If they can do it in Barcelona why can’t they do it in Liverpool?
That was the debate at Liverpool Hope University yesterday into whether Liverpool Football Club could be bought and run by fans.
Academics from Birkbeck College in London suggested Liverpool fans could take control of their club through a mutual structure.
Using Barcelona FC as an example, Sean Hamil and Geoff Walters said public ownership in Catalonia saw fans elect presidents and ensure accountability.
In 2000, Barcelona fans launched the Elephant Blau Campaign against plans to build a commercial re-development around the clubs Camp Nou stadium.
Fan Joan Laporta said the owners were selling out the club’s tradition and value, which led to the ousting of the previous board in 2003 and the appointment of Laporta as club president.
The club now has 156,000 members or “socios” who pay an annual members fee and have the right to vote on the presidency and board and other matters including the club’s charitable works.
Asking if Barcelona is a one off, Mr Walters said Barcelona had still faced all the issues surrounding any football club, including boardroom bust-ups and financial worries.
But he said it was “a shining example of a mutual club with an explicit cultural and social identity which still delivers success on the pitch”.
Mr Hamil expanded on the success of mutual ownership which had raised revenue from 123.4m euros in 2003 to 290m euros in 2007, whilst still maintaining affordable ticket prices.
Under Laporta, player wages had been controlled, broadcasting revenue had been increased and 50,000 extra people had become socios.
Share Liverpool Football Club Group (SLFCG), led by high-profile Liverpool fans, are hoping to launch a £550m buy-out of the club from its American owners.
They are looking for 100,000 supporters to each put in £5,000 to buy the club.
During questions at the second annual conference of the Sport and Politics Group, Mr Hamil said that Tom Hicks and George Gillett promised to buy the best players but this had turned out to mean an increase in season ticket prices.
That was the debate at Liverpool Hope University yesterday into whether Liverpool Football Club could be bought and run by fans.
Academics from Birkbeck College in London suggested Liverpool fans could take control of their club through a mutual structure.
Using Barcelona FC as an example, Sean Hamil and Geoff Walters said public ownership in Catalonia saw fans elect presidents and ensure accountability.
In 2000, Barcelona fans launched the Elephant Blau Campaign against plans to build a commercial re-development around the clubs Camp Nou stadium.
Fan Joan Laporta said the owners were selling out the club’s tradition and value, which led to the ousting of the previous board in 2003 and the appointment of Laporta as club president.
The club now has 156,000 members or “socios” who pay an annual members fee and have the right to vote on the presidency and board and other matters including the club’s charitable works.
Asking if Barcelona is a one off, Mr Walters said Barcelona had still faced all the issues surrounding any football club, including boardroom bust-ups and financial worries.
But he said it was “a shining example of a mutual club with an explicit cultural and social identity which still delivers success on the pitch”.
Mr Hamil expanded on the success of mutual ownership which had raised revenue from 123.4m euros in 2003 to 290m euros in 2007, whilst still maintaining affordable ticket prices.
Under Laporta, player wages had been controlled, broadcasting revenue had been increased and 50,000 extra people had become socios.
Share Liverpool Football Club Group (SLFCG), led by high-profile Liverpool fans, are hoping to launch a £550m buy-out of the club from its American owners.
They are looking for 100,000 supporters to each put in £5,000 to buy the club.
During questions at the second annual conference of the Sport and Politics Group, Mr Hamil said that Tom Hicks and George Gillett promised to buy the best players but this had turned out to mean an increase in season ticket prices.
No comments:
Post a Comment