I know we all have a lot going on, but I wanted to amplify the message that the group Onward Rose City is sending.
“Our goal is to maintain “Two Teams; One Club,” with the Thorns and Timbers owned together by the community that helped build them. By demonstrating our support for this ideal, we will show the PTFC front office, MLS, NWSL, U.S. Soccer, the City of Portland, and the world’s soccer community that soccer is the people’s game — and that the people are ready to take it back.”
So far as I know the organizational rules of MLS make this sort of community ownership impossible.
(So far as I know the organizational rules of NWSL have never been public, so I’m not sure what the deal is there…)
But it’d be terrific if the people of the People’s Republic of Portland could send the message that if the Peregrine organization isn’t willing to step up, we areA.
And no matter what the leagues say or do, it’s far from impossible. The German leagues have a “50+1” rule that ensures that the community the clubs play for never loses the final say.
The usual suspects – plutocrats, vulture capitalists, greedy owners – haaaaate it. And it’s far from perfect. But the idea works, has been proven to work, and will work here if it has a chance.
Right now the organizers are simply polling the fanbase to get a feeling for how much support there is out there, as a way to show the FO, and the league, that this is possible.
If you agree, there’s a tab at the website that lets you put down your hypothetical coin in support of the idea of community ownership.
I’m in.
Are you?
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I’ve pledged! Past 8 million now. We could’ve bought OL Reign twice over hahaha!
At the very least, it shows any potential buyers how valuable this club and community is, and potentially, a sympathetic buyer allows for the community to buy in for a small percent of shares and a seat at the table.