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Fans owned club

It’s a dive Mark. There are small pockets of areas that are nice - the top end of Rochester High Street being one of those exceptions.

The data you posted is only part of the picture. It is only the average salary for people that are in work and it does not reflect the higher cost of living in the SouthEast. I pulled data from the same source as you for Kent and it shows a very different picture.

Blimey, even Strood has a millionaires row. Some places aren't all like Darnely Road, there's even a Darnely Mews at the top of that road 🙂
 
It’s a dive Mark. There are small pockets of areas that are nice - the top end of Rochester High Street being one of those exceptions.

The data you posted is only part of the picture. It is only the average salary for people that are in work and it does not reflect the higher cost of living in the SouthEast. I pulled data from the same source as you for Kent and it shows a very different picture.

You are overstating your case I think Trashbat. If we are talking football towns and off the top of my head Blackpool, Fleetwood, Barrow, Mansfield, Accrington are visibly more deprived than Medway. Medway's median includes great disparity. I have long thought that to be poor in parts of the south is grimmer than elsewhere because you live alongside real and comparative affluence.

Hempstead, Parkwood, most of Rainham, St Mary's Island, developments around Pier Road, new and old Rochester all look relatively prosperous to me and that's a big population. Old high streets and their surroundings are tatty, forlorn and populated by the poor in crowded, rented accommodation. It doesn't make for pretty viewing but those populations are thankfully a minority. Gillingham draws fans from the better off hinterland too.

I like Medway.
 
Wow you snob.

As someone who lives in Medway I think your comments are very offensive.

Next time I walk through Rochester hight Street and pass the cathedral I'll have to remind myself of your words.

Like every urban conurbation there are areas that are tired and need money. The area around the ground fits that description.

It's why I agree with scally a new ground is essential

Back to your comments on Medway though - There is no money? Who is paying for all the building development then ? Why are the restaurants busy on a weekdays night ?

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Median salaries are shockingly poor in this deprived area- oh hang on no they are not.
The only reason Medway is average on salaries is that vast numbers travel to work.It is a commuter town.Put it anywhere else in the country and that figure would change dramatically.
 
Back to the OP.

Has anyone got any successful examples of a fan owned football club ?

I’m not aware of any.
 
How about the high salaries of the commuters who have moved down from London and continue to support London teams being responsible for that Medway figure? Plus the high cost of housing/travel that many incur compared to national average.
:-)

Ps, yes I know what Median means.

Just what I wrote. Don’t kid yourself Mark - it is a very deprived part of the UK.

Anecdotally, look at the number of people who moan about paying an extra quid for POTD.

How many people on this forum have said that the cost of going to games is too expensive.

Look at the outrage some people had about there being one less fixture after Bury folded and we’re demanding a partial refund for there be one less match in the season!
 
Medway definitely needs government help .But it also lack identity with vast numbers from other areas or their parents were .Gillingham will have a few well off fans but they are in a minority and none will live within easy walking distance of the ground.I would agree to push the club forward it does probably needs to move .But part if the problem with Gillingham was created by the council. They moved the centre and retail far out of town to Hempstead valley and the A2 area .Gillingham high street was never the most affluent but it definitely is a lot worse than it was decades ago.The club has also suffered because of a generations of lack of publicity including self created problems that have meant that Charlton and others get more publicity in Medway than Gillingham do.
Parents would have no reason whatsoever so ever to take kids near the ground in general .That could be addressed in part by possibly holding a area school tournament. Thousands of parents and kids would attend if their kid or friends kid played in a eight team finals day.Yes the pitch would take a bashing so it would have to be at the end of the school year .
 
Back to the OP.

Has anyone got any successful examples of a fan owned football club ?

I’m not aware of any.

I believe Germany has 50%+ owned clubs. And there are/were examples of clubs like Wycombe that have Trusts that owns part of the club, I think.

Personally, if there was ever going to be a club least suited to being in the hands of the fans, it’s probably us! Folks on this board are sensible - but imagine some of the more nutty types from the Facebook forum making football decisions.
 
High streets nearly everywhere are shadows of their former selves. Most towns are doughnuts with the less well off concentrated in the core, or scattered estates. The better off live outside, remember the good old days, rarely visit the old town, or use its services and are aghast when they do. Gillingham has more active shops than most similar towns, lots of people shop there but they don't have a lot of money.

Of course Medway profits from the salaries of its commuters, though some now work from home. The same can be said of any of the London satellite towns but prosperous they remain.

I don't believe that any of these factors we are discussing make it harder for GFC to succeed but any owner needs to truly appreciate what he has bought into. You go with what you have.
 
I believe Germany has 50%+ owned clubs. And there are/were examples of clubs like Wycombe that have Trusts that owns part of the club, I think.

Personally, if there was ever going to be a club least suited to being in the hands of the fans, it’s probably us! Folks on this board are sensible - but imagine some of the more nutty types from the Facebook forum making football decisions.

I think all the German stadia are owned by the local authority. Certainly a ST often includes free or discounted travel. I know what you mean about the FB types but the medium is at least partly to blame. I think most of them would lose their hooves and horns in the clear light of day.

A club run solely by fans is a fantasy project and could only ever work with a small and very local operation. I think there is room for much increased fan participation however and there is no reason we could not have meaningful share ownership. Ultimately you need an accountable CEO in any form of ownership, empowered to make decisions in the best interests of the enterprise.
 
Cheers TB and jogills.
It appears that there are no examples of successful fan owned clubs.
A token fan sitting on the board is totally different.
So, in reality, Gills need a mysterious benefactor who is content to lose a shed load of money in return for success on the pitch.
Exactly what I thought in the first place.
 
I Ultimately you need an accountable CEO in any form of ownership, empowered to make decisions in the best interests of the enterprise.

We’ve already been derailed on this thread talking about the socio-economic make-up of the Medway Towns - and I’m going to digress briefly too...

I noticed that Cambridge United are recruiting for a CEO. Expected salary to be in the region of £100k. Considering CUFC is much less complicated operation than GFC (no school / conferencing) and considering the incoming CUFC CEO would not have to pay out expenses from their consultancy fee, PS’s consultancy fee doesn’t look as crazy as some might portray.
 
I've always wondered how fan owned, or part owned clubs, work. I feel like it's mostly a motivation tool for the fans? Make them feel more part of it so they stay involved. That's obviously great but I don't think fans really have any control in reality?

I think fan ownership at the top of German football works because they're high enough up the food chain that they can still be rich whilst having cheap ticket prices. Probably helps they aren't top of the foodchain so the PL can afford to spend obscene amounts on their players.

Arguably the higher you go up the more fan ownership has value in terms of transparency. The ESL drama being an example.
 
Five times European Champions, FC Barcelona.
Barcelona is a good shout …… until we get to the bit where they are €1.6 Billion in dept and looking to involve private equity to alleviate the dire financial problems that they have.
Apparently they have 140.000 shareholders.
I’ve been to Barca many times and didn’t know that.
I wonder how many Gills fans would put their own money in.
I did.
Once bitten 😉