Nick Knowles backs Cornish Pirates' bid for Premiership status after investing in club
Nick Knowles invested in Cornish Pirates earlier this month and told BBC Radio Cornwall he believes the Penzance-based Championship club can become a sustainable Premiership side. The TV presenter, known for DIY SOS and National Lottery: Who Dares Wins, is the latest new investor to join the Pirates.
An American firm, Stonewood Capital Management, took a stake in May and joined a consortium of local businessmen who acquired the club from long-serving owner Dick Evans in January 2025. Knowles is one of several new backers to arrive over the past year, and the club faces new rules meaning Championship winners do not gain automatic promotion and must demonstrate a business plan and appropriate infrastructure to support a Premiership side.
Knowles pointed to Cornwall’s rugby heritage when outlining the case for a top-flight team, saying: "Rugby is as much part of Cornwall as tin mines and and pasties, it's just always been there." He referenced the county’s 1991 turnout at Twickenham, adding: "40,000 Cornish made their way up to Twickenham, which at that stage in 1991 was thought to be about 10% of the population, so it's massively important." He also spoke about local identity, saying: "Then on top of that you've got this amazing identity that Cornwall has, it's the other Celtic nation."
Describing himself as "Cornish by choice", Knowles said he developed an affinity with the county during childhood holidays and remains a regular visitor to the Mennaye Field for Pirates matches. He stressed his rugby background and commitment in personal terms: "I'm not somebody who's never played rugby and just has turned up and decided to join in," and added, "I'm not somebody who lives around the corner and has decided that I'd like the Cornish Pirates to do better."
On the playing and support side, Knowles cited the local production of players and a latent fan base, saying: "We know we've got the players coming out of the area, we know we've got the fan base that's sitting there waiting to wake up and join in." He pointed to regional pride, adding: "We know there's the pride of Kernow in that identity. That's a rich recipe, and we've now pulled together an amazing team of investors and dynamic people to try and pick this up and do something with it." The Pirates beat neighbours Camborne 50-28 in their first pre-season match on Saturday.
Knowles acknowledged logistical challenges around a top-flight venue while describing the potential economic benefits of hosting Premiership rugby, saying: "If you think about when people come to Bath, for games in Bath, the city comes alive and all the restaurants and the hotels and everybody does really well because people come for a weekend," and: "I'd love people from the rest of the country to be coming down, especially with the new road you've got in there and an airport just up the road, so there's all kinds of different ways of getting there now that are easier. "So I'd like those people all coming down and all that money being spent in Cornwall and helping the local economy. It'd be a massive boost to the economy." He added: "I know that Cornish people don't like a lot of change. But how fantastic to have that influx of people and coming down and bringing all that wealth to spend in Cornwall."
The Pirates have a 10-year plan to reach the top of the Championship and be prepared for the top flight, and Knowles confirmed engagement with the authorities on that path, saying: "There's a lot of conversations going on about whether the Premiership will be sealed off or not but we're in negotiations and talking to the RFU."