Ebbsfleet United

Last year, an interesting web initiative was born with the objective of buying a Football Club by convincing 50,000 members to pay £35 which would then be used to buy a club. The club would then be run by those members, and decisions such as team selections, transfers, tactics.. you name it, would be made by the members through a voting system.

To be honest, I was intrigued by the idea of being involved in a Championship Manager style Footy management game, but in real life. Also, the collective intelligence factor has never been introduced into the equation in football... surely the collective opinions of passionate fans at football clubs could be very useful indeed, nobody knows more about their own club, players, etc. How often has an entire crowd cried for a substitution when a player isn't performing, and how often are they right?

Well, I am now joint Owner of Ebbsfleet United Football Club thanks to the MyFootballClub initiative on the web. Ebbsfleet was basically chosen because the money raised would never have been enough for a much bigger club, and apparently the club met the conditions required for the takeover.

What I've now realised however, is that I couldn't really care less about the entire initiative. To be quite honest, the only way that I would spend time reading the forums, making decisions, getting to know the players so that I can help pick the team, watch the games, etc. would be if I had supported the team my entire life. Ebbsfleet united does not mean anything to me and I'm therefore not likely to spend time getting involved.

All this does not mean to say that the MyFootballClub initiative or concept is doomed. I think the main problem is motivational. Members really need to feel for the club, to support the club. If the club in question was Spurs or Racing (the two clubs I support) I have no doubt that I would have my say and feel passionately about it. In the Ebbsfleet United situation, it's Ebbsfleet fans who should be involved, and they are the ones who will make the best decisions.

I honestly think that the use of collective intelligence in football is an interesting idea and that it could well work in some aspects. This said, it's important to create the right system and to select the right people for the job.

I wouldn't know the difference between Ebbsfleet's goalkeeper and their star striker if you gave me their names, how can I pick the team?..