Essentially buying a business should mean you own it wholly and can do with it what you wish, even if that means close it. But what about Football Clubs?
Well they’re certainly different. I won’t say they’re too big too fail, although some may be due to their sheer size of global brand (this would be very few clubs such as Manchester United).
For the rest of us the possibility of being a good team in our 20’s and watching league 2 in our 60’s is a real possibility – whether you like it or not. But that is just it isn’t it, what few relationships enjoy such longevity?
You don’t even pay for a new car as long as you pay for your allegiance to a football club. That is because I don’t see it as payment, I’m not paying to watch the game all year. I’m making an investment and the observing that investment with interest and passion.
The only other transaction that comes to mind of comparison, although the businesses are VERY different, is like that with a bank.
You give it your money, you don’t really have any control over what they do with it, they actually take the legal title to that money until you serve a mandate to pay. Indeed if you actually knew where it went you wouldn’t want to give it them, but you still would – indeed you have little choice.
A club is like a social contract for many. You’re signed up before you even know it. The can leave, but of course, why would you? Another club wouldn’t feel the same.
Think of it as your life’s story – only by ‘your life’ I mean your whole entirety. Who you are is shaped by who your parents are and so forth … for the moment you may be the final chapter of your story (until you have kids) but it couldn’t skip straight to you could it? no, you have to get where you are through the enshrinement of previous experience.
So to the point, is this really a basic commercial transaction? Do you buy the shirt because Blues are fantastic on the field of play or do you buy it partly due to some form of implied obligation and recognition of source – it is made by your club.
Club’s of this size are guaranteed a certain level of Season Ticket money and revenue sales from their catchment area. Their local supporters that are there by birth, by affection and by assimilation.
They were not brought here with your fancy deals or your new shirt, or indeed that one year you won the Carling Cup. They are here because THEY are Birmingham City Football Club.
So what’s my point? that there should be legislation in place to reflect this and to serve justice. Fans must be hear, higher up and earlier on during proceedings. Each club should have a non-executive director on the board of every community interest football club.
An permanent elected member of the fan base who can advocate the fans interests at board level. Football clubs get into trouble because greedy owners push their money box too far, or behave recklessly with an asset they can simply sell.
Those options of walking away are not there for fans. We cannot walk away, and for that reason we should be allowed on the inside. Not to upset the apple cart and not to stop the owner influencing his club. But to be a voice of a very important interested party.
If any football club board member reads this, please remember. You may represent the shareholders, but they are not the only stakeholder in your business. Generations have been spent making this club – it is not yours to ruin.
Now this is a piece written totally from memory and should be treated as such, it is not a manifesto for action.
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