An Internet-based collective of soccer fans from more than 70 countries agreed in principle on Tuesday to buy a controlling interest in an English soccer club.
The deal will give them a vote on everything from team lineup selections to which players should be transferred.
Ebbsfleet United, a lower-league professional team formerly known as Gravesend and Northfleet, said they were overjoyed by the deal with MyFootballClub, calling it a world first and the start of a new age in soccer club ownership.
"This is a brand new concept, basically a massive trust," said Roland Edwards, a director and club secretary of Ebbsfleet United in Kent, England.
Ebbsfleet United is currently in the fifth tier of English soccer, known as the Football Conference, which is the level below the four divisions of professional soccer -- the Premier League, League Championship, League One and League Two.
Edwards said he hopes its new owners will help push it up one notch to League Two. Ebbsfleet United currently sit ninth in the Conference, which has 24 teams.
Edwards wouldn't disclose the price MyFootballClub agreed in principle to pay for a 51 percent stake in the club. He said the deal would be completed in several weeks.
MyFootballClub, which charges its 20,000 members a ?35 (US$72) annual fee, has a kitty of more than ?700,000 and its money will not only help operate the team but deepen its pockets to buy new players, Edwards said.
MyFootballClub, is the brainchild of former soccer journalist Will Brooks, who launched it in April.
The fans will vote on key decisions on Ebbsfleet United's day-to-day operation, from picking the team to selecting transfer targets and sanctioning moves. Under the deal, manager Liam Daish will see his job title changed to head coach to signify his changed role.
Edwards said the fans obviously will have no role during the matches, when Daish and the players will be making their own decisions.
But during the week, Edwards said, fans will be able to e-mail in their views about who should play in each weekend game.
"There will be a lot of dialogue and the head coach will respond leading up to the games," Edwards said.
The fans will also be able to watch the games worldwide via the Internet.
Supporters Direct, an organization set up to promote democratic ownership of soccer clubs, has its reservations, however.
"This might be seen as a one-off gimmick and harmless enough by many, however this is a real football club, these are real finances and real fans," Supporters Direct spokesman Kevin Rye said. "The question needs to be asked what happens to the club finances and its supporters if the novelty starts to wear off?"
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said