Arsenal launch Barcelona-style membership scheme

August 17 – Arsenal are to launch a new Barcelona-style membership scheme for thousands of fans, they have announced.

Arsenal will promote the Fanshare plan at Saturday’s (August 21) match with Blackpool with a promotion in the programme and on the advertising screens.

It has also got the backing of the club’s Board – who have American sports tycoon Stan Kroenke as their largest individual stakeholderas.

Purchasers will be given a chance to attend the club’s annual meeting to let them have a say in the running of Arsenal like Barcelona have for their fans in Spain.

Fanshare has been set up by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) – which already represents around 750 shareholders and members – and is in direct contrast to Manchester United where fans are still protesting against the Glazers.

Fans will be able to buy a one-hundredth of a share – currently around £95 ($148) with shares trading at £9,500 ($14,828) each – and the AST will obtain and sell shares in the club for supporters.

Anyone eventually purchasing 100 will have their status converted to receive full voting rights for one share. The AST collectively speak for approximately three per cent of the club’s overall equity.

AST spokesperson Tim Payton said: “Arsenal Fanshare has been established to increase supporter ownership and representation.

“The AST recently surveyed its membership on their preferred ownership structure - 90 per cent of members rate maintaining the club’s custodianship and protecting the long-term future the most important priority.

“There is little support for the club being taken private, with 84 per cent preferring Arsenal’s ownership model to be one which includes supporter representation.

“The AST welcomes the support the Board and chief executive Ivan Gazidis have given the scheme.

“The support Arsenal Fanshare has from all of the club’s major shareholders should allow all talk of a takeover to be put to one side.

“We urge all Arsenal fans to take this opportunity and get involved – by working together we can make Arsenal even stronger.”

Currently, Kroenke is Arsenal’s largest individual shareholder at 29.9 per cent.

Alisher Usmanov backs the Red & White Holdings group, whose stake is at just over 26 per cent, but unlike Kroenke the Uzbek-born mining billionaire has not been invited onto the Arsenal board.

Key to the future ownership of the club would appear to be the stock of Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, who left the board during December 2008 and has appointed a private-equity firm to sell her 15.9 per cent.

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