Manchester United supporters revive call for implementation of fan share scheme

A vocal Manchester United supporters’ group has urged the club to revive plans for a fan share scheme.

The club, which recently appointed its latest manager, Portuguese Rúben Amorim who arrives at Old Trafford next week, offered the prospect of a fan share scheme in June 2021, but the issue has been in limbo since then.

Executive co-chairman, Joel Glazer, met with the club’s Fans’ Forum on June 4, 2021, to begin discussions. It was his first Fans’ Forum appearance in 16 years as owner of the club.

In the meeting, he discussed his vision for the club in opening remarks to fan representatives, along with his intentions for investment in Old Trafford and the training ground.

Since then, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has paid £1.3bn for a 27.7% stake in the club, bringing fresh investment to strengthen the playing squad and plans for a new, or redeveloped Old Trafford – but progress on the fan share scheme has stalled.

Now, Sky News reports that the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) has written to Joel Glazer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Omar Berrada, the club’s new chief executive, calling on them to use their plans for a redeveloped Old Trafford – or new stadium – as the catalyst for the fan ownership project.

It says the MUST letter alludes to discussions it was holding with a crowdfunding platform which it is claimed would support the implementation of a fan share scheme “at significantly greater scale than previously imagined, accelerate its execution, and in all likelihood reduce costs borne by the club”.

Sky claims people close to the club say a supporter scheme is unlikely to proceed while the stadium plans, and the financing associated with them, remain unclear.

It is reported that the MUST letter said it had reached an in-principle agreement with United to establish an ‘F class’ of fan shares which would have the same 10-times voting rights as the B-shares held by the Glazers.

It said funds raised from the purchase of F-shares “would be ring-fenced for investment in infrastructure or fan-related initiatives, and in consultation with the Fan Advisory Board”.

It added: “The club would provide one free share to all season ticket and facility holders and official club members (as of a given date) to generate buy-in and momentum from this key group of supporters.

“As the club assesses its options to fund the stadium, we believe equity-in the form of the FSP, and potentially a wider share offer to investors is by far the best option for our football club and supporters. As custodians of this great club, we hope you will agree.”

Manchester United has declined to comment.