FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

Q: Isn't this a pipe dream?

 

A: It's no pipe dream; it's do-able. Liverpool Football Club has millions of fans across the world. Most of them will have been worrying about what has been happening to our Club lately. Nearly 40,000 Liverpool supporters have already registered their interest.

 

Many of us have realised that life as a Liverpool fan could get much more expensive in the future. There may be no plans yet, but ticket prices may have to be steeply hiked in years to come to help repay debts. We've seen what's happened already to season ticket holders at Man Utd. last season. You had to commit IN ADVANCE to buy all home Cup games without even knowing how many games that would be! It included all League cup; FA and Champs League home games. Say ten in total on average. That was an extra £400 - £500 to add to the price of a season ticket at Old Trafford. The same kind of thing could happen to us. It's not 'football' any more for fans; it's 'foot-the-bill'.

 

We say: If we're going to foot the bill anyway for debts accrued by others, why not buy the Club ourselves?

 

 

Q: Are you really going to get 100,000 people to sign up?

 

A: We took nearly 50,000 fans to Istanbul; Athens too. In reality, it cost most of us between £1,000 and £2,000 to make the trip; more if we took our partners and children along. Liverpool fans have always turned out when the Club needed them. We find the money somehow, even at short notice. And remember, there are literally millions of us around the world who really care about LFC. If anyone can do this, we can.

 

 

Q: £5,000 is a lot of money. Won't many Liverpool fans be effectively priced out of something they'd love to take part in?

 

A: Take your point. We don't want to see any Liverpool fan excluded. We will provide opportunities for groups of fans to purchase one member share (carrying one vote) between them, providing they can nominate one individual to represent them. For more on this, go to the 'How Does It Work' page.

 

 

Q: How is ShareLiverpoolFC different from other fan groups?

 

A: ShareLiverpoolFC is the only group whose sole aim is the democratic ownership of Liverpool Football Club. During the current difficult period of instability for Liverpool FC, other fan groups have emerged. While we are often sympathetic to their aims and share many of the concerns - some of us are even members of other groups – ShareLiverpoolFC is the only group committed solely to taking steps towards the democratic ownership of Liverpool FC by its fans.

 

Q: Why is it important to own the Club? Wouldn’t a better option be for the Club to be owned by different rich businesspeople?

A: Liverpool Football Club means more than that to its fans. In the short-term, there might be advantages to bringing in a rich owner, but we have seen how difficult it is to find someone who defends the traditions of the club in a way of which the fans approve. The only way we can ensure that Liverpool Football Club does not continue to be a plaything for (rich?) businessmen is for ownership to lie with the only people who really understand the club and care about what the club means to its community: the fans.   

 

 

Q: Wouldn’t fan representation on the Board guarantee that the club would listen to its fans?

 

A: This would certainly be a step in the right direction. However, as fans of other clubs would confirm, a place on the Board does not always lead to representation or even a meaningful voice. It is not a new concept to have fan representatives on the Board of football clubs in England, but too often they are appointed as ‘Fan Directors’, without full powers, and it certainly does not always lead to any powerful say in the decision-making processes of the Club. ShareLIverpoolFC believes that the only way to ensure a stable future for Liverpool Football Club, consistent with what we believe the club represents to its fans, is to achieve the democratic ownership of the Club by its fans.

 

Q. What will happen at Liverpool FC when the debts bite (and we have seen more and more debt secured on the Club recently)?

 

A. We believe from press comment that there is in excess of £200 million of debt at the Kop holding company level, on top of approximately another £100 million within the club itself. Who will repay it when it falls due in a few years time? Our guess is that fans will bare the brunt in the end, not just in Liverpool but all round the world as the Club sweats every asset. So why don't we just buy it ourselves instead? If we manage to raise enough funds it would clear the club itself from having to pay off those debts.

 

 

 

Q: If you call on members to pay a 10% (£500) deposit, why shouldn't I just wait and see what happens, without putting up any money?

 

A: Firstly, the more we are, the stronger we are and the more power we will have. Secondly, you could miss out badly. The list could close. Also, we will propose that 'founder members'  (for example, the first 20,000 people to become members) of ShareLiverpoolFC be awarded  special status as 'founder members' of ShareLiverpoolFC, and possibly enhanced advantages for ticket purchases (just like small shareholders used to have in the past).

 

 

Q: Modern sports clubs can't be run by a 'members Society', can they?

 

A: Why not? Many people know that Barcelona and Real Madrid are owned by their 'member- fans', and the people who run those Clubs are elected by those fans. Many German clubs are majority owned by their fans. In fact, teams owned by their fans have won the European Cup 6 times since it became the Champions League in 1992. Even in USA, the NFL Green Bay Packers are run by a not-for-profit company; they've won the Superbowl three times despite having by far the smallest population of any NFL team.

 

 

Q: That's fine, but in Britain, especially if you need a new stadium, you need a sugar-daddy. That's the reality, isn't it?

 

A: No. Look at Arsenal. They've got no sugar-daddy. The Club costed up its plans for a new stadium, secured loans against the increased income from the new stadium, and convinced people to lend to them at a fixed-rate over a long period. The Banks trust the Club's finances will be well-run and that fans will continue to watch the club.

 

If we could show how much fans of Liverpool FC care, and how they're prepared to back their faith with hard cash, then everything changes. We don't need a sugar daddy; we ARE the sugar daddy - because most of the money comes from us in the end anyway.

 

 

Q: How do we get investment in the future or cash to buy players?

 

A: If we have a well run, debt free Club to start with, there will be substantial funds to buy players (how much do you think is spent now servicing the Club's debts?). Also the Club may wish to raise money (as any business must sometimes). Remember, in reality, no one gives money to a club these days. Even Abramovich just lends his money to Chelsea.

 

 

Q: But surely this way of running things mutually belongs to the past?

 

A: The Co-operative group, with shops, a bank, insurance and an undertaker chain is run like this. It's got a turnover of £8 billion a year, and buries 1 in 4 of us! It is also the biggest farmer in the country and the biggest retail co-operative in the world. It's owned by over 2 million customers, all owning one share.

 

 

Q: What if we don't get the £500m?

 

A: £500m would deliver the Club with virtually no debt, but considerably less than that might buy the current owners out and deliver control to the fans. The important thing is to be there 'at the table' - with the backing of thousands of Liverpool fans - when the time comes.

 

 

Q: Can I sell my share later on? What if I need the money back in a rush?

 

A. The simple answer to the first question is no. There will be no ordinary trading in individual shares; no profit can be made from selling them - otherwise the Club would be permanently up for sale (just like Man Utd was). However, if a member can find someone who does not already own a member share, then a transfer at the original price may be arranged through the elected Board of ShareLiverpoolFC.

 

 

Q: If I buy a share, can I leave it to my son or daughter when I die?

 

A: Yes. This is a 'forever' share. No one can ever force you to sell it (as many small shareholders were when Hicks & Gillet bought the Club) and you can bequeath the share to a friend or family member, always providing the recipient is not already a shareholder. Remember: no one can own more than one share.

 

 

Q: How secure will our money be?

 

A: It will be completely secure. The monies raised will be held by a third party (probably a Bank), and the Board of ShareLiverpoolFC will only be allowed access to it for the purpose for which it has been collected.

 

 

Q: Will members be guaranteed a ticket if they want one?

 

A: With up to 100,000 members? You're kidding! However, there may be some priority or benefits for members, as there has been in the past for shareholders.

 

 

Q: Has anyone ever done this kind of 'buy out' in UK before?

 

A: No, though there has been over a hundred Supporters' Trusts formed at professional clubs in the past decade and three Football League Clubs are run by a majority shareholder Supporters' Trust. Liverpool would be the pioneers in completing a members' buy-out.

 

What we propose would probably start a revolution in Club ownership structures in the UK. But then, Liverpool fans have often been at the vanguard of changing the culture of football.