Way, way back in 2003, a football club went under new management. 

The amateur club based in a suburb of Helsinki, PK-35, was suffering from a losing streak that disappointed its loyal fan base.  Realizing that something had to change, coach Janne Viljamaa decided to give control of the team up to the fans.

Viljamaa still acts as coach, at least in title, but each week he posts anywhere from 3 to 10 questions regarding the training, player selection, and tactics for the next match.  Over 300 fans then provide him with instructions via cell-phone text messages and emails.  The voting has shown to provide favorable results for the team.  For example, in the first year of the scheme fans voted to replace a key player on the team.  Viljamaa took the advice, and the replacement scored a last-minute goal in a critical game towards the end of the season.

Fast Company, who filed the original report, noted “Skeptics who dismissed the idea have spent the winter eating their words. After finishing first in Division III, PK-35 won a promotion and will play in Division II when Finland’s season kicks off at the end of April.”

However, at the end of the day Viljamaa called the shots.  The fans had a say, but they didn’t have control of the team.

Flash forward to 2007.  A few months ago, journalist Tim Glen Jones decided he had enough of being a fan only with an opinion.  He wanted to own a team, but he needed some help.

Tim started My Football Club a few months ago with the specific purpose of recruiting 50,000 other fans (at 35 pounds per member) to purchase and run a British football league.  The objective is to raise over 1.5 million pounds, purchase a football team, and retain a managerial staff that follows the decisions made by the members.  Wisdom of crowds meets British football.

The concept has received a lot of buzz overseas.  In the matter of a month the organization received the needed 50,000 members and is now soliciting more so that they can eventually by a team with more prestige. 

Additionally, EA Games caught wind of the new development and chose to sponsor My Football Club.  There is a strong chance this partnership will manifest into an extension of EA’s popular FIFA Manager- a virtual game where you build a team from scratch and nurture your players.

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