by Simon Harding

Created on: April 27, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

The MyFootballClub scenario is not a good idea. While it is not a bad idea to take power away from wealthy businessmen who own the soccer clubs, but may be more interested in financial gain than supporting their club, how many of those who have invested in MyFootballClub were supporters of MyFootballClub's chosen team Ebbsfleet United of the Blue Square Premier prior to their investment? While those who have invested in MyFootballClub may well be genuine soccer fans, do they have the best interests of Ebbsfleet United at heart? Or are they just interested in taking the Fantasy Football concept to a new more real level? Maybe these MyFootballClub investors are of the false belief that this "ownership" gives them a key to the inner sanctum of the world of soccer, a world that generally tends to be a closed environment to soccer fans. Investors of MyFootballClub are scattered far and wide, and communicate via the medium of technology, they make vital decisions on behalf of the club that may profoundly affect the long term future of the club. Some of these decisions need to be made immediately, issues concerning team selection, and transfer targets will need to be identified and acted upon immediately before a rival team beat them to the punch. These decisions can't wait for "Joe Bloggs" to return from work, log onto his computer, and have his input on a decision that he thinks he knows more about than he actually does. The more streamline the chain of command at a soccer club, the faster and more efficiently the correct decision can be made to take the club forward.

In the wider scheme of things having fans involved in the running of soccer teams is not a bad idea, but these should be genuine longstanding fans of their particular club, who are in it for the long term, willing to take the the bad times with the good, and willing to get their hands dirty in the process. Particular fans should be selected to perform certain roles that fit the specific skills they have, these fans would have been elected by their fellow fans as suitable to fulfill this role. Maybe fans could work with businessmen, whom actually support their club, so you have some financial muscle to support the passion and commitment provided by the fans.

Another alternative that would admittedly only work in communities where there is only one soccer club, is for the club to be publicly owned by the community. Obviously, like in the fan ownership scenario there would have to be certain people filling

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