I’ve received a PR statement on the launch of Arsenal Fanshare which I will run at the bottom of this, but as I find these things a bit dry, here’s the story in human terms.

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust has been around for a few years and on the board are experts in a variety of fields, not least finance, law and PR. All pertinent to the running of Arsenal FC, and as a potential pressure group, the club respect the Trust directors and are keen to liaise with them on a regular basis. And this has led to the fruition of a core aim of the Trust from its formative days – now launched as Arsenal Fanshare.

I was invited to get involved as a member of the AST back in the day (maybe 2005 although the memory isn’t what it was) by then director Steve Powell. One of the key items that was discussed then, and has been discussed ever since is what the Trust labelled a sharesave scheme. One that would allow supporters to pay into a scheme to save up for their own share in the club.

Things have moved on and, with the new regime at the club evidently making sure the wheels turn a bit faster, we now have Fanshare. In an ideal world, it would lead towards Arsenal being owned 100% by its supporters, with no single supporter having a majority of the shares. This is the situation at Barcelona and Real Madrid whilst in German football, 51% of the shares must be owned by club members as opposed to a single individual. There is certainly a view that the greater the number of fans owning shares in the club, the less vulnerable it is to asset stripping and actions by the directors that go against the best interests of the club (and there are some that would argue the current board are a good example of just that!)

So through the Fanshare scheme, fans can pay a set amount each month and buy units of a share. There are 100 units per share, so at (approximate) current prices, £100 buys you your first unit. If you save long enough, you will end up owning a share outright, and if 62,217 fans joined the fanshare scheme and paid a tenner a month… someone will do the maths and tell me how long it will take for the club to become Barcelona in its ownership model.

Those with serious money that wish to invest in the club will bypass the scheme as there is a limit of £12,000 per annum that can be paid in. As only available shares can be bought on behalf of the scheme, willing sellers are required, but those that exist may prefer to sell to such a scheme rather than an existing shareholder. And of course you can pay in more than £10 a month if your aim is to own a share outright a little faster. Once Fanshare has allocated you a share outright, it is yours 100%, independent of the scheme – or at least that’s my understanding. It’s just that it’s been bought through an accumulation of fanshare units rather then paid for in one lump.

The scheme – on a more simple level – offers fans the chance to own a part of the club without needing to buy a whole share. Becoming Barcelona is a dream for the future, but in the short term, the scheme is really about making ownership of the club more affordable to the average fan with not enough disposable income to buy their own share in the normal way. So stick a tenner in each month and by the time a year’s out, you will own one unit of a fanshare, and be a part owner of your football club. Take a look at the website for more details. Before I run the PR statement issued by the Trust, well done to them, and the goodwill of the club for finally getting this thing off the ground. God bless her and all who sail in her…

Arsenal Supporters launch Arsenal Fanshare – Your Share in Your Club
• Fans and Club work in partnership to promote supporter ownership in Arsenal
• Innovative scheme bucks trend of supporters having no direct involvement in biggest Premier League clubs
• Shared Influence, Shared Ownership, Shared Values

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust has today launched a new initiative - Arsenal Fanshare - to increase supporter involvement in Arsenal Football Club. The scheme has the endorsement and support of Arsenal Football Club.

Arsenal Fanshare is an exciting and affordable new way to buy shares in the ownership of Arsenal. And because Fanshares cost just one hundredth of the price of shares in Arsenal Holdings Plc (currently around £95 each as opposed to around £9,500), they make owning a share of the club a realistic goal for far more fans.

As football becomes a bigger and bigger business, few fans are able to retain a share in the ownership of their clubs. The result has been that the fans' voice on matters affecting their clubs' futures has grown weaker. But at Arsenal, the idea of custodianship and plurality of ownership is central to the club's unique character. Custodianship is the responsibility everyone involved with Arsenal has to look after the club's values and spirit, and keep them safe for future generations.

Supporters who join Arsenal Fanshare will receive benefits including an Arsenal Fanshare Custodianship Certificate, a place in a ballot for a seat at the Annual General Meeting of Arsenal Holdings Plc, the Chief Executive's Shareholder email updates and a say on important boardroom votes on the club's future.

It is not by accident that Arsenal Football Club is admired widely for its sense of tradition and its values, and enjoys a reputation throughout football for 'doing the right thing', including the way the club is run as a self-sustainable business.

Arsenal has benefited greatly over many decades from maintaining stability in its ownership structure, and from having supporters who own shares and are actively involved in this ownership structure.

Custodianship involves looking after the long-term interests of the club and ensuring that an 'Arsenal' legacy is passed forward for future generations to enjoy. It is to develop and renew the strength of this Custodianship that Arsenal Fanshare has been established.

Developed by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust and supported by Arsenal Football Club, Arsenal Fanshare gives a new generation of supporters the opportunity to advance their involvement with the club from simple support to actual ownership.

Throughout its history, Arsenal has always looked to the future, and has been at the forefront of important developments in football. Innovations have ranged from the introduction of floodlit football and the renaming of 'Gillespie Road' tube station to 'Arsenal,' through to the building of the landmark Emirates stadium and transformation of the game in England with the pioneering appointment of the first successful overseas manager in Arsene Wenger. Arsenal Fanshare continues this innovation and sends a positive message to the wider football community about the importance of involving supporters in the game’s future.

Tim Payton, spokesperson for the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) and Arsenal Fanshare Board member, said:
“Arsenal Fanshare has been established by the AST to increase supporter ownership and representation at Arsenal.
“The AST recently surveyed its membership on their preferred ownership structure at Arsenal. Ninety percent of AST members rate maintaining the club’s custodianship and protecting the long-term future to be the most important priority of Arsenal’s Board. There is little support for the club being taken private with eighty-four percent preferring Arsenal’s ownership model to be one that includes supporter representation.
“Arsenal Fanshare meets Arsenal Supporter’s objective that the club remains in plural ownership. Arsenal is simply too important an institution to be owned by just one person.
“Plurality in the club’s ownership structure has served Arsenal well over the years and is the best way to ensure the necessary checks and balances are in place to protect the club’s long-term future.

The AST welcomes the support that the Arsenal Board and Chief Executive Ivan Gaidis have given to the scheme. In addition the club’s other major shareholders, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith and Red and White Holdings (Alisher Usmanov) have also given their backing to Arsenal Fanshare.

Payton continued:
“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.
“Throughout its history, Arsenal has always looked to the future, and has been at the forefront of important developments in football. Innovations have ranged from the introduction of floodlit football and the renaming of 'Gillespie Road' tube station to 'Arsenal,' through to the building of the landmark Emirates stadium and transformation of the game in England with the pioneering appointment of the first successful overseas manager in Arsene Wenger. Arsenal Fanshare continues this innovation and sends a positive message to the wider football community about the importance of involving supporters in a club's future.
“Arsenal supporters are fortunate that our club structure allows this opportunity to exist. No doubt supporters at many other Premier League clubs would love a similar opportunity to play a part in their ownership structure. We urge all Arsenal fans to take this opportunity and get involved. By working together we can make Arsenal even stronger.
“The AST also urges other clubs to replicate this model and look at how they can also create opportunities for supporters to have more involvement in their clubs ownership arrangements”.