Fanshare

[Heskey2011]

Just been reading about this and sounds like a great way to generate money for the club, could this be applied at Leicester?

wondered if anyone had any thoughts on the subject

[Edmund]

Care to elaborate?

[Guest Mee-9]

Arsenal back new 'Fanshare' ownership scheme

Backed by the club, 'Fanshare' has been set up by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust

Arsenal have backed a groundbreaking new scheme which aims to give its fans more influence in the club's affairs.

The new 'Arsenal Fanshare' initiative is a means of buying small fractions of full shares at an affordable price.

Ownership of a single 'fanshare' - one hundredth of an actual share - means a member has the chance to ask questions of the directors and vote on policy.

The Gunners are currently majority-owned by four shareholders, all of whom collectively support the new scheme.

Set up by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST), the aim of the scheme is not for Arsenal to be taken over by fans - but to allow more supporters to have greater involvement in the club's future, much like supporters of Barcelona, for example, are able to do in Spain.

Arsenal Fanshare has been established to increase supporter ownership and representation

AST spokesman Tim Payton

A single share in Arsenal Holdings PLC currently trades at more than £10,000 each.

But - to buy one 'fanshare' - supporters will be invited to pay a minimum of £100, either up front or in £10 monthly contributions.

In return a member secures full shareholder's rights, which includes the chance to attend the club's annual general meeting.

The backing from Arsenal's majority shareholders Stan Kroenke, Alisher Usmanov, Danny Fiszman and Lady Bracewell-Smith - who between them own almost 88% of the shares - could be viewed as significant.

"The support Arsenal Fanshare has from all of the club's major shareholders should allow all talk of a takeover to be put to one side," said Arsenal Fanshare board member and AST spokesman Tim Payton.

"Arsenal Fanshare has been established to increase supporter ownership and representation.

"We urge all Arsenal fans to take this opportunity and get involved - by working together we can make Arsenal even stronger."

In January this year, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis told BBC Sport that he did not expect American sports tycoon Kroenke - who was close to owning enough shares to trigger an offer for the entire stockholding - to launch a full takeover.

The AST, which campaigns against Arsenal being bought by one rich individual and collectively speaks for roughly 3% of its overall equity, hopes that a significant portion of the club's support will take up the chance to own 'fanshares' in order to amass them together.

Basically, Each fan participating in Fanshare, buys 1 hundredth of a Share I think.

[Edmund]

Basically, Each fan participating in Fanshare, buys 1 hundredth of a Share I think.

That went straight over my head. Seems like another way to milk the fans for more money.

Sounds a little similar to that team which was bought by fans. I wonder if that's still going? If I recall the fans had a vote on who they sign and the starting eleven.

[Heskey2011]

Sorry,

don't know a huge amount about it but i understand it to be that basically a fan can buy 1/100 of share for say £10, depending on the market price, these shares entitle you to vote on club decisions, raise topics at general meetings, and have some input into how the club is run.

The amount of Fanshares available would only make up a fraction of the total market value of the club so you wouldn't have much of a say on some things but a collective fanshare decision could raise and vote on topics at board room level through a representative,

Barcelona and some German teams do this and it's very popular, a fanshare of sorts paid for the Nou Camp,

[hackneyfox]

Leicester used to have a lot of share holders, then when we were facing admin and the MOF saved us he purchased them all.

[Jackirius]

Maybe set aside only a set amount of shares just so the fans could have a say in the club but it wouldn't be a total rabble?

[The Doctor]

That went straight over my head. Seems like another way to milk the fans for more money.

Sounds a little similar to that team which was bought by fans. I wonder if that's still going? If I recall the fans had a vote on who they sign and the starting eleven.

Ebbsfleet?

They were run by the members of a website called myfootballclub.com for a season but not enough people renewed their membership and it got canned.

[dandannieldanok]

Clearly has not got a chance of being a reality at Leicester, we've just been bought out. The new owners aren't suddenly going to be complicating things by letting shares go to all corners. I'm not sure it would be such a good thing anyway, would anyone want the average Radio Leicester caller to have a say in the way the club is run?

[Fosse Boy]

It won't happen here any time soon, but England needs 50+1 (the German system) pretty sharpish before football eats itself.

[Cheese Me]

Back in the day before admin' we did have shares that were affordable. I had about £50 worth of shares which were proper shares, not fractions of shares, but obviously they became worthless once the shares became worthless.

Nice idea but they're almost more of a 'souvenir' for fans to own than anything real. For Arsenal, what's the point of having a fraction of a share when four shareholders own 88% of the club anyway, your votes are meaningless