Fan Ownership

[Keano]

First off, I’m a long-term reader of this board but have never contributed.

Secondly, I’m a long-term fan albeit I live in Manchester so don’t get to many games so can’t comment with any authority on the failings on the pitch.

To my mind, the problems at the Club run deep:

- The Club have been relocated to a new area without any fan consultation. The Club lost a lot of long-term fans overnight and there has been a steady drop in numbers (clearly not helped by the dross being served up on the pitch, the inaccessible location, the prices, and the matchday experience)

- The fans are not united and have no representative body. This needs to change. I don’t know (nor do I care about) all the ins and outs of the Supporters Trust. All I know is that we used to have an excellent Supporters Association and a KBA movement that was vocal and popular

- Tony Kleanthous. I think its safe to say that Barnet FC are now a very small cog in the wider “The Hive London” machine. If you look at what TK’s achieved at The Hive from a business perspective, you have to stand back and give the man respect. If you look at what TK’s done to the Football Club, I think all respect has pretty much gone. Its well publicised that he’s a difficult man to deal with and if you look at his tenure as Chairman, on-the-pitch the Club has gone backwards. With him at the helm the Club struggles to attract the right calibre of manager and player.

The Club is in a downwards spiral and I fear that it could become terminal, particularly with being located in Harrow not Barnet. Drastic action is needed. I’m not a fan of throwing toys out of prams and setting up rival “AFC” Clubs and getting rid of 130 years of history, but I sincerely believe something radical needs to be done: Fan ownership.

- I can’t say this with any authority, however I imagine Barnet FC probably contributes a very small proportion of income to the wider Hive machine. In fact, with the costs it carries, it may even be a loss making element and have negligible value.

- I’m proposing BFC fans come together and put the structures in place to make an offer to TK to take ownership of the Club. Clearly, the Club would need a stadium and The Hive could be leased from TK – potentially an attractive proposition for him as more revenue.

- The fan-owned Club would then put the relocation back to Barnet as the most important item in its Articles of Association. I’m fully aware this is a VERY long-term goal and could be decades off, but Barnet FC should be in Barnet. I genuinely believe having this as a beacon for all fans to get behind will be an excellent rallying cry and create some much needed unity and drive

- Clearly, running a football Club is a difficult and expensive business and it may well be that the Club has to cut its cost accordingly (particularly if it leases its ground from TK), but at least fan ownership will mean the fans can introduce their own initiatives and match-day pricing to attract new supporters and retain the few left, lobby politicians, get the community on-board etc etc.

I’m fully aware fan ownership ain’t easy. It may well be the Club drops down another level, and endures financial instability with the broad proposals set-out above, but at least the Club’s destiny will be in the fan’s gift – and lets face it, can things get much worse? The Club is in an awful position both on and off the pitch, something needs to change and action needs to be taken.

I’d be very interested in hearing people’s thoughts…

[BEEGONE]

The fans will be owning a club with no stadium...

[Keano]

Not unique

[BEEGONE]

Not unique

Name a successful fan ownership with no ground (revenue streams) at this level or in the football league?

[SudburyBee]

I believe Barry herne rents the ground to orient

[Keano]

Enfield Town (whisper it) have done alright

1874 Northwich are doing OK too

Runcorn Linnets have gone from no ground to their own

Clearly not at our level, but have about the same number of fans as us now!!!

[Norfolk & Chance]

The issue of being in the wrong town would remain for decades.
The attendances would be tiny if we dropped down a few leagues.
Virtually no income, in hock to a rogue landlord, I think it would actually hasten our demise.
I want my club to be in Barnet as much as anyone but I'm afraid that dream has died.
TK made our bed, the fans have to lie in it now.

[MCB]

You're brave! Are you a relatively new fan so not so aware of the background of attempted fan ownership and the like in recent years?

My *very personal* opinion is that this requires a softly softly approach. The biggest issue we have no fan solidarity, no trust, no supporters association, and no organised group to feedback back to the ownership.

I believe that the starting place is to reform the Supporters Trust with a fresh set of eyes. The sole aim for this would be to promote & improve Supporters experiences. This should replace the Supporters Liason Group - but not necessarily the people (the ones I know I dedicated Barnet fans). This has membership (Hiveoccupier suggested a monthly direct debit - i.e. £2 a month or £20 a year with junior rates). This could go towards occasionally organising coach travel where neccesary (i.e. Morecambe) and a variety of things that improve the experience of the club. Most importantly it could feedback to the club & TK, and hopefully have him at attendance at occasional meetings.

It would be important to be inclusive to not alienate further our already alienated fanbase, or to create friction with the owner, but to build bridges. From this better things may grow. if it was successful and representative, there are shares that could be transferred to it so it would have partial fan ownership. I don't see a problem with a stated aim being 'the long term return to Barnet' (except the year long argument to decide what and where Barnet is) or for 'Greater fan representation on the board of Barnet FC'.

But going into a battle with TK from the outset is doomed to failure. As I would suggest is if it's fronted by anyone intransigently opposed to him.

So, anyone have the heart for something like this?

[BEEGONE]

Enfield Town (whisper it) have done alright

1874 Northwich are doing OK too

Runcorn Linnets have gone from no ground to their own

Clearly not at our level, but have about the same number of fans as us now!!!

Thank you for listing 3 teams about 5 divisions below us...

[Keano]

No probs at all, glad to be of assistance

[ninestein]

As MCB suggests above, fan ownership would be a medium term goal.
We do miss having a Supporter's Association / Trust which is actively doing something. Right now we just turn up, go home, then moan on social media about everything that is wrong.
We need more input into the club, and feedback from what is said.
Like him or not, Steve Percy did a fantastic job when running the association. He was a figurehead (and still is) for Barnet Supporters. Who is going to play that role for us moving forwards? Who has the time and motivation to do it?

Moving the club back to Barnet is a long term goal. Right now we need to accept that our home is at the Hive and address some more pressing issues...

The club is losing sight of the core values of what Barnet FC is all about, the values which attracted us to support this club in years gone by.
We are fans who will accept a struggle now and then, but we fight hard. Every now and then we get moments of joy and live the dream. We are a little bit unorthodox in our approach. For some fans, not all, we are their second side (the bit on the side if you like), but we are proud. We have friendly fans who show a bit of passion and wit in the stands. We have a voice in the stands. We enjoy the local rivalries when they happen. But most important of all... our fans are like family. There's not that many of us, and wherever you turn you will recognise someone at least by face. And we want to connect with our players. Rewind 20-30 years, and we had all of these traits in abundance.

Some of these values have been lost by the wayside, or are in danger of deteriorating. Our identity is unclear. We are a small family club trying to act like one of the big boys, but we don't have the team or the attendances to be like the big boys.

I've been a supporter of the club for nearly 30 years now, and have tried to defend the club and TK with regards to the move and promote the club in a positive light at home, at work, and on here. But right now there's a lot of de-motivated fans amongst us. Our core support is slowly slipping away. It's easy to lose fans, but it's twice as hard to attract new ones.

If some of our supporters are serious about coming together with a vision of how to take the club over and move it forward, I would certainly be interested in what they have to say. It would be a massive high risk venture. I'm sure TK would listen and sell if he felt the vision for the club was right and financially the consortium buying it was doing so for the right reasons. After all, any takeover would still be subject to the "fit & proper" criteria.

But as mentioned earlier, it should be a gradual approach.

[To bee or not to bee]

What about all us poor sods that live locally and have got the Barnet bug? I accept we’re in the minority but I would think it is quite a sizeable one. Then there are the long term fans who don’t live in Barnet so probably couldn’t care less the clubs not back in Barnet? Whisper it but some people even like the Hive with all its faults. Blimey talk about alienating people. We’ve already cancelled our memberships and going on a game by game basis. Now I’m being told I’m not a ‘proper’ Barnet fan. Great.

[Norfolk & Chance]

Who said you aren't a proper Barnet fan?
I wouldn't fret too much, THL is our permanent home!

[MCB]

What about all us poor sods that live locally and have got the Barnet bug? I accept we’re in the minority but I would think it is quite a sizeable one. Then there are the long term fans who don’t live in Barnet so probably couldn’t care less the clubs not back in Barnet? Whisper it but some people even like the Hive with all its faults. Blimey talk about alienating people. We’ve already cancelled our memberships and going on a game by game basis. Now I’m being told I’m not a ‘proper’ Barnet fan. Great.

It's a valid point. To some - you're a more important fan as you're more likely to spread the word locally and grow the club.

Don't think anyone would ever call you not a proper fan though. I couldn't give two hoots about Barnet, i've no affinity with it as a place. But I do appreciate those that had the club ripped away from them. Hive's easier for me to get to tbh.

Shows how complex it is. One question, do you think you'd support the club and go watch games if it moved to Barnet? Let's say for argument's sake the club ran a shuttle bus from The Hive...

[ninestein]

What about all us poor sods that live locally and have got the Barnet bug? I accept we’re in the minority but I would think it is quite a sizeable one. Then there are the long term fans who don’t live in Barnet so probably couldn’t care less the clubs not back in Barnet? Whisper it but some people even like the Hive with all its faults. Blimey talk about alienating people. We’ve already cancelled our memberships and going on a game by game basis. Now I’m being told I’m not a ‘proper’ Barnet fan. Great.

This is actually an important point. I fall into this category, and I know there are many others who travel into North London from outside. A lot of people have moved out of London in recent years for more affordable housing. In the past 10 years, my entire family have moved out. That's 5 households, and 4 of them contained at least one Barnet fan. Without the club at Underhill, I have no reason whatsoever to travel to Chipping Barnet.
As such, it's no big deal to me whether the club is based In Barnet or at the Hive, but I appreciate there are fans still living in Barnet who find it a chore travelling to home games. Not to mention the "lost" fans who perhaps gave up all together and only make the effort for a Gateshead or Chesterfield type of game.

As for those living locally to the Hive and have caught the Barnet bug, we need more of you, and you are no less of a Barnet fan than the rest of us. All Barnet fans are equal. We all share the same experiences and all want the same success.