Fan Power Without Shares: How Membership Schemes Can Challenge Football PLCs | OneFootball

Fan Power Without Shares: How Membership Schemes Can Challenge Football PLCs…

Celtic supporters doing the Huddle at Tannadice as they celebrate the title win. Celtic Champions 2025. Dundee United v Celtic, 26 April 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star).

When football supporters talk about “fan ownership,” the conversation often turns to co-operatives, community benefit societies, and clubs like AFC Wimbledon, Exeter City, or Hearts where fans collectively hold the reins. But what happens when a club is a public limited company (PLC) or tightly held by private investors? Do supporters have to accept their status as passive customers, or can they organise in meaningful ways even without shares?

Across Europe, and particularly in England, supporters have built membership-based organisations that do not own their clubs, but nevertheless exert real influence over governance, culture, and even the boardroom agenda. These groups provide useful inspiration for Celtic fans considering a professional, subscription-based membership scheme designed to challenge or complement the club’s PLC structure.

The Pope’s XI flag. Celtic Champions 2025. Dundee United v Celtic, 26 April 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

At its core, such a scheme is about organisation and legitimacy. By pooling supporters into a democratic membership body — one member, one vote — fans can elect representatives, hire staff, coordinate campaigns, and speak with a mandate that a loose collection of individuals never could. The goal isn’t necessarily to acquire shares, though that can happen. The goal is to be heard.

With regular income from monthly subscriptions, a membership organisation can fund communications, legal advice, and full-time staff. Members’ skills and contacts can be harnessed for campaigns, fundraising, or technical expertise. And crucially, a formal constitution binds the group to democratic principles, preventing it from being hijacked by a small clique.

Brendan Rodgers. Dundee United v Celtic, 26 April 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Perhaps the best-known example is the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST). Born out of the 1990s “Shareholders United” campaign, MUST evolved into a membership trust after the Glazer takeover. Today it has tens of thousands of members, each with an equal vote.

MUST does not own Manchester United. Yet it has kept fan ownership on the agenda for 20 years, lobbying government, mobilising against leveraged buyouts, and even exploring ways to buy shares collectively when United was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Its power comes not from equity, but from its ability to speak credibly as a democratic voice of supporters.

London offers two more examples. The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) is formally registered as a Community Benefit Society. It holds only a handful of Arsenal shares, not enough to sway decisions, but its elected board and hundreds of paying members allow it to scrutinise the club’s finances, publish independent analysis, and lobby for transparency. The AST has been a thorn in the side of majority owner Stan Kroenke, pressing for dialogue and accountability.

Similarly, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) functions as an independent, democratic body. It cannot dictate policy to ENIC, or until today, Daniel Levy, but it negotiates on ticket prices, stadium operations, and governance. When Spurs joined the failed European Super League project in 2021, THST’s mobilised opposition was one reason the club had to back down swiftly.

Celtic Champions 2022 – Dundee United 1-1 Celtic 11 May 2022. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

At Liverpool, Spirit of Shankly (SoS) shows how a membership scheme can emerge as a protest movement. Formed in 2008 during the unpopular Hicks and Gillett ownership, SoS became a democratic “union” for fans. It organised demonstrations, boycotts, and lobbying that ultimately helped force a change of ownership.

Even after Fenway Sports Group took over, SoS continued as an organised voice. In 2021, after the European Super League debacle, the group negotiated a formal recognition agreement with Liverpool FC. This gave fans a structured say on key issues — a landmark for English football.

Despite different contexts, these supporter organisations share certain DNA. Democracy: One member, one vote. Leadership is elected and accountable.

Independence: They are structurally separate from the club, protecting their ability to criticise.

Professionalism: Subscription income funds staff, research, and campaigning capacity.

Mandate: With thousands of members, they can credibly claim to speak for a large part of the fanbase.

Leverage: Their power lies in legitimacy, media pressure, political lobbying, and the ability to organise protests or boycotts — not in formal ownership.

Celtic is unusual – a club with global reach, listed on the stock exchange, and owned by a mix of major shareholders and small investors. For ordinary supporters, buying enough equity to influence decisions is prohibitively expensive. But a membership organisation, independent of the PLC, could still wield real influence.

St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday 20 April 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Imagine a “Celtic Supporters’ Membership, or Union” funded by thousands of fans paying modest monthly subs. With that income it could employ staff, coordinate campaigns, and represent the membership in negotiations. It could commission independent financial analysis, lobby politicians on football reform, or mobilise protests against governance decisions. Its legitimacy would come from open membership and democratic elections — not from a handful of wealthy shareholders.

Crucially, this body would not need the club’s permission to exist. It would be entirely independent, drawing its authority from its members. Over time, it could also acquire symbolic assets — a small stake in the PLC, or share in cultural matters — but that would be the icing, not the cake.

Of course, there are limits. A supporters’ membership scheme without ownership cannot directly veto board decisions. If the PLC leadership is determined to act, it can. But history shows that pressure works. The backlash against the European Super League was fuelled by organised fan groups. Owners who dismiss a mass, democratic supporters’ organisation risk reputational damage, political scrutiny, and commercial consequences.

St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday 20 April 2025. Viljami Sinisalo. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

And opportunities exist, too. A Celtic membership scheme could open dialogue with the board, act as a counterweight to major shareholders, and give voice to the global fanbase. It could also play a positive role, funding community projects or supporting the women’s team, demonstrating that supporter power is not just about opposition but about building the club’s future.

Fan membership schemes are not just for fan-owned clubs. From Manchester to North London, from Anfield to countless continental examples, they have become vehicles for influence, accountability, and protest at clubs where ownership is out of reach.

For Celtic supporters, the lesson is – you don’t need shares to matter. What you need is organisation, democracy, and persistence.

Niall J

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Here’s part one of this important contribution from Niall J in case you missed it…

The mood among the Celtic support is shifting — and not in ways the boardroom at Celtic will find comfortable…

From shareholder initiatives to strongly worded statements, from supporter associations to ultras, a broad spectrum of the Celtic support is finding its voice. Celtic’s own statement on Saturday evening, coming just after a ‘Celtic Insider’ briefed the Scottish Sun in an attempt to shift the blame for the transfer window fiasco and subsequent fall-out and the Champions League exit that’s cost the club around £40m, has added to the unrest.

Last night the representatives of the Celtic support came together with the Celtic fan media to discuss the way forward. We have written about this meeting in a few articles earlier today.

The week before at The Celtic Trust’s recent AGM, there appears to have been a lack of the unity that was on display last night. Two hours of in-fighting, personal accusations, and resignations exposed the weaknesses of a voluntary structure trying to take on a multi-million-pound PLC armed with legal expertise and corporate resources. Sadly, the Trust feels stuck — despite the evident appetite among supporters for meaningful change. Now that could all change.

The Affiliation called out the club’s recurring failure to prepare for Europe

Meanwhile, the Affiliation of Celtic Supporters Clubs (ARCSC) — an organisation representing branches across Scotland, Ireland, England, North America, and beyond since 1986 — released a statement week that could not be ignored. It condemned the club’s lack of ambition, particularly the failure to strengthen the squad before crucial Champions League qualifiers. Echoing the concerns of Brendan Rodgers and Callum McGregor, the Affiliation called out the club’s recurring failure to prepare for Europe and demanded accountability from CEO Michael Nicholson.

Michael Nicholson, Chief Executive of Celtic FC looks on from the stands prior to the Premiership match between Celtic FC and St Mirren FC at Celtic Park on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Add to that the Green Brigade publishing their own demands backed by close over 450 –at the last count – other fan organisations podcasts and fan media including the Celtic Star. We’ve also had prominent shareholders encouraging fellow investors to use little-known AGM procedures to press the board directly on purpose, vision, and strategy. The chorus is growing, and it’s coming from all sides.

If there is one theme uniting these interventions, it is frustration. Supporters see a board unwilling or unable to back the manager, modernise governance, or meaningfully engage with those who keep the club alive – the fans.

Continued on the next page…

But the challenge has been fragmentation. The Trust has its niche, the ARCSC another. The Green Brigade’s North Curve is powerful in direct action and has now proven it can garner and gather support. Bloggers, podcasts, and fan media amplify voices, but often scatter energy in different directions. The Irish supporters group (AICSC) and the Celtic Supporters Association stepped up brilliantly to the plate at the weekend and the momentum among a united support seems at the moment to be unstoppable. Collectively we know the road we want to go on but what has to be decided is the way we get there.

This brings us back to an idea first raised in 2021

This brings us back to an idea first raised in 2021 by Auldheid, a prominent Celtic supporter and a driving force behind the hard-fought Resolution 12. Persistence beats Resistance was the campaign message for that and it certainly ruffled plenty of feathers at Celtic, the Scottish FA and indeed at UEFA.

His, alongside others, work exposed how Rangers had secured European licences improperly for at least three years, with the complicity of the SFA, and revealed Celtic’s unwillingness to pursue the matter. He also highlighted the folly of Celtic accepting the Five Way Agreement and played a key role in demonstrating that Peter Lawwell had misled the AGM when he claimed never to have seen it.

Without his efforts, much of this would have remained buried, and the wider Celtic support would have been none the wiser. In short, he has first-hand experience of how Celtic operate, and, crucially, how to challenge them successfully. His idea, formed from those experiences, was a professional, properly funded Celtic Membership Scheme.

Celtic supporters shows their support at full-time following the team’s victory in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Semi Final match between St Johnstone and Celtic at Hampden Park on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The concept was simple but powerful.

Celtic supporters during the Premier Sports Cup Final victory over theRangers at Hampden on 15 December 2024. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

With let’s say 20,000 members subscribing – and it could become much more – the scheme could become a global force. It could unite disparate groups — the Trust, the North Curve, ARCSC, the CSA, AICSC, The Green Brigade, Bhoys Celtic and most of the fan media and more, alongside ordinary fans who have never felt represented — into a collective too large to be ignored.

It could also attract figureheads, whether business leaders like Duncan Smillie or David Low, now seemingly disillusioned with, and having walked back from, The Celtic Trust, or philanthropists like Willie Haughey. Many will have their own views on others who could help raise the profile of such a scheme.

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With credibility, financial backing, and structure, such a scheme could turn frustration into significant and lasting influence.

The timing feels right

The timing feels right. The Celtic Trust on its own has admirable intentions but just doesn’t have the scale. All the supporters group going public with criticisms. The Green Brigade and Bhoys Celtic, supported by fans in their thousands, is sharpening its message. Many supporter groups and individual CSCs have added their voice. Shareholders are being encouraged to use legal avenues to challenge the board.

Celtic supporters on the road to Hampden. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Each of these efforts has value. But together — if harnessed — they could form the backbone of something much more powerful, as was discussed last night. When you think of it the Celtic Trust is the perfect vehicle for handling all matters relating to supporters shareholding – with a huge number of supporter held shares effectively lost. They can assist in finding them and also in purchasing shares for the collective via this plan.

A properly run membership scheme could prevent supporters from being divided, dismissed, or ignored. It could force transparency, recycle stagnant leadership, and open genuine dialogue about Celtic’s future.

Is it time? Can Celtic supporters, scattered across Scotland, Ireland, and the world, finally come together under one banner to professionalise fan power? Could such a scheme take us from chaotic AGMs and angry statements to a sustained, organised challenge to the PLC?

Many believe the chances of the board engaging with the support are non-existent. But look at what Resolution 12 achieved—despite divide-and-conquer tactics, despite issues being kicked down the road, plus a few stabs in the back along the way and concerns acknowledged only to end up in the long grass.

Cetlic Chief Exectutive Peter Lawwell looks on during the Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen at Hampden Park on May 27, 2017. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic played a long game, but they didn’t anticipate the determination of a handful of individuals battling for so long.

Now, imagine if tens of thousands of supporters pooled their skills, resources, and contacts. You start with communication; if that yields no results, you move to challenge. You play the long game, just as Celtic did with the Resolution 12 shareholders—but this time, the resources will be there to stay the distance, see it through, make it public and keep it there. To meet head-on the stalling tactics.

Continued on the next page…

As one prominent fan put it back in 2021, “The only way is to communicate directly and open up channels for healthy discussions on the future of the football club.”

That’s where it should start and where it became a stated intention last night. Open communication attempts. But, if necessary, it could go further. And we all know it might well be necessary.

Dermot Desmond prior to the Celtic vs St Mirren Cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park on May 20, 2023 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

At the meeting last night it was repeatedly acknowledged that the Celtic Board don’t work for us but do work for the shareholders, the largest is Dermot Desmond and his quote about hearing a thousand voices making the same point will only make him do the opposite. That’s exactly why we need to have the proper structure in place to challenge the way they are running our club on behalf of the Celtic support.

With the new found unity caused ironically by Celtic itself, the moment for that unified approach may have arrived. It’s a golden opportunity that cannot be missed.

The question now is whether the Celtic support would welcome such a scheme, would subscribe to it, and could it become a unifying force that could challenge the PLC? This article is hopefully a signpost to head us collectively in the right direction.

theRangers v Celtic, 31 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

A good friend of our editor had this advice to give today.

Re: Last night the Celtic Rebellion officially started, it’s aim is to force change

“You may as well throw excrement* at the moon. As for such as ‘silent protests’, ‘late entry’, ‘early exit’, not attending UEFA games…I despair. That affects the players and manager.

“What’s required is a very small, talented, intelligent group of supporters (as before in the nineties) to be given a mandate to press for change. A camel is a horse designed by a…”

* He didn’t actually use that word.

A collective campaign backed by all participating fan media outlets should be organised to find as many of the last shareholders as possible and direct them to The Celtic Trust.  And if Celtic don’t want to support a fan advisory board then we should simply set one up regardless.

Please share as widely as possible so that we can get this ‘starting point’ message out the Celtic fanbase for discussion.

Niall J

Membership Scheme is the way forward for Celtic support

Celtic supporters shows their support at full-time following the team’s victory in the Scottish Cup Semi Final match between St Johnstone and Celtic at Hampden Park on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic in the Eighties – Out Now!…

Celtic in the Eighties by the late, great David Potter is out now on Celtic Star Books. Celtic in the Eighties is now available in the Celtic superstore and all other club shops. And don’t forget that you can still purchase your copy directly from Celticstarbooks.com for same day postage.

Order Celtic in the Eighties today, you’ll be glad you did, it’s a fabulous read!

OUT NOW! Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Foreword by Danny McGrain. Published on Celtic Star Books. Click on image to order.

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