Fans group aims to raise £15m to buy Saints

[davieG]

I think this is non-starter when you think how mucg the fans of LCFC were able to raise during our admin. Although they do have the Council considering buying the ground.

A group of fans are aiming to raise at least £15m with a view to sensationally buying Saints and turning it into a supporter-owned club.

The Daily Echo can today reveal the initiative has already been discussed with administrator Mark Fry as potentially one option to rescue the club from oblivion.

Fans are being asked to pledge whatever amounts of money they can afford to a fund – and for a minimum outlay of £100 will receive discounted tickets for a set amount of games at St Mary’s.

A steering group has been meeting for several weeks now, initially with a view to going public with their aim at the end of the season.

But Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC’s descent into administration last week and the disappearance of the shareholdings has forced them to bring forward their rescue plan.

Mark Heathorn, one of the members of the steering group, told the Echo that fans are NOT being asked to pay money now.

Instead, they just want supporters to make an online pledge with an amount they could donate at very short notice.0 In a statement released to the Echo, Heathorn said: “This is our ONE big chance to own OUR football club.

“To achieve this we are appealing to all supporters to put aside the past and join forces in a common goal of saving our Saints.

“Now is the time to show the world how much we love our club.

“Our vision is to put the club into the hands of the fans, move it forward and to deliver a secure, stable future. We believe in a ‘not for profit’ system, where all monies are ploughed into the football club.

“The events of last week have created a need for us to bring forward our call to action.

“Now is the time for change. Imagine a Southampton FC owned by the fans, run by the fans, and for the interest of the fans?

“Can you buy into the vision?”

Heathorn added: “Our goal is to raise a minimum of £15m.

“This may sound a lot but considering we have tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people who follow our club, this is very realistic.

“Thirty thousand fans contributing an average of £500 each would reach this figure.

“We already have pledges for more than £750,000, from just over 430 people.

“This is an average of over £1,500!”

Other fans on the steering committee, who have been meeting for weeks, are Mike Fenner, Alan Ediss and Kevan Roberts. David Dowty has recently joined the group.

Heathorn added: “It must be emphasised that this initiative is being put forward as a possible solution should no acceptable bidder for Saints come forward.”

SOUTHAMPTON City Council IS in negotiations to buy St Mary’s Stadium, the Daily Echo can exclusively reveal.

Council chiefs have met with the administrator trying to sell Saints to investigate the idea of buying the 32,600-seat stadium which they will then lease back to the club.

One of four serious contenders, they say the stadium could be an asset for the city and also used for other purposes, but have vowed that no public funds will be invested in the club itself.

[DB11]

Heads in the clouds. They won't be able to do it.

[act smiley]

As they say, 30,000 x 500. They'll be lucky to get more than 30,000 x 20. Maybe if its in combination with the council buying the ground, but even so. Pity.

[Lovejoy]

£500 each?

Sorry, but that isn't going to happen, especially not at the moment. No matter how much affinity you feel with your club, times are hard, and your average fan cna't just splash £500 like that.

[Ford Super Sunday]

How hard did we find it to raise £5m?

And how would we have done it without big, clouty financial investments from people like Heskey and Lineker, and other big rich people?

£15m in a recession... not going to happen... sorry

[Fosse Boy]

Good luck to them, but can't see it happening in reality.

[Fox92]

Good luck to them, I said this on there furom.

Sad really, to see them in Admin and that.