Nick Knowles his Rugby

You can keep your Ryan Reynolds and your Tom Brady—you can even forget about Jeff Bezos! English sport has a new celebrity shareholder, and he’s ready to construct something special.

BBC presenter Nick Knowles, best known as the host of DIY SOS, has officially become a shareholder in English Championship rugby side Cornish Pirates. American firm Stonewood Capital Management took a stake in the club back in May 2026, making Cornish Pirates the first English rugby club to secure American ownership. They have since added Knowles to their ranks.

The 63-year-old had been an ambassador for the club for over a year and has been heavily involved behind the scenes throughout that time. Pirates had been searching for new investment since around January 2025, when Sir Dicky Evans's near 30-year ownership came to an end. It seems only fitting that Knowles now steps up as a shareholder.

Speaking with the BBC, the club's chief executive, Sally Pettipher, said:

"This investment, becoming a shareholder, is him putting some skin in the game and bringing with him his rugby heritage. He's got a rugby brain, he's got a rugby background, he's well connected in that world, he does an awful lot of philanthropy in that world, and he brings visibility to us—which I think is really important. So the more eyes on us we have, the more we can build our national and international audience."

Knowles’ arrival isn’t just about headline backing; it forms part of a structured 10-year development plan designed to transform the Pirates into a sustainable, Premiership-ready club. To help drive that vision and put Cornish rugby on the global map, the presenter has already deployed a film crew to The Mennaye. The upcoming documentary series will track the club’s off-field transformation, highlight the cultural heartbeat of Cornish rugby, and chronicle their journey toward meeting strict top-flight franchise standards—including the daunting £5 million player salary floor.

The Pirates have high aspirations as a club, hoping the former Who Dares Wins host will help them build toward top-flight rugby. However, there are still significant stumbling blocks for the Penzance-based side. One issue remains the required 'salary floor'—a financial requirement clubs must demonstrate they can manage to prove sustainability, a measure heightened following the collapse of clubs like Wasps and London Irish.

Another hurdle is their stadium. The current Pirates home ground does not meet the minimum criteria set by Premiership Rugby—a threshold virtually no Championship club, bar Worcester Warriors, currently satisfies.

Speaking of stadiums, Cornish Pirates may require a little help from their newest shareholder and his DIY connections as work continues to repair storm damage at The Mennaye. In January, Storm Goretti tore off sections of the main grandstand roof and caused severe structural damage across the site.

While it is unlikely full repairs will be completed in time for the Pirates' upcoming friendly against Premiership side Saracens (whom they famously defeated in 2021 following the London side's relegation for salary cap breaches), the club hopes the stand will be restored before kicking off the new league season on September 20th.