• The Magazine
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • Log in
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • The Magazine
  • Interviews
  • Current
  • Nostalgia
  • Legends
  • European
  • World
  • Log in
  • Subscribe

Punk football: Is the dream dying?

Pink by Pink
January 13, 2021
in Current

exc-5bc86bc44785d35d99ad8ecb

BY JIM KEOGHAN

Punk football, the sobriquet adopted by the supporter-ownership movement has come a long way in the past twenty years. From humble beginnings at Northampton Town back in 1992, the movement has blossomed. With the backing of Supporters Direct, trusts have proliferated across the game. There are now 104 of them in English football, 73 of which are in either the top-flight or the Football League.

Although not all own shares, many do. And there are even some that possess a majority shareholding, like the trusts at Exeter City, Portsmouth and AFC Wimbledon.

Many of these teams in which the fans have gained a significant stake have also done remarkable things. Think of AFC Wimbledon’s surge up the football pyramid, Swansea City’s climb from the bottom tier to the top and Exeter City’s transformation from Conference also-rans to one-time League One contenders.

But despite the many successes, it’s a movement that’s not been immune to failure. Several trusts, such as those at York City, Notts County and Brentford have been compelled to sell all or part of their holdings because of their inability to run the club successfully. And at Stockport County, the trust there took the club into administration, a move usually associated with sleazy businessmen, not principled, die-hard fans.

What’s more, at the moment majority ownership and success on the pitch appear to be incompatible. Although trusts are numerous, instances where they have achieved the goal of taking control at a club are not. In the top four tiers of the game, examples of majority ownership by the fans tend to be confined to League Two. There might be scattered examples of share-holdings elsewhere, such as at Carlisle, Norwich and Arsenal but these tend to be small, minority stakes. Unintentionally, the bottom tier has become punk football’s test bed, one in which the results aren’t looking too good.

Most of the division’s handful of trust-owned clubs had poor seasons, with two of them (Exeter City and Wycombe Wanderers) coming dangerously close to relegation to the Conference. It’s led at least one of the supporters trusts at the helm (Wycombe) to question whether selling up to a private investor might be more beneficial to the club than staying in control.

And there is certainly proof that this could be the case. A few years ago, Bees United, the supporters trust once in charge at Brentford opted to sell up and hand over control to Matthew Benham. At the time, the club was struggling (both financially and on the pitch) and many of those involved with Bees United believed that in the absence of private investment, Conference football beckoned. Since the handover, the club’s fortunes have undergone a radical transformation. During the last campaign, Brentford finished second in League One, earning promotion to the Championship. It’s an outcome that would have seemed improbable just a few years earlier.

So does this all mean that the dream of supporter ownership is starting to falter?

The truth is that life is tough for those clubs that have a significant holding in the hands of the fans. Despite the various financial regulations that have been introduced from the Premier League down to the Conference, football in England is still a game where money matters. With their reliance on commercial revenues and trust membership subs, supporter owned clubs will always struggle against peers backed by deep pocketed owners ready with open chequebooks. Where trusts have reduced their holding and sold to a private investor in the past, the main reason has been their inability to enable the club to compete effectively. In short, the money simply hasn’t been there and so fan control was only maintainable if the fans were willing to risk stagnation or decline.

But, and this is the key area where punk football differs from the conventional model of ownership, for many fans such a risk is worthwhile. And it’s worthwhile because punk football changes what it means to be a supporter.

If you follow Manchester City, Manchester United or Chelsea, then life can be great. After all, cup runs, league titles and big name signings is what we’re told football is all about. But supporters of these clubs don’t have any say over what happens at the Etihad, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge. These fans are little more than customers, there to pay at the gate without any rights or responsibilities at the club.

You couldn’t possibly say the same thing about the followers of AFC Wimbledon, Portsmouth or Exeter. Here the supporters have the right to join the trust and actively participate in the community of the club. They might not enjoy much success or win anything, but at the Cherry Red Stadium, Fratton Park and St James Park, the supporters matter. The club won’t charge what it wants for tickets, choose to place the needs of the corporate demographic over that of the ordinary fans or run the finances into the ground. The supporters are the club and as such, everything is run in harmony with their views.

This is the reason why despite enduring disappointing seasons there have been relatively few calls from the supporters of these clubs for an end to supporter ownership. The fans recognise that despite the benefits that private investment can bring, there are downsides that could make the abandonment of punk football a very risky move.

Despite the hard times and the failures, as a concept, supporter ownership is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. It remains something that many fans dream about and at the moment is the only viable alternative to the dominant (yet imperfect) private model. Although the dream hasn’t panned out as many hoped, punk football is far from dead.

http://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/punk-football
Twitter
@jimmykeo
www.facebook.com/punkfootballbook

Related Posts

Best Tennis Bets Today
Current

Best Tennis Bets Today: Tennis Betting Tips, Competitive Odds, and Expert Picks & Predictions

There’s always a tennis tournament right around the corner, and you need the latest, most competitive odds to make...

by Jamie Ingram
June 1, 2023
0
NBA Finals MVP Odds
Current

NBA Finals MVP Odds for Jokic, Tatum, Butler, and Other Top Picks

With the NBA Finals only a few days away, the NBA MVP odds are heating up and looking a...

by Jamie Ingram
June 1, 2023
0
Virtual Horse Racing UK
Current

Best Virtual Horse Racing Betting Sites in the UK for 2023: Latest Odds, Lines, and More

Virtual horse racing betting has a super-fast turnover and the software is better than ever - but to truly...

by Jamie Ingram
May 31, 2023
0
belmont stack betting
Current

Belmont Stakes Betting Guide & Odds – How to Bet on the 2023 Belmont Stakes Online

For avid bettors and casual spectators alike, the Belmont Stakes race is one of the most anticipated events in...

by Jamie Ingram
May 30, 2023
0
Load More
Next Post

Football's theatrical beginnings

Best Tennis Bets Today
Current

Best Tennis Bets Today: Tennis Betting Tips, Competitive Odds, and Expert Picks & Predictions

by Jamie Ingram
June 1, 2023
0
0

There’s always a tennis tournament right around the corner, and you need the latest, most competitive odds to make the...

Read more
NBA Finals MVP Odds

NBA Finals MVP Odds for Jokic, Tatum, Butler, and Other Top Picks

June 1, 2023
0
Virtual Horse Racing UK

Best Virtual Horse Racing Betting Sites in the UK for 2023: Latest Odds, Lines, and More

May 31, 2023
0
belmont stack betting

Belmont Stakes Betting Guide & Odds – How to Bet on the 2023 Belmont Stakes Online

May 30, 2023
0
Canelo Alvarez Next Fight

Canelo Alvarez Next Fight Predictions: David Benavidez, Caleb Plant & Dmitry Bivol Rematch

May 29, 2023
0
Menu
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Profile

© Copyright 2023 – Football Pink

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Profile

© Copyright 2022 - Ronnie Dog Media All Rights Reserved. Live Score

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Gmail
  • Print Friendly
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr