Dec
31
I don’t think football clubs should be owned by rich individuals. Listing them on the stockmarket doesn’t work either. Some sort of Trust or co-operative model is much more appropriate because it can ensure the business is run for profit but that can be reinvested in the community which sustains the club, and without that profit coming at the expense of that community (grotesque ticket prices, for example).
However, fans owning football clubs is not enough. Any democratic ownership is not without its problems, as people invovled with supporters trusts will tell you. It appears that Notts County fans sold out their stake too cheaply and for a false promise of greater gratification than they could provide themselves.
Any successful organisation needs to be aligned to achieve the same objective. And in modern football that objective isn’t as simple as winning a competition. Competitions must be prioritised, budgets balanced, short term signings balanced against long term development. And style matters, too. Bolton fans never warmed to Gary Megson because they didn’t like the teams he put out. Chelsea fans didn’t care about Mourinho’s awful brand of football because they wanted results. They didn’t care about the long term financial security of the club, because they wanted trophies in the short term. Harry Redknapp got Portsmouth short term success but the club is on the verge of anhiliation. Shouldn’t his interests, and those of the club been better aligned?
The most successful clubs are those with a long term football leader (Wenger, Ferguson, Lacombe – even Dario Gradi in a different way). They have such an investment in the club that a financial stake isn’t so relevant. But a second tier manager isn’t going to be bothered about win bonusses. But shouldn’t Wenger be rewarded for keeping the club’s books balanced? Shouldn’t Rafa’s plans for improving the academy and reserve set-up come with an incentive?
Senior players could also have ‘share options’. Steven Gerrard contributes significantly to the marketing of the club and will contribute a great deal as a former player one day. But he has no obvious incentive to sign autographs in town, give exclusive interviews to the in-house TV channel beyond the contractual requirements. Short term financial incentives won’t work – but literally owning a piece of the club would be very different.
If senior management of any business part owns it, it ensures the short term incentives are aligned with the long term stability of the project. That the harder they work in the short term, the better they will do in the longer term. That they will place structural health over a quick win. Surely football, as much as any other business, needs these traits?
Related posts:
- Why sacking Rafa Benitez opens a wound that won’t heel
- Why Rafa Benitez will never be a media darling
- All Red membership scheme: LFC responds
- George Gillett says sack Rafa? Don’t believe the papers
- When did sport transmogrify into pantomime?