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.
The Iron Trust have become aware of rumours on social media regarding https://t.co/d0Mn33x7HB related to ownership of the club. The Trust is seeking clarification from the club. When this is received we will consult with our members. pic.twitter.com/y99GvxyzhX
— Iron Trust (@IronTrust) March 23, 2025
MyFootballClub, your chance to “own the club, pick the team”, ran into trouble.
But the man behind it is back & says lessons have been learned.
Welcome to FC100,000, “a more sustainable & exclusive way to own a football team”.@mjshrimper explains…https://t.co/Jg1gLR5w0R
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) March 23, 2025
FC100,000 launches today. Please share, and help us reach 100,000 faster pic.twitter.com/QMLYLjnaiF
— FC100000 (@FC_100000) March 22, 2025
Thank you @mjshrimper and @TheAthleticFC for the FC100,000 introduction. Visit https://t.co/EZe4NSNt9G to understand why this is a different proposition, with sustainability, continuity & fan influence at the heart of it
— FC100000 (@FC_100000) March 23, 2025
Welcome to new followers. If you haven’t been able to read The Athletic Article or details on https://t.co/pbQVLA2Xqj – these are our goals pic.twitter.com/fMvGmKSoD3
— FC100000 (@FC_100000) March 23, 2025
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.”
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 unprecedented 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. There will be no dividends, all money raised will be 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 was head of policy and PR at Supporters Direct, the organisation set up by the UK government in 2000 to help supporters’ trusts gain a bigger say at their clubs and is now part of the Football Supporters’ Association, when MyFootballClub first appeared on the scene.
Rye, now a lecturer at the Wembley-based University Campus of Football Business, was sceptical then and remains sceptical now.
“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,” says Rye.
“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🤦🏻♂️
Surely this whole concept would completely put players off even joining Scunthorpe United. This is football, not I’m a Celebrity or x-Factor. Imagine being voted off at half time for missing a shot. This isn’t just about Scunthorpe,we can’t accept this stuff into our game. Lethal pic.twitter.com/qnrgZ5bRSc
— George Fearnley (@_GeorgeFearnley) March 24, 2025
