Business Advantages of Supporter Community ... - Supporters Direct

people’s perceptions of what a football club can be about. However, taking
a long term approach to this can mean that there is a wider understanding
of what makes the club different – such as the co-operative potential and
wider community benefits – and that this can lead to significant business
advantages.
FC United refer to their 3,500 members as ‘co-owners’ in their literature and
communications with members. Indeed, in their membership renewal notices
for the 2011-12 season, they have made special emphasis of the difference
between a member of a club and membership with ownership rights.
This approach reflects marketing approaches elsewhere in the UK
economy being adopted by the Co-operative (‘Join the Revolution’) as well
as mutually owned businesses such as England national team sponsors,
Nationwide (‘proud to be different’). It also reflects approaches in the US,
such as Global Co-operative Consulting’s ‘marketing our co-operative
advantage’, that says it builds on:
‘The knowledge that co-operatives are of increasing value in a global world
economy in which people are concerned about enhancing their influence
over their economies, protecting the ecology that sustains life on our planet,
enhancing democratic values, and fairly distributing wealth in our world.’ 10
Exeter City – Marketing Community Ownership
Frances Farley at Exeter City said that they took a holistic view
of their club and community ownership because they saw it as a
strategic advantage.
‘When we market anything, we have key phrases to encapsulate what we’re
about. “We own our football club” is used in all our literature to show that
we’re different. We also use “Doing things the right way”, which relates to
everything, how we treat our creditors, our customers, the players, each other
etc – we do things properly, the right way. The message is that Exeter is a
community club.’
‘One of the best things you hear at the club these days is on the terrace, when
the Exeter fans break out into “We own our football club”. It’s something they
are proud of’, says Neil Le Milliere of the Supporters’ Trust.
Farley says that it still takes time for potential clients and business
partners to understand that the club is different and to change the
perception that they are ‘just another football club like any other’.
Work is needed to create an understanding of why being a supporter
10 http://www.global-co-operation.coop/MarketingOurCo-operativeAdvantage.htm
28 Supporters Direct Briefing Paper No.4