Matthew Harding

Matthew Harding (26 December 1953 – 22 October 1996) was a British businessman, vice-chairman of Chelsea football club and a major financial supporter of New Labour (the Labour Party).

Matthew Harding was born in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, the son of Paul Harding, an insurance executive. He attended Abingdon School in Oxfordshire, but did not enjoy the school ethos. He did however return to the school just weeks before his death to speak to a small group of sixth formers about his road to success. He left school with a single 'A' Level in Latin and went to London. Through his father's friendship with Ted Benfield, he joined the insurance brokers Benfield, Lovick & Rees and it was in the insurance industry that he made his fortune, starting out by making the tea and going on to be a director. By 1980 he had acquired a 32% stake in the company, becoming one of Britain's 100 richest men.

A lifelong fan of Chelsea football club, Harding responded to Chelsea chairman Ken Bates' call for new investment in the club in 1993 and invested £26.5m and joined the board. However, his time there was marked by frequent clashes with Bates, club chairman and majority shareholder, a man in many respects Harding's antithesis, over the new direction to be taken by the club. Ken Bates eventually banned Harding from the Chelsea boardroom and effectively limited his input and influence over the club. The dispute between Bates and Harding was continual and was only stopped after his death in 1996. Bates caused more controversy and upset many Chelsea fans, as well as friends and family of Harding, by calling him "an evil man" just a year after his death. Chelsea Football Club named one of the stands at Stamford Bridge the "Matthew Harding Stand".

Harding had four children with wife Ruth, and later on a daughter named Ella with Ecuadorian girlfriend, Vicky Jaramillo and a child with his Personal Assistant. His son Patrick Harding is now a semi-professional footballer who plays for Burgess Hill Town F.C..

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