_http://www.uk.coop/press-release/spanish-formula-launched-uk-football-clubs _ (http://www.uk.coop/press-release/spanish-formula-launched-uk-football-clubs) Spanish formula launched for UK football clubs
The way to improve football in the UK, now the World Cup is over, is to follow the approach of leading Spanish clubs and hand them over to their fans, according to a new report being launched today (15 July) by Co-operatives UK and Supporters Direct. The report is published alongside the first English translation of the statutes of Spanish club FC Barcelona, the poster child of co-operative football. FC Barcelona – like the other leading Spanish football team, Real Madrid – is a co-operative owned by 175,000 members. Of the 11 players who started out on the field for the winning World Cup team, 10 of them work for one of these two co-operatives. In a recent survey, carried out by Co-operatives UK and included in the report, 56% of respondents across the UK see the benefits of this approach, believing their club would be in better hands if it was owned co-operatively by the fans. Dave Boyle, Chief Executive of Supporters Direct and the author of the report, comments; “FC Barcelona is a powerful example of how a club can be organised co-operatively and still successfully compete with rivals across the world. The club has long been known for being owned by its fans but, until now, we couldn’t see how things worked ‘under the hood’. Fans looking at what rights and powers they have in the club can only look on with envy. “Of course, co-operative football clubs are like all clubs – they are not immune from financial troubles during times of economic austerity. But it’s the ownership structure that really sets them apart. “There are a growing number of supporters’ trusts in the UK looking to give fans a greater say and stake in their clubs; our aim is to show how the co-operative model can run effectively and to the benefit of all involved.” Commenting on the benefits of applying the co-operative model to clubs, Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said: "Football is an international game and just as we can learn tactics on the field, so we can learn from co-operative models of ownership off the field too. There have been pioneers over the last decade with supporters' trusts lower in the leagues. “Over the next 12 months we want to see competition among the great named clubs with financial troubles to turn to their fans and become the first British Barcelona.” The new report, ‘Barca – fan ownership and the future of football clubs’, and the full FC Barcelona statutes are available on line at _www.uk.coop/barca_ (http://www.uk.coop/barca) _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist and the hardest time in a sailor's day is to watch the sun as it sails away
