The day when all Gooners can invest affordable sums in OUR club is ever nearer with coming launch of the new Arsenal Fanshare scheme. Those NICE people at the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) have worked very hard with the board and senior executives of the club to make this happen. Now all we have to do is put our money where our mouths are.
It’s no good us complaining that we all put enough into the club as it is. As a fellow Arsenal blogger on gingersforlimpar.com pointed out, it costs well around a oner for one away trip up north by the time either petrol or rail/coach tickets, match tickets, a couple of pints and so on have been paid for. That all disappears into the hands of the rail or coach company, petrol garage, visiting club etc, never to be seen again. The government gets its cut in VAT, fuel duty if you drive, etc, etc.
Invest half that amount monthl. That all disappears into the hands of the rail or coach company, petrol garage, visiting club etc, never to be seen again. The government gets its cut in VAT, fuel duty if you drive, etc, etc.
Invest half that amount monthly in the new Arsenal Fanshare scheme and you’ll be buying yourself a permanent stake in your club. Each member will have their own account which will be used to buy Arsenal Fanshares, one of which will always be equivalent in value to one hundredth of one share in Arsenal Holdings plc. Shares trade at around £10,000 each at the moment so a Fanshare will be valued at around £100. Pay in £50 a month and you’re well on your way to your first Fanshare. You’ll be able to invest anything between £10 and £500 a month (you’ll be able to invest one-off lump sums too) in buying your own thin slice of Heaven.
The Fanshares in your account will be yours to sell if you need to. Of course the idea is that you keep on investing, gradually building up the collective supporters’ stake in our club, giving us, the fans, a real say in the key financial and ownership issues. I think those at the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust who’ve laboured so mightily and long to make this scheme a reality all deserve medals as big as frying pans (I’m not one of them incidentally, so I’m not blowing my own horn!)
and pre-register your name and email address. There’s no initial commitment by doing so. I shall be joining and slinging in a nifty a month. It’s what I can afford. I hope you’ll be doing likewise. Unfortunately due to some financial regulatory red tape the scheme will only be open to Gooners resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland initially. In the future the scheme may be open to Gooners living elsewhere than these sceptred isles.
Tickets for the away reserves friendly this Saturday against AFC Wimbledon are going fast so I hear. If you want a seat (they’re almost sold out) or to avoid queueing at the pay turnstiles for the standing terraces on Saturday I’d book tickets on-line. Any tickets booked from today onwards will be held for collection at the ground on Saturday to avoid them not arriving in time in the post.
“Standard” is a seat in the main stand. The rest is self-explanatory. You can book up to eight tickets on-line. There’s a £1.50 per transaction (rather than per ticket) administrative charge on top of the price of the tickets. Even if the seats sell out there will be pay at the turnstile terrace spaces on the day so don’t think you’ve missed out if you haven’t booked in advance. If you like or don’t mind standing, just rock up on the day and slap your money down at the turnstile.
AFC Wimbledon will also be launching an all you can eat carvery lunch service at the game on Saturday. There are grandstand seat and lunch packages available for £30 a go.
I shall be feeding my face there as it’s another painless way of putting a few quid into the game’s grass-roots. Hope to see you on Saturday!
Speaking of the grass-roots, some of you out there in the Gooner Nation may be aware of a club called FC United of Manchester (FCUoM) which plays in the Northern Premier League (three rungs below Football League Two). The club was established in 2005 following the Glazer family takeover at Old Trafford by a group of disaffected United fans, many of them veterans of the successful fight against the Murdoch takeover.
Since setting up shop in the Northern Counties League Division Two in 2005/6 they’ve been promoted three times to their current perch in the Northern Premier League’s top division. They currently play almost all their home games at Bury’s Gigg Lane ground (moving home games occasionally when there’s a fixture clash with their landlords Bury FC). This year FC United announced plans to build their own ground at a site called Ten Acres Lane in Newton Heath, an area of Manchester that is deeply tied up with the roots of the original Manchester United.
They’ve already raised over £250,000 of the £3.5 million needed to build their new home. There’s a general appeal going at the moment. I know many Gooners regard all those above Watford as “norvern monkies” but for what it’s worth I think FC United is a shining example of how to run a football club by and for its fans. I’ve slung them a pony (£25).
If you ever find yourself at a loose end up in Manchester when FC United is at home, I recommend a trip to one of their games. It’s a real party experience.
Keep the faith!
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
