….and Torquay.
Today’s headline: Ebbsfleet 1 Torquay 0.
And so Ebbsfleet win the FA Trophy.
Not bad for a club that was “taken over” by around 27,000 members, each of whom paid £35.
Here’s an extract from the Wikipedia article on the club:
On November 13, 2007, it was announced that the website MyFootballClub had entered a deal in principle to take over the club.[6] Approximately 27,000 MyFootballClub members each paid £35 to provide an approximate £700,000 takeover fund and all own an equal share in the club but make no profit nor receive a dividend. Members have a vote on transfers as well as player selection and all major decisions. Because of the nature of MyFootballClub, it was announced that manager Liam Daish would become instead the first team Head Coach. His backroom staff would remain at the club.[6]
Between January 16 and January 23 2008, MyFootballClub members were given the choice to vote on whether to proceed with the takeover and whether to allow Liam Daish to continue with his plans for the January transfer window. Both resulted in overwhelming “Yes” votes: 95.89% voted to proceed with the takeover while 95.86% voted to allow Daish to continue his transfer plans. The deal was ratified at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club’s board on 19 February.
Collaborative ownership, collaborative management, championship trophies. Hmmm.
Now consider Barack Obama. The millions of dollars of campaign money generated by thousands of people paying small sums of money. What if his fans had the same power as Ebbsfleet fans (or, more correctly, MyFootballClub fans)?
Just thinking. Ebbsfleet is the shape of things to come. In more ways than one.