Quote kinleycat="kinleycat"That depends on wether you consider a financial stake to be the only stake.
Personally as a supporter my emotional attachment to the club is worth a million times more than any financial stake I could ever have.
This is the point I have been making over the last few posts.'"
I do understand that, and I feel the same way.
My point is simply that the emotional stake is only for you not the club.
How I interpret a stake is that you have something invested in the club but also something that has value to the club.
There is no value to the club apart from attracting others with you.
Same with Bren2k point about charity. There is a different level of scrutiny in the charitable organisation because they gain by being a charity, financially and legally. The rules are different if you prove yourself to be a charity so you have extra power as if you prove any wrong doing you have the government and especially the tax man on your side. For a sporting club,if it is run badly you only have a customer's power. You can withdraw your custom and of course if everybody did it you would have implied power to change things but it is only implied. If the sporting club decided they didn't like it they could just run the club into the ground and end it all. A charity can't do that. The level of scrutiny is different and the effect of bad management is felt further.
Like I said, I understand what you are saying and I do feel the same way.
What I disagree with (and it appears I am on my own) is that supporters feel they have more power because they are stakeholders but I feel they are simply customers with a strong opinion about the company they are purchasing from. Of course all sporting clubs are like this and they are very different to other businesses but I would say they are closer to an old cinema or hotel that people love. People have strong opinions but unless you buy it, you have no power just fond memories.
A supporters trust, with a real role on the board is the only supporter power really.
Obviously Bren if you have done a thesis on this you have thought about this much more deeply than I have. Its just my opinion but I'm open to changing it. I just don't quite see it the same way you do.
'"
got to go ,watching sum paint dry 
