sustainable Club which could stand on its own two feet financially, and a combination of Barwell’s shrewd stewardship and modern business ideas ensured Saints would become the only side in the Premiership to turn a profit for 16 straight years following the turn of the millennium. 

All the while, on the field Saints continued to be successful, lifting the Premiership trophy, and winning multiple European Challenge Cup titles as well as the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

Barwell was succeeded by his late son, Leon, as chairman between 2011 and 2013, while his daughter Ella Bevan remains on the Club’s Board of Directors. He was honoured in 2016 as the ‘Barwell Stand’ was revealed at Franklin’s Gardens.

The family donated the bronze statue which sits outside the Club’s reception and reads, ‘They Tackled The Job’. Without the Barwells, Northampton Saints would not be what it is today.