Which football team would you invest in or buy if you were rich?

[LawCharltonBest]

Inspired by watching 'Welcome to Wrexham' and seeing the story behind the bizarre takeover by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McDonalds.

The goal would be to buy a club you believe has potential to really grow into a mega club. Consider things like location, stadium (and expansion potential), how much it might cost to buy, perhaps where you'd be appreciated, potential of the club.

I think Rotherham United have serious potential with the right ownership. Google map their stadium (New York Stadium), I was taken aback not just by the size of it but the amount of space around it. Serious potential to expand that into one of the biggest stadiums in the world and well located. They're also fairly unknown outside of England.

On a much smaller scale (and perhaps more realistic within my lifetime) I think Maidstone United are well located and have potential to grow massively as a club. Maybe with a helping hand from Chris Smalling once he retires. And Telford AFC would interest me.

 

[Scandi Red]

Rob McDonalds.

An homage to the hamburger clown?

 

[kjs17]

Bristol City. Massive city and an entire region which has been starved of top flight football for decades so the thinking would be to become the club of the entire South West, with the excellent connections to Temple Meads. The population of the city grew 10% between 2011 and 2021, and as it’s rather prosperous, that is likely to continue so we’d be able to attract local sponsors and convert a fair few into becoming Robins.

And as it’s been a while since they’ve had top flight football, there would be less pressure and more of a chance to experiment with new ideas like at Brighton and Brentford.

 

[Sultan]

I'd only ever buy United.

Build a massive Mosque in one of the car parks.
Only allow Halal Stalls
Ban alcohol within my ownership lands
No hamburgers
Only Shariah-compliant companies' sponsorships
No LGBT fans allowed
Only circumcised fans allowed
All women are to be covered head to toe to gain entry
Hands chopped off for any staff stealing cones from Carrington

What can possibly go wrong?

 

[Sultan]

I'd only ever buy United.

Build a massive Mosque in one of the car parks.
Only allow Halal Stalls
Ban alcohol within my ownership lands
No hamburgers
Only Shariah-compliant companies' sponsorships
No LGBT fans allowed
Only circumcised fans allowed
All women are to be covered head to toe to gain entry
Hands chopped off for any staff stealing cones from Carrington

What can possibly go wrong?

This is going to be our new owners' blueprint.

 

[Infra-red]

Venezia F.C. (sadly, Duncan Niederauer, former CEO of the NYSE, beat me to it).

Currently in Serie B and based in Venice, with a stadium accessible by boat (also the second oldest stadium in Italy). The shirts are rather nice, too:

Spoiler

 

[Shakesy]

I'd buy Stevenage and build them up with my spare billions

 

[tenpoless]

Forza Japoli
Gattuso as the manager

 

[RedRonaldo]

Preston North End.

They have the prestigious history of winning the first 2 league champions in England, plus I always use them in FM when I want the ultimate challenge - to make Preston North End great again.

 

[Scandi Red]

Liverpool.

Then I'd run the club to the ground, tear down the stadium, build a massive 4-way big screen(pointing south, north, west, east) visible from every part of Liverpool, playing clips of Gerrard slipping and other such goodies on loop for eternity with a shitty flute rendition of YAWN blasting 24/7.

 

[Infra-red]

Liverpool.

Then I'd run the club to the ground, tear down the stadium, build a massive 4-way big screen(pointing south, north, west, east) visible from every part of Liverpool, playing clips of Gerrard slipping and other such goodies on loop for eternity with a shitty flute rendition of YAWN blasting 24/7.

I think we should all pool our money together to make sure your dreams are brought to fruition.

 

[FriedClams]

Notts county. Turn the oldest club in the world into the best.

 

[Zebs]

Venezia F.C. (sadly, Duncan Niederauer, former CEO of the NYSE, beat me to it).

Currently in Serie B and based in Venice, with a stadium accessible by boat (also the second oldest stadium in Italy). The shirts are rather nice, too:

Spoiler

Is she included in the deal?

Anwyay, Dulwich Hamlet for me. Already have a great fanbase, some of the biggest crowds in the National League.

 

[AbusementPark]

I dream of this all the time and I would love to have say 20bn and I would buy united for 7bn, leave 3bn aside for stadium build and investment and whatever is left for new players.
I would then write the money off, whatever the club makes stays with the club for reinvesting.

 

[SilentWitness]

Is she included in the deal?

Anwyay, Dulwich Hamlet for me. Already have a great fanbase, some of the biggest crowds in the National League.

You big hipster.

 

[Eurotrash]

A small local team near me. The price would be low, but I'd put a lot of money into protecting the attractive location they are on. I'd make sure they won't have to move the next hundred years.

 

[Norii]

I'd go for QPR.

West London based which would appeal to players and their families + a large local population so plenty of fans to fill seats + In the Championship so buying the club wouldn't cost billions.

The biggest issue is their stadium is so small (18,000 capacity) and surrounded by residential properties. You'd have to rebuild elsewhere but finding a decent location in such a tightly packed city, wouldn't be easy.

 

[Pexbo]

Bristol City. Massive city and an entire region which has been starved of top flight football for decades so the thinking would be to become the club of the entire South West, with the excellent connections to Temple Meads. The population of the city grew 10% between 2011 and 2021, and as it’s rather prosperous, that is likely to continue so we’d be able to attract local sponsors and convert a fair few into becoming Robins.

And as it’s been a while since they’ve had top flight football, there would be less pressure and more of a chance to experiment with new ideas like at Brighton and Brentford.

I’d obviously love this but transport in the city is a joke, it couldn’t cope with twice the visitors multiple times a week

 

[adexkola]

TP Mazembe

 

[kjs17]

I’d obviously love this but transport in the city is a joke, it couldn’t cope with twice the visitors multiple times a week

Oh yes, agree that transport is a joke. And I know the metro rail proposals might not go anywhere, but just for the purposes of this discussion and because we're allowed to dream, assuming it goes ahead - Ashton Gate would be on there.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Pro Vercelli.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Maybe a team like Swindon Town? One of the highest average attendances in League Two, Only football club in its area, and the ground is owned by the council.

 

[ThierryHenry14]

If you refer to EPL only then Spurs would be top of my list. It is located in London and just built a new stadium and training facility.

 

[Galactic]

Yes, the size of available land around the stadium must be the main factor and the smaller the club the better it is. Great logic, guys.

 

[Zebs]

You big hipster.

Cheese board, anyone?

 

[Jaae]

Always had a soft spot for Sampdoria. Bring back the 90s glory days.

Closer to home I always thought Birmingham City could be bigger than they are.

 

[Sviken]

I wouldn't because clubs are not great business if you're in it to make some real money. It'd have to be some sentimental thing for it to make sense.

 

[Member 125398]

I'd like to stick it into Young Boys

 

[TheRedHearted]

This is going to be our new owners' blueprint.

And then when interviewed he’d say
Well, a staff in red cafe said it so I figured it would fly.

 

[Red Star One]

I'd go for teams in cities I love and in anyhow relevant leagues - Palermo F.C. (fecking City was first ), Cagliari Calcio, Málaga CF.

 

[The Boy]

Bristol City. Massive city and an entire region which has been starved of top flight football for decades so the thinking would be to become the club of the entire South West

I’d obviously love this but transport in the city is a joke, it couldn’t cope with twice the visitors multiple times a week

There are far better clubs in Bristol!

 

[Pexbo]

There are far better clubs in Bristol!

I’m not sure how that would fix the transport issues

 

[Hughes35]

Apart from Utd.

I've also thought it's weird that Oxford or Cambridge aren't bigger clubs. Big City's, nice part of the world, very marketable, wealthy areas etc.

 

[Invictus]

Depends on how “rich” I am in this fantasy world.

• Practically endless amounts of money, with astonishingly high revenue streams: Manchester United, for obvious reasons.
• As a business decision: probably West Ham. Old and storied club, scope for building teams in an organic and cost-effective manner through The Academy of Football, located in an Alpha ++ city and dirt-cheap 99-year lease on the 60,000+ capacity Olympic Stadium (intangibles that cannot be buy), and so forth. Lots of room to improvement in the sporting sector, raising the club's profile as a marketable asset and maximizing its value (for reference, Křetínský bought a 27% stake for a relatively paltry sum of £180million) with fine-tuned strategic blueprint — me likey!

 

[Camara]

I'd only ever buy United.

Build a massive Mosque in one of the car parks.
Only allow Halal Stalls
Ban alcohol within my ownership lands
No hamburgers
Only Shariah-compliant companies' sponsorships
No LGBT fans allowed
Only circumcised fans allowed
All women are to be covered head to toe to gain entry
Hands chopped off for any staff stealing cones from Carrington

What can possibly go wrong?

This reminds me that Leyton Orient's stadium has a circumcision clinic

 

[LawCharltonBest]

Yes, the size of available land around the stadium must be the main factor and the smaller the club the better it is. Great logic, guys.

feck you going on about?

 

[Lee565]

I would find a team in south east kent as it is one large area of the country that has had little to no representation at the top level of English football and has the fast trains to and from London

 

[Zlatattack]

Derby County.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

I would find a team in south east kent as it is one large area of the country that has had little to no representation at the top level of English football and has the fast trains to and from London

Yeah. This is part of my reason for saying Maidstone United

I watched Maidstone United vs Salford a couple of years ago and it was decent there. Near the town too, so plenty of places to meet and drink before the match. Train station nearby and as you say very accessible to and from London

 

[Rasendori]

Fc Nordsjælland

FC Nordsjælland

Founded in 2003. Stadium called Right to Dream Park. Tom Vernon (previously a scout at Man Utd ) is the CEO of Right to Dream, a side situated in Ghana.

FC Nordsjælland has laid the foundation for providing an education centered around social responsibility and strong character both on and off the pitch.


Despite initially being an NGO and grass-roots initiative, managed to have a galvanising influence. Serves as both a football academy and Cambridge International School consisting of almost 100 students.

via their website:

• 34 academy students have become professional players in the United States and Europe
• 51 students have won full scholarships to top schools and colleges across the US and UK
• Academy students have accessed over $40M in educational scholarships
• The Academy has created the first residential football program for girls in Africa

In December 2015, FC Nordsjælland was subject to a takeover by none other than the aforementioned NGO, Right to Dream.

In the span of only a few years, the club touted the youngest average squad across Europe at 21.4 years old and held a squad composition of roughly 88% academy products according to Sam Price of The Sustainability Report. Encouragingly, many of these players were Right to Dream graduates. The club has since set a goal of holding a squad composition of 100% academy products this year.

"The reason for [FC Nordsjælland] being unique among football clubs is that it is owned by a not-for-profit organization, which means that the money that we’re making is all being re-invested into more opportunities for young people to have their dreams fulfilled. We try to integrate social issues like gender equality into our beliefs and what we stand for, and then get fans, partners and the community to support it and push in the right direction.”

The first club to partner with the Common Goal initiative. Common Goal, co-created by Juan Mata. "We donate one percent of our stadium turnover," explains chief executive Soren Kristensen. "We signed up on the pitch here with Kasper Schmeichel, who is one of their ambassadors. We also have over 50 players and staff who donate one percent of their salary."


FC Nordsjaelland women's team is another positive story and have enjoyed three successive promotions. They train on the same stadium pitch as their male counterparts. "The club are trying to give us the same opportunities, we have the same training facilities and the same gym rooms," says midfielder Esther Ronn. "We have almost as many physios, so we feel that we are a valued part of the club."

"Every kid that is in the Right to Dream academy in Ghana and every kid at the FCN academy in Denmark is working on a give-back project appropriate to their age," adds Vernon. "There are a multitude of projects going on. One player even rebuilt the mosque in his home town.




Once they reach the age of 10, and provided a candidate has been accepted, they receive a sex year scholarship security blanket. 5 years is the minimum length one must stay at Right to Dream. Many go to the U.S. A total of $43 million has been raised in scholarships.

exporting an African philosophy into Europe. Mohammud Kudus just joined Ajax from FC Nordsjælland

Everything I've taken can be seen below at your own leisure

Bibliography:
BBC report
Source
Official website
Article
Another article
Sustainability report