Supporters Trusts: Case Studies

[Lindsay Jones]

Stick around lads.
It is refreshing to hear stories from the coal face.

In 10 years time the majority of clubs will be owned/run by the fans and our children will look back at this era with astonishment.

[Bagger Vance]

Originally Posted by Lindsay Jones

Stick around lads.
It is refreshing to hear stories from the coal face.

In 10 years time the majority of clubs will be owned/run by the fans and our children will look back at this era with astonishment.

A little 10 year wager Lindsay - I think 70% will be 30% won't and the 30% will be the biggest 30% in the top end of the Championship and Premiership.
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[CarlDouglas]

In ten years time the only football left will be Man Utd versus Man Utd reserves live on MUTV from the Budweiser Ferguson Arena on the moon. There will be no crowd only VIPs there as guests of Galactic Emperor Beckham.

Viewing it will be compulsory as it will be beamed to a chip implanted in your brain and streamed to the inside of your eyelids.

The price for this service is to work in Beck-corps diamond mines for seventeen hours a day (less breaks that you can purchase).

[WrexhamO]

You've been watching too many Arnie movies!

[Doctor B]

Originally Posted by Bagger Vance

A little 10 year wager Lindsay - I think 70% will be (fan-owned) 30% won't and the 30% will be the biggest 30% in the top end of the Championship and Premiership.
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I think that's a real possibility. However those will be the ones that can afford to be there - either because they have the fanbase to fund success and/or because they will have reached the Premiership in time to be part of an impregnable cabal on the merry-go-round of "Premiership money - enormous parachute payments - more premiership money".

It seems pretty obvious that the new £48 million parachute payments were actually designed to do this (and also to mimimise the recent trend of big clubs dropping out of the top two divisions). It was clearly the price extracted by the those clubs that are big, but outside the elite few, for dropping their demands for PL2 and no relegation from the second tier.

There's also the spectre of the European Super-League, which has always secretly been close to the heart of the very biggest clubs. Predictably they've used the first opportunity they can to resurrect the idea. Getting to the top-table will become even more difficult, as the elite move that table out of reach.

Top European clubs consider forming breakaway super league | Football | The Guardian

round thoughts European Super League. A matter of time

Although at first glance this seems unrelated, but it's an example of the top clubs serving notice that the the tail intends to wag the dog in the very near future. (You need to read between the lines a bit).

Europe's top clubs demand more say in way game is run | Reuters



It's perfectly natural to dream, but the majority of us are going to have to temper our ambitions to a more realistic level. Gambling your club's future on what are not really dreams, but pipe-dreams, is the very definition of reckless.

Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

[Bagger Vance]

Originally Posted by Doctor B

I think that's a real possibility. However those will be the ones that can afford to be there - either because they have the fanbase to fund success, or because they will have reached the Premiership in time to be part of an impregnable cabal on the merry-go-round of "Premiership money - enormous parachute payments - more premiership money".

It seems pretty obvious that the new £48 million parachute payments were actually designed to do this (and also to mimimise the recent trend of huge clubs dropping out of the top two divisions). It was clearly the big, but lesser, clubs price for dropping their demands for PL2 and no relegation from the second tier.

There's also the spectre of the European Super-League, which has always secretly been close to the heart of the big clubs. Predictably they've used the first opportunity they can to resurrect the idea. Getting to the top-table will become even more difficult, as the elite move that table out of reach.

Top European clubs consider forming breakaway super league | Football | The Guardian

round thoughts European Super League. A matter of time

Although at first glance this seems unrelated, it's an example of the top clubs serving notice that the the tail intends to wag the dog in the very near future. (You need to read between the lines a bit).

Europe's top clubs demand more say in way game is run | Reuters



It's perfectly natural to dream, but the majority of us are going to have to temper our ambitions to a more realistic level. Gambling your club's future on what are not really dreams, but pipe-dreams, is the very definition of reckless.

Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

An excellent summary.

A 2 tier game will ensue, local community club football and big business clubs.

[Doctor B]

I hope I'm not insulting any of you lot by posting this story about Chester - for obvious reasons it might wind some of you up, which is not my intention.

It's also likely that given the close proximity, you already know this story well. However if any of you haven't seen the Football Focus video about the Trust model there, I think it's worth taking a look at.

It gives a good idea of the way that supporter ownership at small clubs can have a galvanising effect and in itself can give a club an all-round boost. In addition, it illustrates what I meant when I talked about the "vibe" of a supporter owned club.

Anyway, I'll probably get a ban for this!

It was nice knowing you.

(Scroll down for the video at the bottom)

As Stephen Vaughan Goes To Prison: Chester FC, One Year On Twohundredpercent