Digital Perspective Blog

Most blog posts today about football will likely be related to last night’s Super Bowl (game and ads) – this post is about the other Football – the one that actually uses feet to handle the ball during most of the game.

I have been closely watching MyFootballClub since it launched in the middle of 2007.  The idea is pretty simple: to be the world’s first web-community owned football club – and that they have become.  In a matter of just a few months post launch, the site was able to register 12,000 paying members raising 500,000 pounds.

Eventually MyFootballClub raised enough members and money that the community purchased a football team, which they did: Ebbsfleet United (voted by members) that plays in the Blue Square Premier division – four down from the ever prestigious Premier League.  Since then, the community has made numerous decisions by voting, including:

• Nike to become the club’s kit and merchandise supplier

• Setting playing budgets

• Transfer (selling) players

• Freeze season ticket prices

Most recently and another first – the community voted on the first signing of a player – a deal worth 25,000 pounds.

Has the team been successful – absolutely, they have had record ticket sales for the 08/09 season, won the FA trophy at Wembley Stadium – would not be surprised to see them get promoted soon and eventually advance all the way to the Premier League (being optimistic), time will tell.

MyFootballClub is a great example of crowdsourcing: “the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people or community in the form of an open call” – WIKIPEDIA…When you ask your community and fans (a lot of them) to solve a problem or make a business decision you are likely to get a better and more accurate answer than if just one or two people make the decision.  Imagine a company or product line owned and run by the people for the people…would it be more successful?

Now I only need the dollar to become stronger so that I can afford the 35 pound membership fee and become a part owner of Ebbsfleet United.

Bill – how do you think the Reds would do under this concept?