Ex-Wrexham AFC bidder and Chester FC owner dies as tributes paid
In a heartfelt tribute, Vaughan Jr, who himself had a stint as a player and later as an owner at Chester City as well as a director and manager at Bangor City, stated: "Absolutely devastated, the best man I've ever known. RIP Dad our hero". Vaughan Sr's tenure in football was marked by controversy, having acquired Chester in 2001 from American Terry Smith and subsequently guiding the club to promotion back into the Football League in 2004.
However, his ownership took a turn for the worse when the Blues plunged into financial turmoil, entering administration with debts amounting to £8 million following their relegation in 2009 – the same year Vaughan became the first owner to fail the Football Association's 'fit and proper person' test.
The Vaughan family, led by his son, bought the club out of administration, but issues persisted both on and off the field, culminating in Chester's expulsion from the Football Conference in February 2010 and subsequent dissolution in the High Court a month later, reports the Daily Star.
Vaughan was also jailed for 15 months for fracturing a police officer's cheek in a drunken rage, during a disturbance outside his home.
His career also spanned boxing promotion, directorship at rugby league club Widnes Vikings, and chairmanship at Barrow. His family was also involved with Bangor FC.
He also bought Maltese club Floriana in April 2012 with his son, who captained Chester during his father's ownership and was appointed president soon after.
The Vaughan family ended its association with Floriana in February 2014 but continued to have an involvement in Maltese football as sponsors of Mosta and Hibernians.
His son's Facebook post was filled with tributes from friends and family, with many simply posting "RIP" and broken heart emojis, while another said: "So sorry to hear this sad news Ste, condolences to you and the family".
A second added: "Condolences to the family Ste! What a gent your dad was!" And a third said: "So sorry to hear this awful news about your Dad RIP. Sending my deepest sympathy and condolences and prayers to you and all your beautiful family."
Boxer Derry Matthews also paid tribute to him, and said: "They say he only takes the best and he's taking one of the greatest men ever, my first ever manager who got George out of retirement to train me, thank you for everything Ste.
"People in the boxing world are going miss you, no one could do a prep talk before a fight like you, you would have me wanting to walk through walls and with you by my side in changing rooms we could beat anyone.
"Gutted for my mate @stephen_vaughan_85, Pat and all the family on the loss."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Inside Iran: Exclusive access to notorious Evin Prison
Iran's notorious Evin Prison was hit by Israeli airstrikes in June, and destroyed its gates, administrative buildings, and health clinic. Iranian officials say nearly 80 people were killed including civilians. NBC's Richard Engel was given extraordinary access to the destruction, and also visited the former U.S. embassy compound covered with anti-American murals and 4, 2025
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Emma Raducanu knocked out - but Britain can still have a Wimbledon champion
It was obvious from watching Sonay Kartal's showdown with Coco Gauff at Wimbledon last year that she was set for a massive future in tennis. That's exactly why I tipped the British No.3 as my One to Watch at the start of the 2025 Championships, along with her unstoppable surge up the WTA rankings, rather than the likes of Emma Raducanu or Katie Boulter. Kartal was No.298 in the world when she took on American world No.2 superstar Gauff last year, pushing her extremely hard in the first set. Her power and precision makes her a true force on grass and I can remember myself – and a number of other journalists – being blown away by Kartal's aggressive baseline play on that sunny afternoon on Court 1. It was from that moment that I knew we were looking at a future British No.1. Gauff eventually showed her quality but it proved to be a valuable lesson for Kartal, who has got better and better since that third-round defeat, and is now the last British woman left in the Wimbledon singles after Raducanu and Boulter lost to Aryna Sabalenka and Solana Sierra respectively. Kartal landed her first WTA Tour title at the Jasmin Open after her battle with Gauff and 2025 has seen the 23-year-old break into the world top 50. Having reached the last 16 at Wimbledon this year, with a brilliant 6-4 6-2 victory over Diane Parry, here's everything you need to know about Britain's next big thing, who could genuinely become our next Grand Slam winner… Kartal, known for her love of fitness, first picked up a tennis racket at the age of six and idolised Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters in her youth. Her early years in tennis weren't easy as a number of injury problems halted her progress but she never stopped believing she was on the right path. 'I played football and cricket as well as a kid [but] I think once I committed to tennis, I always felt like tennis was the one,' Kartal explained. 'I always felt like I was slightly different as a player to most players at the time that I was growing up with. I had a lot of belief. I had good people around me that really backed me and said that I just needed a good run, I could have a breakout year. So tennis, despite me being sidelined for years on and off, was still always the goal for me.' Usually donning a boxy polo shirt and long shorts with her tattoos – Kartal isn't what you'd expect a stereotypical women's tennis player to look like – and doesn't have the pristine aesthetic widely seen on the WTA Tour. It's refreshing. There's something quite Billie Eilish-esque about the way she dresses and presents herself. She's a little unique and perhaps more relatable for some young girls. After competing on the ITF Circuit in 2021, Kartal made her WTA Tour debut the following year before being handed a Wimbledon wildcard. Her breakthrough came at Wimbledon 2024, becoming Britain's first female qualifier to reach the third round in 27 years at the All England Club. Kartal is notably strong – both physically and mentally – and is able to use deep, penetrating groundstrokes to control rallies during her matches. Due to her strength, her biggest weapon is her forehand, which allows Kartal to dictate points, especially on a grass court where the play is faster. Former Wimbledon finalist and tennis coach Olga Morozova spoke exclusively to Metro about Kartal's best attributes earlier this summer. 'All the British girls know grass much better than anyone else because they started playing on it earlier than others,' Morozova said. 'Kartal is doing very, very good this year. She is strong physically, great legs and she has a good slice which works well on grass.' Kartal stunned 20th-seed and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in her opening match at Wimbledon this year. The British world No.51 then followed that up with straight-set wins over Bulgarian world No.111 Viktoriya Tomova and French world No.118 Parry. Speaking ahead of her next match, a last-16 battle with Russian world No.50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Kartal explained how she had learnt lessons from that Wimbledon clash with Gauff 12 months ago. 'I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous walking out there,' Kartal said after her win over Parry, in which she was 4-1 down in the first set at one point. 'It's a big court with a match that has a lot of meaning to me. Obviously last year, that was also in the back of my mind, losing to Coco on the same court in the same round. 'I tried to take everything I learnt from that match and put it into play on the court. Tried to relax as best as I could. Having been 4-1 down, I just tried to get back on the scoreboard one by one. 'I think last year's match helped me a lot. I think I left that court last year feeling like I didn't play my best level [in the second set] because of the nerves I was carrying.' For those of you believing it's too farfetched to think Kartal can genuinely land the Venus Rosewater Dish, I'd like to politely remind you that last year's Wimbledon women's singles champion was very much unseeded. More Trending There are also less top players that Kartal will need to deal with should she continue to progress at the tournament. Second-seed Gauff and world No.3 Jessica Pegula crashed out in the first round, as did fifth-seed Zheng Qinwen and world No.9 Paula Badosa to blow the draw wide open. Jasmine Paolini, seeded fourth and last year's runner-up, lost in the second round while world No.6 Madison Keys was eliminated in the third round. It means Kartal has a massive opportunity – and she's ready for whoever is left standing in her way. 'I'm super determined,' Kartal added. 'When I set my mind to something, I want to achieve it. I want to prove to myself that I can do it, as well.' MORE: How an Andy Murray tactic has helped British tennis star's superb Wimbledon run MORE: 'Not the first time' – Carlos Alcaraz overheard making Wimbledon complaint to umpire MORE: Wimbledon day 6 order of play: What time are Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner playing?
Rhyl Journal
5 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Carlos Alcaraz comes through ‘stressful' Jan-Lennard Struff test
The defending champion looked to be cruising to a 21st consecutive match win when he breezed through the opening set. But 6ft 4in Struff strutted his stuff in the second, firing down 139mph missiles before shocking second seed Alcaraz when he clinched the crucial break for 5-3 before levelling the match. However Alcaraz, who needed five sets to overcome veteran Fabio Fognini in the first round, gathered himself to win 6-1 3-6 6-3 in two hours and 25 minutes. 'I knew it was going to be really difficult and I had to be focused on every shot,' said the 22-year-old Spaniard. 'His game suits the grass, big serves, coming to the net, so I'm pleased with everything I did today. Proud to get the win in four sets. 'To be honest I was suffering in every service game I did. Lots of break points down. It was stressful.' Next up for the five-time grand slam champion is Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev. Taylor Fritz has been on court for so long this week he could soon be eligible for squatter's rights. CARLITOS BRINGING THE 🔥 He defeats Struff 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4…@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon — ATP Tour (@atptour) July 4, 2025 The American fifth seed came through two marathon five-setters spread over three days to reach the third round, while a three-hour 12-minute win over Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in four has also taken its toll. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I'm a bit sore after this match, because even though it was four, it was much more physical than my other two matches,' he said. 'I did a lot more side-to-side running in the heat as well. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm a bit sore. But overall I'm feeling good.' Fritz will face Australian Jordan Thompson, who beat Luciano Darderi, also in four sets. Thompson, who is hindered by back problems, is in the last 16 for the first time. Fiery Italian Darderi was angered when Thompson's cap came off during a rally with the 31-year-old catching it and going on to win the point – had it hit the ground he would have lost it. Brazil's rising teenage star Joao Fonseca disappointed his legion of noisy fans after he lost the all-South American showdown with Nicolas Jarry. Chilean qualifier Jarry secured a fourth-round meeting with Britain's Cameron Norrie after a 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6 (4) victory on a raucous Court Two.
