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Scunthorpe fans make their feelings known on FC100,000 initiative rumours

Scunthorpe fans make their feelings known on the FC100,000 initiative rumours that have surfaced just hours after beating Chester 3-1 win.

Brooks, a former football journalist, first gained attention with MyFootballClub (MyFC), an online initiative launched in 2007 that aimed to revolutionise football ownership and a concept for an annual fee of £35, fans could join a collective that would purchase and manage a football club through democratic online voting, deciding everything from team selection to transfers.

The experiment culminated in MyFC acquiring a 75% stake in Ebbsfleet United, a fifth-tier English club, for around £635,000 in February 2008.

Ebbsfleet United won the FA Trophy in May 2008 at Wembley, a significant achievement that drew an attendance of 40,000, boosted by the influx of MyFC members.

At its peak, MyFC boasted over 32,000 members from more than 70 countries, but the venture soon encountered difficulties, with financial sustainability proving to be elusive as membership renewals dropped sharply – falling to 9,000 by 2009, well below the 15,000 needed to break even.

The reliance on annual subscriptions via PayPal, coupled with the upfront payment for the club that drained reserves, left little room for operational flexibility. On-field struggles, including relegation from the Conference in 2009, further eroded enthusiasm.

By 2013, with the club facing financial distress and membership dwindling to 1,000, MyFC sold its stake to a Kuwaiti group for a modest sum, ending the experiment.

Despite its ultimate failure, Brooks views MyFC as a pioneering effort that demonstrated the potential of fan engagement in football governance.

The experience, while humbling, did not stop him and in March, 2025, Brooks launched a new project called FC100,000, pitching a “more sustainable and exclusive” model for fan ownership.

UPDATE: “We’re not going to pursue conversations with Scunthorpe [United] any time soon” – FC100000 co-founder Michael Brady confirms to @RadioHumberside that the group is no longer in discussions with Scunthorpe United.

CLUB STATEMENT:

On behalf of Scunthorpe United Football Club and my fellow board members, I would like to address some of the rumours, assumptions and mistruths that have circulated on social media over the past two days regarding our potential collaboration with the FC100,000 project.

While I understand that this speculation has caused some concern amongst our fans, I want to reassure you all above anything that as custodians of our beloved club, after everything we have been through together, there is no way that this group of owners will ever put the future of Scunthorpe United Football Club at risk.

We know that your trust is earned, and I believe that over the last eighteen months we have earned it. Myself, Roj, Ian and George remain 100 per cent committed and united in our quest to create a sustainable future for this football club.

As part of that commitment, we have made no secret that we are open to investment from a potential fifth owner and see it as our responsibility to explore all possible options. When we were approached by the founders of FC100,000 we were unanimously impressed with many elements of their proposal and were open to the idea.

To create a membership scheme that creates significant ongoing monthly revenue, while giving fans direct access to the club and a voice on certain decisions, could have been a game changer for the club.

However, at no point would any potential agreement have relinquished significant control of the club to a third party, and the board were very clear that there could beno risk to the future financial stability of the club.

Since FC100,000 made their own announcement yesterday it has been widely reported that Scunthorpe United was the club potentially involved, and our fans have understandably voiced their concerns. We have listened to those concerns, we share a number of them, and we have unanimously decided to end our interest in this project.

On a personal note, I feel genuinely disappointed by the suggestion that this group of owners, who continue to work so hard and give so much to the club, would do anything to jeopardise its future. For us, for our families, and for our staff members toreceive personal abuse – including death threats – is absolutely deplorable.

We do know that this abuse comes from a minority, and we are looking forward to having our fans back together for another huge game at the Attis Arena this weekend, on the back of such a special, record-breaking occasion against Chester on Saturday.

Together, we need to continue to focus on supporting Andy and his team, who have got us into a wonderful position to hopefully gain promotion back to the National League.

Michelle Harness
Chair

The92Bible summarised it perfectly with their post on social media on Sunday, tweeting: “100,000 PEOPLE TO RUN ONE FOOTBALL CLUB 🤨⁉️

“You may or may not have heard of FC100000 before. It’s certainly my first time coming across them and who they are – but they could be about to become the owners of a well-known English football side…

“National League North leaders and former EFL giants Scunthorpe United could be about to embark on a new era under the stewardship of “FC100000” 👀

“FC100000 is an initiative where 100,000 fans collectively own and manage an English football club. The fan-driven approach allows 100,000 fans, each contributing a modest membership fee, to influence key decisions and aims to propel the club up the leagues.

“The core vision of FC100,000 is to democratise football club ownership, shifting control from traditional proprietors to the fans themselves. This model ensures that decisions are made with the supporters’ best interests at heart, fostering a deeper connection between the club and its community. By leveraging the collective passion, knowledge, and resources of 100,000 members, FC100,000 aims to create a sustainable and successful football club that truly represents its supporters.

“The operational framework of FC100,000 is designed to be transparent, inclusive, and efficient:

• Membership Enrollment: Fans are invited to register for free on the FC100,000 platform. Once the membership count reaches 40,000, a monthly fee of £5 is initiated to fund the club’s acquisition and operations.

• Club Selection: Members participate in selecting a target club for acquisition. Factors such as the club’s history, potential for growth, and community impact are considered.

• Decision-Making Process: Post-acquisition, members have a say in key decisions, from managerial appointments to strategic planning, ensuring the club’s direction aligns with the collective vision of its supporters.

• Digital Engagement: An exclusive app facilitates real-time communication, voting, and updates, keeping members engaged and informed.

“Understandably, Scunthorpe fans are already showing their discontent on social media and – although nothing has been officially confirmed – the IronTrust are already seeking clarification on the current situation…

“The Iron Trust meanwhile say they have become aware of rumours on social media regarding FC100000.com related to ownership of the club. with The Trust seeking clarification from the club. When this is received, they will consult with their members.”

https://youtu.be/KWZrntEvaoQ?si=YbRKlFH_dSorUL6B

FC100,000 is a five-part plan to build an online community that will eventually become the 50-per-cent-plus-one owner of an English professional football team.

Step 1 – find the team. Step 2 – attract at least 40,000 members willing to pay £5 a month. Steps 3 and 4 – finalise the deal with the club, receive a golden share and seat on the board to ensure member influence. Step 5 – to take a 50-per-cent-plus-one-share stake in the club when an agreed amount has been invested.

There is a plan to stream half-time team talks, boardroom meetings and access to the players and staff.

Will Brooks said, per The Athletic: “We want influence, not control, a seat on the board and a chance to show people how clubs work.

The board will make the final decisions, but members’ opinions will be canvassed on everything from new kits to players’ contracts to stadium improvements, no dividends, all money raised put into the club and if anyone wants to leave the ownership group, they can. If everyone leaves, the shares are returned to the club.

The votes, behind-the-scenes content and membership-rewards scheme will all be available via an app, although there is also a website that quietly went live at fc100000.com. According to the site, they are making one guarantee, “the cheapest beer in the league”.

An admirable goal, but there will still be opposition to this idea.

Kevin Rye: “The problem with MyFootballClub and ideas like it is that we’ve seen them tried and on no occasion can they be judged a success.

“The last time they tried it, it was only sheer good fortune that a Kuwaiti group turned up to save Ebbsfleet United. I’m not sure the club would have survived, otherwise. I struggle to see how much has changed since then. The speed of collapse could well be faster.”

Brooks: “I think when groups of people try to make decisions together, they tend to be conservative and sensible,” he says. “And I am convinced there are 100,000 people out there who would pay £5 a month to superpower a football club up the pyramid.”

PODCAST: One regular day of Scunthorpe United. That’s all we ask…

As mentioned, fans make their feelings known on Scunthorpe – FC100,000 initiative rumours…

@OscarMildWilde: This is an absolute disgrace if they haven’t involved the board members of the trust committee in this decision. If it’s not too late, I’m prepared to assist the trust in purchasing a considerable number of shares, I’m sure other local people would too

@L_Tab: Absolutely horrid timing and on the brink of promotion. This type of thing could absolutely derail us and condemn us to another season in this league.

@MrHarryUrz: Strange timing for this one…

@PhilRudderforth:
Farcical, a broken business model before its started.
Football is tribal, real football is local.
Why are we even discussing this?
@SUFCOfficial

@Greeny5o1: We’ve got 125 yrs of history behind us. Generations of folk have followed this club, lived and breathed this football club. We are not a toy and you are most definitely not wanted. Hear me when I say this guys.. FUCK OFF AND LEAVE OUR CLUB ALONE. NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE!

@BrynGosling: Stay away from our club Scunthorpe we don’t want you nor need you, we’ve just found our feet and don’t want none of this nonsense.

@StuJ87: @SUFCOfficial @MichelleHarnes1 @RojRahman1 NONE of our fans want this. Don’t rip the heart and soul out of the club just after you’ve put it back in. @IanSharp we all know this is your doing; get the fuck out of the club. You’re no better than Swann or Hilton.

@WillWattoom: This isn’t a game. You’re not wanted. We’d rather continue as is and experience the highs and lows ourselves. Piss off

@chriswatki1974: I’d rather bob around in the non league pyramid for years than have this shite at my club @SUFCOfficial

@nickcooper1974: Picked the wrong club at absolutely the wrong time. There is much scar tissue to heal.

@sufc_mike: Please stay away from our club. We’re a community focusssed club who has been through the most turbulent time these last few years. We do not want this.

@AskernIron: Keep away from Scunthorpe

@TylerShort_: Fuck off & stay well away from @SUFCOfficial, You’d be absolutely daft to take this shit seriously & think it’s good for the town & club. Our current owners surely have more than a single braincell between them to realise this isn’t the move.

@andrewgravill: Not welcome at Scunny

@Ironforever99: Absolutely disgusting from the club, to just blatantly disregard fan feeling is unforgivable after everything we have been through over the last 8 years.

@AidanWilko_1717: Leave us alone, we don’t want you, you will not given a chance so don’t bother

@_connorrrrrrrr: Stay away. You’re not welcome.

@ryanmiddleton21: Stay away from my club, we do not want you,

@JayPVFC: Genuinely can’t believe what is going on at Scunthorpe United. They are an EFL club who have been pushed all the way down to the NLN due to owners trying to kill the club. The fans don’t deserve this, but they fought against Swann, Hilton and no doubt they’ll do it again #UTI

@willshorty87: No way. Don’t want this

@Aryan9725: Stay far away.

@dxnrzx: Absolute carnage if this is true, after all the shit we’ve been through🤦🏻‍♂️

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