From Nancy Baym’s always excellent Online Fandom blog comes news that a group of English football fans have effectively acquired a team. The group, which goes by the name MyFootballClub, consists of footie fans from more than 70 countries — and they are now the owners of Ebbsfleet United, a semi-pro club based in southern England.
The deal gives the group a vote on everything from the team lineup to who gets traded, according to an Associated Press article.
“This is a brand new concept, basically a massive trust,” said Roland Edwards, a director and club secretary of Ebbsfleet United in Kent, southern England.
Virtually every fan thinks that he or she can do a better job than the coach or the management of whatever sport they are watching. Now the fans of Ebbsfleet United get the chance to put their mouths where their money is. MyFootballClub sounds like an interesting story: according to the AP item, it charges its 20,000 or so members a $72 annual fee, and was founded earlier this year by former football writer Will Brooks.