Aug 18, 2010

Is Arsenal your favorite football club?  Why not take some ownership in the team, then?

Arsenal has recently approved a plan promoting fan ownership, allowing fans to buy small stakes in the club.  The plan allows for fans to purchase a “fanshare”, which is 1/100th of the value  of actual shares of the club, which are valued at approximately $15,000 a piece.

The plan, which will be advertised during this Saturday’s home-opener against Blackpool was created by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust.

Denver Nuggets/Colorado Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke is currently the largest Arsenal shareholder, owning 29.9% of the club.  If Kroenke or any other shareholder owns more than 30% of the club, it would force an offer to be made for the remaining shares.  Investors who hold more than 50% of the shares legally own the club, and persons who own 90% of the shares have the right to purchase the remaining shares.  Of course, the fanshare plan, which has support from all of the club’s major share holders, should quickly put to rest any talk of a takeover, according to Arsenal Supporter Trust member Tim Payton,

“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 AST board member Tim Payton. “Arsenal Fanshare meets Arsenal supporters’ objective that the club remains in plural ownership. Arsenal is simply too important an institution to be owned by just one person.” (via )

Too important to be owned by one person, but also important enough to give fans the opportunity to take a vested ownership interest.

That’s the Arsenal vision for the foreseeable future.

h/t to

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