Hi all, ive read this post with interest and would like to try and take the discussions a bit further.
As a former RST board member, I have always been, and remain to this day, an advocate for greater supporter representation at Rangers, although through experience I would have to question the desire for supporter ownership amongst the supporters. For information I also know for a fact that Rangers considered such plans a number of years ago, and again the concern at this time was that whilst a few thousand die hards would back the plan, was there widespread support for such actions?.
I for one believe the following would work.
Im in a fortunate position that I could afford an annual membership, however, this is not a position shared by all and I appreciate most supporters struggle to pay their season ticket costs each year. Therefore In my view asking for a substantial annual membership to a club will not work, as its a scheme that only suits better off supporters.
In my view a scheme would have to involve regular small payments and be open to all, based on the trusts core principal of one member one vote.
In simple terms say the fans setup a club, lets call it ââ?¬Å?Rangers For Life Clubââ?¬Â, this needs to be setup in a very clever manner as so not to fall foul of any regulations on investments. The next serious question is how many fans would really join our club, a minimum target would have to be 50,000 fans. Now if we set a realistic subscription to the club, say Ã?£10 per month, then you have a club that will generate upwards of Ã?£6M per year. In my view you have a vehicle that would be well placed to make an approach for the club.
As an add on, in my view there are higher net worth supporters who like us all are keen to support a scheme that would benefit the club and ultimately mean its survival. In my view these individuals would be in a position to perhaps provide some upfront capital, that is fully repayable, at some future point ââ?¬â?? thats the only way the process can remain as one member one vote. However, in my view if 3 or 4 individuals provided a sizeable upfront payment they should at least receive a seat on the board for the first couple of years.
Lets look at the structure of the club. There would have to be a management board (one who meets regular and deals with day to day issues), and an executive board which comprises the management and the supporters representatives. This would meet monthly. In my view the management board comprises 4 individuals, say a CEO, FD, etc, and there should be an additional 5 supporters in the executive board, which has ultimate power, so the fans are always in charge.
For me the key issue is electing the 5 supporters, in my view these should be a mix of high networth individuals and sensible supporters for the first year, with an election every year thereafter to elect 2 new members (to replace 2 of the existing members). Therefore at most a fan can serve is 2 to 3 years. The management board would clearly remain for as long as they deliver the good.
Just some initial thoughts ââ?¬â?? which I will take further in another post shortly.
