Why Are So Few Other Clubs Trust Owned?

[gilbertshoot]

Makes me immensely proud about our wonderful club. I don't think we've ever been in a better position both on and off the pitch, the ground has never looked better and we're about to get promoted. I genuinely feel sorry for some other club fans who watch on in despair as another charlatan wrecks their club through ego and dodgy dealings. I think our model is the future.

 

[DB9]

Makes me immensely proud about our wonderful club. I don't think we've ever been in a better position both on and off the pitch, the ground has never looked better and we're about to get promoted. I genuinely feel sorry for some other club fans who watch on in despair as another charlatan wrecks their club through ego and dodgy dealings. I think our model is the future.

That's quite a statement, In the near 20 years the Trust has been running our club there has been no great call for a sea change in ownership by other fans, Simply for the reason fans want success, Unfortunatly that comes at a price, Most fail because those shitesters that take clubs on have no money behind then, They take advantage of the stupid and not fit for purpose "Fit & Proper" tests, A Trust end up with a club when no one else is prepared to take them on, Like ours in 2003.

We are in a great position, Its taken those 20 years to get into that position, A lot of hard work and at times very close to failing but we got there, Our next project, The C&F is sort of being put on hold due to circumstances out of our control until a new constructer is found which will incurre costs and for our model costs we could do well without because we "Rob Peter to pay Paul" luckily we've had an unexpected windfall by OW starting for England, We as fans know this and understand, How many other fans of clubs would have that kind of patience, We see the long term thing, Others don't.

By the way, I to am immensely proud of the club but i don't see our model as the future for other clubs, It works for us but it won't for all 92 teams.

 

[denzel]

Do they still have the Supporters Direct Cup? It was an annual thing between trust run clubs, but always seemed to involve Wimbledon.

 

[Colesman Ballz]

Do they still have the Supporters Direct Cup? It was an annual thing between trust run clubs, but always seemed to involve Wimbledon.

Supporters Direct ceased to exist when it became part of the newly formed FSA (Football Supporters Association). I am not sure whether the competition has continued, but if you ask Neil Le Milliere at the Fecrace Bar on a match day, I am sure that he will be able to tell you.
The Cup was a pre season match between two invited Trust owned teams, and AFCW were a sort of unofficial "flagship" and therefore featured quite heavily, often playing against newly founded/acquired Trust run clubs.

 

[Spoonz Red E]

We played FC United in a friendly in 2012 - I can't remember whether that was a Supporters Direct event or done on our own inititiative.

 

[i8cornwall]

I think our model is the future.

Give me two minutes while I just roll around on the flooring laughing at that.... Right that's better.

Not even close, Portsmouths, Wrexham, Wycombe and Telford have all sold there fan owned clubs to private ownership in recent times.

My own club Bolton even shunned the idea even when we where on the brink of going bust, so no sorry it's really not the future.

 

[gilbertshoot]

Give me two minutes while I just roll around on the flooring laughing at that.... Right that's better.

Not even close, Portsmouths, Wrexham, Wycombe and Telford have all sold there fan owned clubs to private ownership in recent times.

My own club Bolton even shunned the idea even when we where on the brink of going bust, so no sorry it's really not the future.

Each to their own, mate.

 

[Suzi & The Banned Cheese]

*coughs*

Also, Hearts - now the largest community/trust owned club in the UK.

The lessons football must learn from Hearts’ fan ownership

The Scottish club have become the biggest community owned football club Britain has ever seen. The rest of the game must take notice, Power to Change CEO Vidhya Alakeson writes

www.independent.co.uk

(Clyde, Clydebank, Stirling Albion & Motherwell are also community/fan Trust owned in Scotland)

I believe representatives of the Hearts Trust came to Exeter, to get advice on how to do things.

Two aspects stand out, in relation to your question.

First, like City, Hearts were on the brink of insolvency - it may be that, as things stand in the UK, this is a necessary condition for Clubs moving into fan ownership.

Second, where City had Man Utd in the FA Cup, Hearts had Ann Budge - she loaned the Club the money that enabled it to survive the transition to Trust ownership, & then the Trust were able, last year, to repay the loan in full. Her role in the whole process can't be overestimated. (Posted this before seeing robchave's post!)

A final point - one of the most impressive aspects of City's journey to community/fan ownership is how much they have invested in the ethos of being a "community club" (Matt Taylor really embraces this, far more than Tisdale & Perryman ever did). Hearts have a way to go to catch up with City on this - but they're heading in the right direction!

The OP was clearly referring to England hence reference to the 92. As far as I am concerned and Football is concerned Scotland is another country.

 

[Suzi & The Banned Cheese]

The OP was clearly referring to England hence reference to the 92. As far as I am concerned and Football is concerned Scotland is like another country.

 

[Suzi & The Banned Cheese]

Barcelona are also fan owned, I think they are some fringe outfit from Spain, Google them

I was referring to England only, hence reference to the 92 League Clubs...