I'm confused as to how they will run the venture; anyone can pay 35 pounds to become a member for a year, but who benefits? The newly purchased club will and so will the lawyers and possibly the person who came up with the idea! The members get a vote and that's it!
MyFootballClub is a venture that aims to first register and then recruit as paid members at least 50,000 football enthusiasts from across the world to purchase an English association football club. The club will be bought with funds gathered from paid-up members of MyFootballClub, who are organized into an Industrial and Provident Society. Once a club is purchased, paid members of MyFootballClub will be able to control the club through a democratic voting process, both on and off the field, including team selection and player transfers.[1]
On 13 November 2007, MyFootballClub announced that it had reached an agreement in principle, pending a due diligence investigation and members vote, to purchase Ebbsfleet United F.C. of the Blue Square Premier, formerly known as the Conference National.[2] MyFootballClub will be the first online community to fully run a professional sports club in history once its purchase of a club is finalised.
On 16 January 2008, MyFootballClub publicly announced the terms of its purchase of Ebbsfleet United and put the sale up to a vote of its members.[4] MyFC had approximately 27,000 members at the time of the vote, and members have seven days to register their opinion on the club's £635,000 takeover. For the sale to be finalised, at least 50% of MyFootballClub's membership must consent in online voting through the member website.
Having spent five and a half months meeting with and doing various degrees of due diligence on 12 football clubs, The Web Team and Legal Team believe that Ebbsfleet United is an ideal proposition for what MyFootballClub members have set out to achieve, and is the best deal out there.
In addition, over the last two months, Ebbsfleet United and its supporters have made MyFootballClub members feel extremely welcome.
A 'no' vote would be extremely damaging to EUFC. And having spent tens of thousands of pounds on financial and legal due diligence, it would seriously damage MyFootballClub too.
Members now have a exciting opportunity to purchase a football club that stands 8th in the Conference, is still in the FA Trophy and Setanta Shield, and has won its last four matches. We believe it would be extremely unlikely we could find such an attractive proposition before the 1 August 2008 deadline and within our budget.
MyFootballClub members have today approved the takeover of Ebbsfleet United football club, the first website-community takeover of its kind in the world. Over 95.7% voted in favour of going ahead with the deal.
In the second vote, over 95.6% voted in favour of allowing Liam Daish to continue with any plans he has for the January transfer window.
This email has been sent to over 73,000 - which includes MyFootballClub members as well as everyone else who has expressed an interest in the venture since its launch on 26 April 2007. For those yet to join, now is a great time for you to become a member and share in the excitement from the beginning.
The near future
The next two weeks will be an exciting time on the website, so please be sure to visit regularly. In the coming days:
Members will decide whether the club should employ a new kit manufacturer. If so, members will then be able to select home and away shirt designs.
Members will be invited to put themselves forward for the Trust Board. An article will be posted explaining the election process, and scoping out the role.
The team selector will be going live, so that people can start to familiarise themselves with it. As announced, members will start to control team selection in March 2008.
Years two, three and beyond
Around 1700 members have already committed to membership beyond year one, which is extremely promising. If you would like to extend your membership, you can do so here.
All monies for subsequent years have been ring-fenced and will not be spent unless members decide to do so. If you are able to extend your membership now, it will help members and the football club look forward to the future with even more confidence.
Speaking of Ebbsfleet, I saw their game at Woking last night. I recorded it some time ago and they were very poor. The idea of fans running the club is interesting, but it can only be for the fans if it is guaranteed that only fans will invest. I read somewhere 20 000 people had expressed, but how many of those 20 000 are Ebbsfleet fans. Some of them probably aren't football fans and are just looking for some hobby, which they'll get bored with after a while and lose interest.
conference league teams have better venues than our super league and premier league teams, that shouldnt be right tbh. its not like it can cost all that much. AC could have easy.
13_aliaksandr_hleb wrote:conference league teams have better venues than our super league and premier league teams, that shouldnt be right tbh. its not like it can cost all that much. AC could have easy.
Back me up with facts but I would imagine more watch the conference then the "super" league. The standard is also higher. A mate of mine plays super league and he couldn't get a game in the conference. He got a game at scottish division 2 but that's the limit.
As for ebbsfleet, they have sold out before, this is not their first time.
Things I am owed because they're too tight to pay up:
Colossus: One House
Costa: One Lunch
Oh and add in
Colossus: one photo and one letter from his "attorney".
13_aliaksandr_hleb wrote:conference league teams have better venues than our super league and premier league teams, that shouldnt be right tbh. its not like it can cost all that much. AC could have easy.
Back me up with facts but I would imagine more watch the conference then the "super" league. The standard is also higher. A mate of mine plays super league and he couldn't get a game in the conference. He got a game at scottish division 2 but that's the limit.
As for ebbsfleet, they have sold out before, this is not their first time.
shit yea more watch, but then again there are millions of more people over there than here and the primary sport is football. as for standard, well id say that conference league teams would be finishin in the top half of our super league but we have teams who could compete definatly
13_aliaksandr_hleb wrote:conference league teams have better venues than our super league and premier league teams, that shouldnt be right tbh. its not like it can cost all that much. AC could have easy.
Back me up with facts but I would imagine more watch the conference then the "super" league. The standard is also higher. A mate of mine plays super league and he couldn't get a game in the conference. He got a game at scottish division 2 but that's the limit.
As for ebbsfleet, they have sold out before, this is not their first time.
cabernet yea more watch, but then again there are millions of more people over there than here and the primary sport is football. as for standard, well id say that conference league teams would be finishin in the top half of our super league but we have teams who could compete definatly
So if more people go through the turnstiles in a conference game than a "super" league match, then why is it not right that they have a better ground and facilities.
As for a conference side v a super league side. As I said, a major name in the super league, couldn't get a game in the conference.
Things I am owed because they're too tight to pay up:
Colossus: One House
Costa: One Lunch
Oh and add in
Colossus: one photo and one letter from his "attorney".
we had this debate a few months ago, when it was agreed by many that the conference was better than the A-league...it pisses all over the super league. Some conference teams are full time as well.
e-football wrote:we had this debate a few months ago, when it was agreed by many that the conference was better than the A-league...it pisses all over the super league. Some conference teams are full time as well.
e-football wrote:we had this debate a few months ago, when it was agreed by many that the conference was better than the A-league...it pisses all over the super league. Some conference teams are full time as well.
Can you post the link? Would be good to read.
May have been one of those threads that got lost in the september debarcle, but if i find it I'll post it.
Halftime: Crawley Town 1 Ebbsfleet 0 (live on setanta)
Not much between the two sides. Shocking defending lead to the goal. Despite Paul Paker talking bollocks Ebbsfleet should have had a penalty for handball but the referee waved play on.
No one's really talked about the fans buying shares thing in recent weeks. Has it worked? Is the club better for it?
Two goals in the last eight minutes to turn it around.
Steve Bower wrote:A goal worthy of winning any game
Quality goal. Bit harsh on Crawley in which a draw would have been a fair result. The Red Devils had another shout for a penalty in the second half which was waved away again. Hard to say... but I think the referee got it right.
Bodø Glimt wrote:Halftime: Crawley Town 1 Ebbsfleet 0 (live on setanta)
Not much between the two sides. Shocking defending lead to the goal. Despite Paul Paker talking bollocks Ebbsfleet should have had a penalty for handball but the referee waved play on.
No one's really talked about the fans buying shares thing in recent weeks. Has it worked? Is the club better for it?
Looking at recent results you would have to say - no. Then again, it may have been worse without all the share holders voting rights
Bodø Glimt wrote:It's hard to say ... Ebbsfleet has never really been up there.
they've only been Ebbsfleet for about 2 years.
You know what he means.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebbsfleet_FC wrote:Ebbsfleet United Football Club is an English football team currently playing in the Football Conference. The team plays their home matches at Stonebridge Road in Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent. However, the club is now looking to build a new stadium in the Ebbsfleet Valley vicinity in Gravesham.
Prior to May 2007 the club was called Gravesend & Northfleet. The change was announced at a public consultation meeting on the evening of 1 May 2007.[1] The club is sponsored by Eurostar, whose trains serve Ebbsfleet International railway station.
Hawkesy wrote:see they played crawley, their owner is a nasty piece of cabernet. Causing all sorts of problems for the football club and the town itself.
As I said, a major name in the super league, couldn't get a game in the conference.
I'd like to see a game just to give him a hard time lol. 
