Update: Last week I posted a few questions that I had for MyFootballClub that were never answered. In stepped Simon from “The People’s Club” who was kind enough to answer our questions. The People’s Club is a similar venture to MyFootballClub, and to be honest the only reason I think they’ve paid us attention and MFC haven’t is because MFC are getting tons of publicity and can afford to pick and choose, while TPC are no where in the same league (no offense intended).

Anyway, the post below has been updated with Simon’s answers - have a read, it’s good stuff.


I had sent these questions to the people at MyFootballClub but since they’ve not replied for a few weeks now (despite reminders), I’m putting up these questions about MFC in the public domain. Hopefully they will provide some food for thought.

Question #1:

MyFootballClub allows football fans to buy a share in a club. This payment, as far as can be seen from the FAQ on the MFC website, is non-refundable. Additionally, there are no financial gains to be made as if a club is sold or is financially successful, the money is re-invested into the club or passed into charity.

What then, is in this for the fans, especially those fans who will be investing in clubs they don’t support?

Answer:

We make subscriptions non refundable simply to ensure people are serious about signing up. We’re serious about what we’re doing and are looking for fans who are excited about the idea, but also committed to it - we don’t want jokers who sign up and then want to be refunded ten minutes later. We also incur costs when someone signs up, for example the credit card companies charge us and will charge us again to refund in many cases. The non-refundable aspect is simply a safety net. We’re saying “if you’re coming onboard, get behind what we’re doing and believe in it!”

What is it in it for the fans? Absolutely loads! For £39, how else can you have a direct say in the running of a football club? We think being able to influence how a football club runs both on and off the pitch represents fabulous value for money, regardless of whether you support them previously or not.

We’ve also said from the outset, this isn’t a chance for investment. If you want to earn money, put your cash into a savings account – if you want to enjoy playing a part in a real football club, join The People’s Club. This is about the love of football and making a difference to a football club.

Question #2:

On the website it is stated that overseas members can help in building an acquired club’s scouting network? How will MFC plan to make this happen - I know quite a few people (Ziga Zoga being one of them) who are working to link talent with clubs and I’m sure they’d be very interested in this.

Answer:

This strikes us as rather too lofty an ambition for us at The People’s Club, at this stage. It would be dangerous to promise things like this. Not only is talent scouting a very specialized requirement, it would need a lot of coordination and a huge commitment of time from our overseas members – many of whom may not be able to get to a football game that regularly.

Whilst we’re ambitious, this strikes us as one step too far at the moment… but never say never. Who knows where we might be in a year’s time!

Question #3:

It’s one share, one vote per member. However, can a person buy one share each in two clubs (for example, one share in club Y and another share in club Z)?

Answer:

We are only buying one club. It’s one equal share per person. This will prevent people buying 10 shares, for example, and expecting to have 10 times as much say as someone else. We want everyone to have an equal say in how the club is run.

Question #4:

Managers sometimes make last minute / last day squad changes based on training sessions, intuition, etc. Would such decisions be allowed to the head coach, or is the word of the members final?

Answer:

Yes and no. The manager would, wherever possible, need to stand by the decisions made by the members. There would need to be a sanity clause for exceptional circumstances. For example, if a player missed the team bus, or as is more likely, gets injured during the warm up, you couldn’t realistically expect them to play! We will be dealing with players’ careers and livelihoods at the end of the day – nothing can allow us to lose sight of that fact.

That said, we’re adamant that it will be the members who will choose the 11 players (plus subs) that go onto the team sheet as long as they are all fit and available. The manager will be able to influence their choices prior to the game by making recommendations and suggesting the team that he/she would pick, but it’s ultimately down to the members to make a final choice.

Question #5:

MyFootballClub is setup so that the head coach prepares a report for members to vote on – this in turn leads to team selection as well as deciding formation / tactics. However, sometimes there little time between games and you’ll might a situation where a limited number of members will be voting. Will such votes count, and if so, would it make a difference in terms of how the club is being run?

Answer:

Yes, all votes will count and there will be a vote for every game the team plays. We appreciate that sometimes not everyone may be able to get online between games, but typically there are two or three days at least between matches. This should enable a good number of members to vote for each game and we’re confident that the fans will take this seriously enough to make time to vote. Those people that play fantasy football online manage to do it religiously in order to get the right team. The amount of time needed to choose a squad will not differ.

Question #6:

Some players perform well under pressure. Others need to be shown confidence and trust before they perform to their best. Sports psychologists will tell you that each player has to be dealt with differently – that’s why the best managers are also great man-managers. With MyFootballClub, the knowledge that a player could be ‘voted out’ after a run of bad performances may have a negative impact on player confidence, especially if we’re talking about players in the lower leagues who aren’t always used to such media attention / pressure. How will MyFootballClub / the head coach deal with such a situation?

Answer:

It’s a good point. What we’re confident about is that the players that are good enough, will make it into the team each week. There will still be a massive amount of coaching input from the manager and his staff that should offset any potential impact of the new team selection process. We’re keen that the ‘human element’ doesn’t get taken away. It will be down to the fans to read and understand the manager’s recommendations – if he says that a player needs more time and should continue to play in the team, the fans will have to decide whether the manager knows what he’s on about, or whether they want to make a change.

Question #7:

Several critics have talked about MyFootballClub being a scam – while we categorically disagree with such allegations, we are definitely interested in knowing more about how the venture is run, what it costs to run it and how the money is used. In our view transparency in this area will do a lot in building trust with members. Can MFC reveal more about how the money is being spent and specifically how much it costs to run the venture?

Answer:

We’re honest and open about how all membership fees are being used and have even gone out of our way to be open with the people who sign up with us. Our web site states, quite correctly, that 90% of money raised will go to the club.

What do we do with the other 10%? It is spent on the running of the business. We are a legitimate business with all of the operating costs you would expect such an operation to have – an office, electricity bills, computers, stationery and staff costs. This is where that 10% goes to – if we didn’t take that money, the venture wouldn’t be happening because we simply wouldn’t be able to afford to run it. Why don’t we just run out of a bedroom and keep our costs down? Would you sign up to an operation like that?

So, we’re transparent about everything.

Remember to vist MyFootballClub and The People’s Club to compare them - and if you’re interested, to get a chance to own a stake in two clubs!