Irish "Fans" Buy Shares in Non League UK Side

[finnpark]

With the Sunderland thread going on now would be a good time to introduce this:
http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/story/?trs=gbcweyoj

If anyone is interested in setting something similar up in Ireland PM me :ball:. Im interested in getting it off the ground here.

BTW they are buying Ebbsfleet Town.

[Boo_Boy]

that was written in september,ive been following this thing and the deal was completed yesterday,they own 75% of conference team Ebbsfleet United!

[Boo_Boy]

www.yourclub.ie (http://www.yourclub.ie)

[dcfcsteve]

Groundhog Day agaion - wasn't this issue done to death only a few months back.

A dreadful idea that goes against everything that football is about. I pity Ebbsfleet - they are now owned by 30,000 odd bored interenet users who have bought a legal stake in the club for less than it's current and genuine fans paid for their season tickets. Original and genuine fans who now have less say in their team (despite many of them having given the club a lot more money).

Why can't these internet 'owners' just feck off, buy Championship Manager, and leave a poor club to its real fans.....? :confused:

[CharlesThompson]

Who are these fools?

Ah well as long as they stay well away from my club so be it. Come to think of it,... holy sh!t!! Is this what's happening at Bohs?

[derm]

A dreadful idea that goes against everything that football is about. I pity Ebbsfleet - they are now owned by 30,000 odd bored interenet users who have bought a legal stake in the club for less than it's current and genuine fans paid for their season tickets. Original and genuine fans who now have less say in their team (despite many of them having given the club a lot more money).

You really believe that football is about a few rich men who can buy and then run a club as they want regardless of what the fans think?? :eek:

[Boo_Boy]

Groundhog Day agaion - wasn't this issue done to death only a few months back.

A dreadful idea that goes against everything that football is about. I pity Ebbsfleet - they are now owned by 30,000 odd bored interenet users who have bought a legal stake in the club for less than it's current and genuine fans paid for their season tickets. Original and genuine fans who now have less say in their team (despite many of them having given the club a lot more money).

Why can't these internet 'owners' just feck off, buy Championship Manager, and leave a poor club to its real fans.....? :confused:

your totally wrong,their bringing the football BACK to the fans,would you prefer gillet & hicks or myfootballclub?,i know who i would prefer!:D

[gustavo]

you're totally wrong,they're bringing the football BACK to the fans,would you prefer gillet & hicks or myfootballclub?,i know who i would prefer!:D

If I was a fan of that club , definetly Hicks and Gillette.

[Poor Student]

Also, there's nothing stopping the original fans of the club itself from buying in.

[pól-dcfc]

Groundhog Day agaion - wasn't this issue done to death only a few months back.

A dreadful idea that goes against everything that football is about. I pity Ebbsfleet - they are now owned by 30,000 odd bored interenet users who have bought a legal stake in the club for less than it's current and genuine fans paid for their season tickets. Original and genuine fans who now have less say in their team (despite many of them having given the club a lot more money).

Why can't these internet 'owners' just feck off, buy Championship Manager, and leave a poor club to its real fans.....? :confused:

Shares are still available for purchase, so fans can have a far bigger say than normal. Apparently many many Ebbsfleet fans have bought shares, and judging by comments on talksport yesterday, they seem broadly in support.

However, it's a terrible idea to have internet votes on team selection. Obviously the manager who is working everyday with the players knows who should be playing rather than some kid who looks at the results and goalscorers on the internet.

[Boo_Boy]

If I was a fan of that club , definetly Hicks and Gillette.

seriously?

an 85,000 seater stadium for a conference club would be a plus!:D

[LeviathanNI]

I have been a member of this from the start, and it isn't what you all think.. for a start, no one owns shares. People are required to join the Society (by way of a £35 annual fee), and the Society owns the shares.

I would never wish this on a local team..ever. There is nothing to stop people here buying shares in their local club, or in my case, be elected to member status (Linfield is still a membership supporter owned club).

[bigmac]

However, it's a terrible idea to have internet votes on team selection.

Not so sure - ever read "The wisdom of crowds"? With a large number of people selecting the team, there won't be sufficient weight to allow any crazy ideas through. In fact, it may turn out that the team selections are much more predictable and conservative than normal.
It would be interesting to try it here with an Irish team to play Brazil and see what the results are - any mod interested in setting it up? I would suspect that the team selected would look pretty familiar.

As far as the overall idea goes, I think it's an interesting concept and I wouldn't slate it so easily straight away. It may be just me, but there's a certain amount of snobbery about "the real fans" on the board. I noticed it again with Ray Houghton's comments on the EL - despite being positive, he was still slated for it - fans who have stuck with their team through thick and thin are almost reluctant to be successful as how will anybody them be able to separate them from the hordes of bandwagoners? To my mind, an influx of 30000 people putting in a small amount of money (with no possibility of taking a profit out) is better than one person or fund coming in to take over a club specifically as an investment. At the very worst, a lot of them will lose interest in a year or two and the club will be back completely in the hands of the "real fans" plus any of the 30000 who became fans.

[LeixlipRed]

Wouldn't want it to happen at Shels but if Ebbsfleet get into the league and gain a couple of thousand new fans and it all goes belly up in two years then I doubt their fans will complain. It's an idea I'd rather watch from afar than have in our own league

[finnpark]

Groundhog Day agaion - wasn't this issue done to death only a few months back.

A dreadful idea that goes against everything that football is about. I pity Ebbsfleet - they are now owned by 30,000 odd bored interenet users who have bought a legal stake in the club for less than it's current and genuine fans paid for their season tickets. Original and genuine fans who now have less say in their team (despite many of them having given the club a lot more money).

Why can't these internet 'owners' just feck off, buy Championship Manager, and leave a poor club to its real fans.....? :confused:

I disagree with this. If its done properly those people will be paying £35 every year so Eddsfleet get over £1M per year for nothing. Its an excellent idea.

Don't worry I don't think anyone would be interested in buying Derry anyway.:p

Its actually similar to the ways the fans own Finn Harps Co-Op

[dcfcsteve]

You really believe that football is about a few rich men who can buy and then run a club as they want regardless of what the fans think?? :eek:

I must be goin crazy to be thinking that......! :o

[dcfcsteve]

your totally wrong,their bringing the football BACK to the fans,would you prefer gillet & hicks or myfootballclub?,i know who i would prefer!

Bringing football back to the fans......? :eek:

I didnt realise Ebbsfleet had 30,000 fans ?!? :eek:

Strange, given that their average crowd is c. 800.......

Or maybe those people sitting in Tokyo, Toronto, Tuam and Tranmere who are now part-owners just signed-up not because they're fans, but becuase they thought it'd be a cheap way to play at being a football Manager. Hmmm.....

Over 99% of those involved in the My Team thing signed-up to it before Ebbsfleet was chosen angel-of-death stylee. So how the hell can they be seen as Ebbsfoleet fans ?? :confused: Their fans of the idea - not the club. Huge difference.

And there are numerous other mnodeal for running football clubs, other than the 2 you've decided to focus on. I prefer the AFC Wimbledon model myself - genuine fan-ownership, te stadium held in a trust, and the club steadfastly refusing to spen dmore than it can bring-in. Now THAT'S the beautiful game....

[Réiteoir]

I'd love the manager of whichever club these latch onto to be forced to read out emails at half time; "Macca, Anto77 reckons you're not pushing up enough. Davie, Loves2Splooge says that you've a decent shot on you and you should shoot on sight, and I agree with him."

[Jerry The Saint]

if Ebbsfleet get into the league and gain a couple of thousand new fans and it all goes belly up in two years then I doubt their fans will complain.

:D From a Shels fan as well, who'd have thought it ;)

[Blue-Army]

www.yourclub.ie (http://www.yourclub.ie)
that has no chance in succeeding...It will take years to get 10000 members!

[Cymro]

I guess it will be interesting to see how this works out, but to be honest I wouldn't wish it on Cardiff even. It's a purely financially-driven thing, worse than clubs who sell out their names to businesses.

I pity the poor fella that has to manage Ebbsfleet. His reputation is potentially at the hands of 30,000 other people who'll pick his team for him. God forbid you might actually let the man manage his side?

[dcfcsteve]

If I was the guy who'd set-up this whole initiative, I'd be doing it largely with a view to having a book published about 'chasing the dream' and 'the experience', and preferably also a fly-on-the-wall series about it all on Sky 1.

It's ripe for that sort of disposable entertainment.

[LeviathanNI]

The Irish one seems like a bit of a con ffs.. at least the MyFC one had forums online and all the legal stuff done 6 months before the club was bought.. as for 10000 members.. well MyFC still has less than 30000, and it has had worldwide exposure..

[Boo_Boy]

wembley....yes there goin to wembley:eek: