Fan Ownership

Just read this article on The Guardian website about fan ownership at Wycombe Wanderers, might be worth a read to those interested in the possibility of us doing something similar.

Seems as though they’re through the worst and things are looking up for them.

Fan ownership: how we took control of our football club

Last year Wycombe were facing a worrying future but, as their director explains, a few months is a long time in football ...

A decade ago Wycombe Wanderers were knocking Premier League teams out of cups. Can a fan-ownership model help recreate those glory days?

A few months ago Wycombe Wanderers FC became supporter owned after the supporters trust saved the club from financial turmoil by buying out the previous owner. It wasn’t an easy path to take, but it was worth it.

The story behind the takeover

I was first introduced to the football club when a neighbour took his son and I to our old ground, Loakes Park. I was hooked from the word go.

Many years later, the owners of the club were looking to move to a new ground with a greater capacity. With a Premiership rugby club under the same ownership, a capacity of 17,500 was required, although only around 5,000 fans watched our home games.

Further plans emerged throughout 2011. A sports village, a hotel, residential homes and an airfield were all part of the package. We would not own the new ground. We would go from freeholder to leaseholder with the move. Our old ground would be sold. This move would take place on an extremely limited income. There was one big question. Where would we find the money to survive?

Popular fan message board, the Gasroom, was alive with questions, speculation and opposition to the move to nearby Booker. It was from here that the No to Booker campaign kicked off.

Our main demand was transparency as we wanted to understand how as a football club we would benefit from moving stadium.

At the start we were the noisy few and it became clear we needed to be organised in order to show that not all fans were in favour of the move. Petitions were organised and a website was set up as mouthpiece for the campaign.

As momentum increased we saw more and more fans wearing the black and white scarves – the visible symbol of the campaign which demanded answers in black and white. This was at a similar time to when Manchester United fans were saying "no to Glazer" with their green and gold scarves.

We quickly gained publicity through local, regional and national media. Pressure was mounting and we knew by some of the events around us that we were doing exactly the right things.

After some months, the plans to move were scrapped. Support for the new ground had disappeared. We had won. We were part of this fantastic victory.

But the journey didn’t end there. It was never our intention to take control of the club. Wycombe Wanderers Trust was there simply to safeguard the interests of the fans – but it soon became clear that the best way to do this may be through fan ownership.

During the campaign, I had met some of the supporters trust and admired what they stood for. I was pleasantly surprised when I was asked to stand for election to their board and was duly elected.

A few weeks later I was away with work (I was still finding space for the day job) when, stood on a balcony in Cannes, I got a text updating me on developments back home.

For me, this was where the rollercoaster really started. I agreed to sign an non-disclosure agreement (NDA) which if broken would have finished me. Safe to say there were no leaks, which is testament to those involved. Negotiations had begun before and we all were now participating.

There were countless meetings, phone calls, emails and frustrations, and at times it felt like it would never be completed. But on Friday 29 June 2012 we finally did it. We owned our club.

Twitter lit up, the Gasroom lit up, as did Facebook. I cannot say that the previous owner had anything but good intentions. It is difficult to know what happened behind the scenes, but he is now a fan and always welcome.

Running the club

On day one it was a question of "where do you start?" Basics first. The business has to operate to fund a football team, not the other way around. We have set the budget and luckily the manager, Gary Waddock has always known where we are coming from.

Off the pitch, we had a plan. Operate and cut the losses. Move to a position where we can cover our costs and any profit will go to the playing budget. The senior team had some tough decisions to make. The business had to come first and we’ve been determined to make this work.

We are a small club and are part of the community and because of this our structure is very different to other clubs. The joint chairman and I are as happy talking to fans of both teams in the bars or car parks as we are in the board room.

On a match day I may sort out your problem, or direct you to your parking space. Deals are not in the directors box, they are in and from the community and you must engage with them.

Our fans are such a massive part of the club and we work for them.

We have no shareholders – maybe a little debt, but that is manageable. We will be in the black in the next few years.

As for me, I have the best job in the world. My wife Louise sees the passion I have for the club I’ve supported since 1978, when I was five, and how determined I am to make a success of the club.

Advice to others

I believe the model of fan ownership will increase over the coming years. If you get the opportunity, go in with your eyes open and look at everything. Form your own opinions and trust your instincts.

There is plenty of help out there. Advice from Supporters Direct has proved to be invaluable and they are always available for help, advice and support. Talk to other trusts and clubs, especially those who have been through the same process.

Identify the key issues, look at your funding models and make sure that you don’t rely on one source. Football is not sexy in the financial markets. Ensure that you have an excellent team around you who you trust 100%. It won’t work otherwise.

Set your long-term goals and make sure they are achievable. Benchmark these against other clubs and keep a very close eye on the competition such as local pubs, venues and other clubs. Be sure to keep up. Be welcoming and adapt. Don’t rip people off for a cup of tea, for instance, and encourage fans to get to the ground early. Disposable income may be less but allow fans the choice to spend it with you and to ultimately progress together.

Keep thinking fresh and share ideas, seek improvements and action them. Empower and train people, encourage responsibilities and develop together.

And finally, business basics first – football can follow – and don’t forget to budget, budget and budget. Don’t chase the dream, lead it.

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