Benefits of Community Ownership

There are several key benefits to community ownership. Below are some of the areas in which such an ownership structure can greatly benefit a football club and its supporters.

Strategic Partnerships

• It allows clubs to develop deeper and more long-term strategic partnerships.
• A greater sense of shared agendas and partnerships between local authorities, clubs and business.
• Ownership structure and increased transparency helps build trust between organisations.
• Easier for supporter community owned clubs to align agendas with public or private strategic partners, meeting strategic objectives.

Finance

• Community ownership creates a greater sense of financial responsibility; an increased recognition for clubs to live within their means.
• It allows clubs to raise finance in other, more innovative ways; such as through ‘Community Shares’.
• Placing clubs in the hands of supporters allows more transparency in terms of clubs’ finances and makes relevant information more accessible to fans.

Sponsorship

• Sponsors are attracted to community owned clubs due to their high attendance figures when compared with competitors at the same level; e.g. FC United of Manchester and AFC Wimbledon.
• It is also the reputational value of sponsors being associated with a club owned by its’ supporters that is added value for sponsors.
• Reputational value can help to forge longer-term relationships between club and sponsor.

Transparency, Openness and Trust

• All supporters trust owned clubs have to publish annual accounts which have to be approved by members at their AGM.
• Provides a level of scrutiny and recourse for supporters as well as a level of public transparency that is often lacking at other clubs.
• Level of openness and transparency a key factor in developing and maintaining strategic partnerships, notably with public authorities and with fans.