Wanna Buy a Soccer Club?

Discussion in 'Business and Media' started by FC Tallavana, May 10, 2007.

  1. DetroitTFC

    DetroitTFC BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 14, 2007
    Detroit
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes, sorry. It's a long shot that that any Div 2 team would sell but who knows? Probably it will be a Div 3 or 4 team with severe financial difficulties and an ownership desperate to recover their investment.
     
  2. mnickels

    mnickels New Member

    Aug 13, 2007
    It has been announced that payments can now be received from non UK members.

    I am a member of this venture and in the first 24 hours of accepting payments over £250k was paid. It has slowed since then but of the 53k registered and emailed around half of them were opened. This could be due to holidays or spam filters as well as doubts people may have. At the end of the day £35 is equivalent to a premier league ticket and for the access this gives you it is phenomenal.

    The site will have member-contributed articles.

    We will have opinion polls and club votes which the members determine. These will emanate from member articles, member forum posts and member suggestions.

    We will have videos of matches (depending on TV rights for the division our club is in) coach briefings, player, staff and member interviews etc.

    A team selector will allow members to pick the XI and formation of their choice or to follow the Head Coach’s suggestions. The team selector will also archive previous team selections.

    Comprehensive pre and post-match reports which will include video, articles and statistical game analysis.

    The club’s financial information will be accessible and updated regularly.

    Member pages that will contain bespoke info (info the member can add and amend) and generated info (average team selection, votes taken part in, articles submitted, forum posts etc.) These pages will have privacy settings if the members prefers to not share information.

    Members will be able to search for other local members to organise car shares for games, meetings etc.

    A merchandise page as well as other voluntary means for members to generate extra capital for our club.
     
  3. DoctorK

    DoctorK New Member

    Jan 8, 2002
    NorthBank, Riverbend
    With all due respect (and I truly admire much of the spirit behind this enterprise), this to me is where the scheme goes too far. What manager or players would consent to this???
     
  4. mnickels

    mnickels New Member

    Aug 13, 2007
    The projects aim is to have a head coach in place as opposed to a manager. This is the way European football is going with head coaches working with directors of football. The members will be well informed by the coach of the reasoning of his selection and have the option to agree with him. I personally am anxious of the fact that too much interference may be a bad thing but the option is there for siding with the head coach. Out of 50k people the sensible option is bound to rise above the rest.
     
  5. DoctorK

    DoctorK New Member

    Jan 8, 2002
    NorthBank, Riverbend
    Of course I'm well aware of the Continental coach and director set-up. It is very much akin to the American GM and coach set-up. My point here is that you have the owner/s having the option to interfere on a weekly basis. Owner/GMs rarely work well in American sport. With several thousand of them, its an untenable situation. I don't know who you would hire that would agree to this. And with any football club, recruitment and retention of players is a major issue - especially with lower division sides. It often takes the player's confidence in the decision maker to sway the signing. In this case, there won't be a face for the player to identify as the authority figure who will determine his playing fortunes.
     
  6. mnickels

    mnickels New Member

    Aug 13, 2007
    The choices will be made in a framework and aren't as open to abuse or stupidity as you might think. Members will be given the option to agree with the coach or suggest their own alternative. With 50k+ members you aren't overly likely to get enough options the same other than the head coaches suggestion. Most people will have this point as their doubt and ultimately I can see members voting to leave the decision to the head coach. As for authority figures, a board will be in place for the day to day running of the club. Most decisions will be handled by these people and this should provide the security the staff and players require. Ultimately I can see players and staff joining the members and using their influence in decisions as well. I understand your doubts, we all have them. This is a new venture with a controversial USP but if things are going wrong the members have the authority to decide to leave the decision to the staff.
     
  7. jiggerjake

    jiggerjake New Member

    Jul 14, 2007
    who said that with 50 k the sensible option will arise...didnt everyone but a few skeptics think that the world was flat? which turned out to be the most sensible?...poor metaphor aside, the myfc.co.uk will not work.
     
  8. PrimateWrangler

    PrimateWrangler New Member

    May 1, 2005
    Pomona
    Yeah, about 2 centuries before Christ. Thanks Eratosthenes:). It only took another millennium and a half for Mr Columbus to totally forget this and get laughed at for thinking there was a shorter way to China. I have no point here, but I did just join up with MyFootballClub.
     
    y-lee-coyote repped this.
  9. mnickels

    mnickels New Member

    Aug 13, 2007
    Good man Primate Wrangler.

    jiggerjake. Should the team selection part of the project not work I am sure the members would vote to take the head coaches decision as final for the good of the side. There is no reason to suggest the rest of the project will not work. Just look at the Shalke's, Barcelona's etc who have proved that it works. The difference with us is that the members have a larger input than a vote every 4 years. Look at the Shalke example. In an away game that would decide their league fate their home stadium was at capacity and 20k were at the away match. It certainly makes a difference to have so many feel a part of the club.
     
  10. DoctorK

    DoctorK New Member

    Jan 8, 2002
    NorthBank, Riverbend
    Don't the vast majority of invested Schalke supporters have a close geographic connection with the club?
     
  11. mnickels

    mnickels New Member

    Aug 13, 2007
    We aren't wanting to become a replica of any other trust. Germany is however a much larger country than England and therefore the definition of close in terms of geography is not the same. The majority of members in our trust are English and I am sure not all of Shalke's are purely German either.
     
  12. DoctorK

    DoctorK New Member

    Jan 8, 2002
    NorthBank, Riverbend
    "Purely German"? :eek: Careful with your word choice, bitte!

    You're dodging my point. The loyalty one feels for one's football club, especially at the lower divisions, is almost always based upon geography or genetics. For the vast majority of people who have signed up with your scheme, the choice of club is arbitrary.

    Will someone from Birmingham give a rats' for a club like Cambridge? I think not!

    So while you talk about preserving some of the integrity with footballing culture, you're also threatening to undermine long-standing traditions.

    There's something very selfish about calling something "my" football club. Not sure it could ever become "ours."
     
  13. walkingcity

    walkingcity Member

    May 17, 2007
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    i wouldn't even pay attention to the list, its mostly garbage
     
  14. rennoc

    rennoc New Member

    Jan 10, 2006
    Hola. I'm not sure if this has been posted anyplace in the previous posts, but the USL California Victory is already going this very same route for $100 a share...

    http://www.savethevictory.org/

    I'm just saying.
     
  15. Koby7STAR

    Koby7STAR Member

    Feb 16, 2007
    England
    interesting
     
  16. walkingcity

    walkingcity Member

    May 17, 2007
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    im involved with that group, its not looking like savethevictory.org will end up owning the club, but we have created alot of press and there are several investor groups interested in the club
     
  17. walkingcity

    walkingcity Member

    May 17, 2007
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  18. SCJ1910

    SCJ1910 New Member

    Feb 17, 2015
    Germany
  19. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  20. Dknits11

    Dknits11 Member

    Philadelphia Union
    United States
    Oct 19, 2016
    San Jose, CA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm just stumbling across this thread now, but that United London FC story is bonkers. Really fascinating concept, especially at the lower levels of the game.
     
  21. Team Owner

    Team Owner New Member

    Jan 14, 2017
    You can purchase a team through community ownership at prosportsowner.com.

    Can be any sport and either an existing team or new team. 100% fan owned and managed.
     
  22. Team Owner

    Team Owner New Member

    Jan 14, 2017
    Currently we are putter together a bid for Basingstoke FC in England. For $2 you can be an owner with us.

    See more here
     
  23. SJJ

    SJJ Member

    Sep 20, 1999
    Royal Oak, MI, USA
    Club:
    Michigan Bucks
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sounds more like a pretend team, like you can "buy a star" and name it after someone. The web site lists no actual team in any sport. Their Legal page: http://prosportsowner.com/legal
    By subscribing to Prosportsowner.com, you are subscribing to a service that provides entertainment only. All teams, their logos, and property are owned entirely by Prosportsowner.com and it’s subsidiaries.

    Members, users, and subscribers to this site have no legal ownership rights or responsibilities in any of the assets or liabilities of Prosportsowner.com or any of the teams under its control.

    This is not a solicitation for an investment in any company or corporation. No shares of any company, team, or legal entity are being offered or sold.

    Please ensure that by participating in this subscription entertainment site that you are in compliance with your local laws and rules.
     
  24. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Whenever something like this has a misspelling, it just screams SCAM'!!!! to me. I mean, take the time and effort to have someone proofread your shit.
     
  25. Team Owner

    Team Owner New Member

    Jan 14, 2017
    Thanks for your feedback. I understand that not everyone is interested in community management and ownership of sports teams.

    I was just presenting this opportunity to the group to let you know that for $2 a month you can basically play FIFA with a real life club. All decisions are made by the community via the online owners portal.

    I welcome further questions about the process, and thank you to those of you that have already signed up.
     

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