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Group proposes Liverpool fans' buy-out
England - 31 January, 2008
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The "Share Liverpool FC" Group will present a plan to organise a buy-out of English Liverpool by 100,000 fans. The model proposed will be a Barcelona-style, ‘member-share’ scheme, aimed at raising GBP 500 million to purchase the Club from its American owners and build a new stadium.
Rogan Taylor, founder member and Chair of the Football Supporters’ Association, launched in Liverpool after the Heysel Stadium Disaster, and currently the Director of the Football Industry Group at the University of Liverpool, said: “The time is right to offer a different solution to the rising concerns that football fans have about the patterns of ownership developing at our major football clubs. Thousands of Liverpool fans have already demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. Large amounts of debt often devolves onto clubs newly purchased, but the fans know that in the end, it will be they themselves who will have to pay it off through increased ticket prices and other schemes. In such a case, why not simply buy the club yourselves?
What many don’t realise is that there are other ways of financing and taking ownership of big clubs. In Germany and Spain, most top level football clubs are simply ‘Not For Sale’. They are owned by many thousands of ‘member fans’. The Champions League has been won on six occasions in the last 15yrs by clubs owned and run in such a way.”
Together with Taylor, those involved include Phil French, former Director of Communications and Public Policy at the Premier League and now CEO of ‘Supporters Direct’, the government-backed organisation that helps fans get real stakes in their clubs, and Kevin Jaquiss, of the law firm, Cobbetts; the top firm for co-operative and mutual law. Kevin was part of the group which developed the Supporters Trust concept and wrote the model constitution which is now used by over 100 ‘Fans’ Trusts’ in England, Wales and Scotland.
Further details of the plan will be released at the Press Conference which will take place today (31 Jan) at the University of Liverpool.
Rogan Taylor, founder member and Chair of the Football Supporters’ Association, launched in Liverpool after the Heysel Stadium Disaster, and currently the Director of the Football Industry Group at the University of Liverpool, said: “The time is right to offer a different solution to the rising concerns that football fans have about the patterns of ownership developing at our major football clubs. Thousands of Liverpool fans have already demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. Large amounts of debt often devolves onto clubs newly purchased, but the fans know that in the end, it will be they themselves who will have to pay it off through increased ticket prices and other schemes. In such a case, why not simply buy the club yourselves?
What many don’t realise is that there are other ways of financing and taking ownership of big clubs. In Germany and Spain, most top level football clubs are simply ‘Not For Sale’. They are owned by many thousands of ‘member fans’. The Champions League has been won on six occasions in the last 15yrs by clubs owned and run in such a way.”
Together with Taylor, those involved include Phil French, former Director of Communications and Public Policy at the Premier League and now CEO of ‘Supporters Direct’, the government-backed organisation that helps fans get real stakes in their clubs, and Kevin Jaquiss, of the law firm, Cobbetts; the top firm for co-operative and mutual law. Kevin was part of the group which developed the Supporters Trust concept and wrote the model constitution which is now used by over 100 ‘Fans’ Trusts’ in England, Wales and Scotland.
Further details of the plan will be released at the Press Conference which will take place today (31 Jan) at the University of Liverpool.
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