I was poking around on the BBC soccer front page last night and I came across a story that I found interesting. The website MyFootballClub is offering fans who want to pay a round $70 American, a chance to buy stake in a football club. It's a novel idea that has caught on quickly. How quick? The site has reached it's goal of 50,000 fan in only three months. By my calculation, that comes out to a little over $3 million.
Will Brook, MyFootballClub's creator, has already been approached by four clubs that are looking to let him and his 'investors' buy their club. They are wiling to turn over the run of the club and the power to make all the major decisions with the fans.
I read this and found myself wondering if this would work here in America with, lets say, a hockey team or perhaps an MLS team. You could launch a site and let the people that live in the state where the team is make a smaller deposit, with fans outside of the state, paying a slightly higher fee. I think this takes the idea of being a fan to a whole new level. Imagine if you could log on to a website and decide who D.C. United was going to sign in the next MLS draft. Or if your team should make upgrades in their staffing.
This reminded me of playing Manager Mode on EA's FIFA 07. Interestingly enough, Brook has negotiated a deal with the world leader in sports video games. Perhaps Brook got the idea from them. I don't think that Mr. Brook's idea would see more than a touch or two here in the states though. I don't think that professional sports teams here could bolster the kind of support needed to buy a franchise out. The teams that have approached Brook are all from the lower divisions in the FA. Perhaps a minor league club would work here.
In the long run, Brook wants to surpass the group of Barcelona's fans, around 155,000, who vote for the clubs president every four years. It will surely be something to watch over the next few months as the English season takes off.
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