Share Liverpool FC

In.

In work all day! 12pm til 8:30pm.

Let us know how it goes gents

I'll try an get down if I can.

Liverpool Echo link

A BID by Reds fans to take over Liverpool Football Club will receive government backing tomorrow night.

Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, is the guest speaker at the next stage of ShareLiverpoolFC’s ambitious Anfield takeover plan.

The MP for Leigh, and a lifelong Everton fan, will put aside personal allegiance to support the scheme, a principle that he championed in his former role as chairman of Supporters Direct.

Also speaking at the Liverpool Lighthouse on Oakfield Road will be former Reds stars John Barnes, Phil Thompson, ShareLiverpoolFC board member John Aldridge and the organisation’s founder member, Rogan Taylor.

More than 28,000 fans have already expressed a firm interest in the scheme, and Taylor is urging those supporters to now re-register their details on a new website www.shareliverpoolfc.com.

“We are effectively relaunching tomorrow night,” said Taylor.

“We’ve been quiet while we’ve been putting in place the enormous amount of back work necessary for a scheme like this and now the assembled board of ShareLiverpool will put themselves in front of the Liverpool FC people on Wednesday and express their belief.

“This is a do-able scheme.

“A little like Istanbul, it’s all about belief and how badly people want it.

“We had 28,000 people initially show interest in buying a share in the club. Now we want those people to visit our new website and register some details.

“We don’t want any money. That will only come when a deal is in place. We want commitments.”

Tomorrow’s meeting will hear how the ShareLiverpoolFC concept has become a Financial Services Authority approved co-operative society, with a constitution that will put fans in control through a democratic one-member, one-vote mechanism.

The new phase of operation will see the organisation push on towards increasing its membership to provide the finance to buy the club from the existing owners.

Paul Rice, who chairs the Spirit of Shankly, and Nicky Allt (founder member of SOS) will also speak in favour of a change of regime at the club, in a show of solidarity among Liverpool FC supporters’ groups.

The meeting will take place before the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League qualifier at the Liverpool Lighthouse in Anfield, from 5.30-7.00pm.

A 400-strong full house is anticipated, with numbers strictly limited on a first come, first served basis (no ticket required).

Supporters will have the opportunity to ask questions on how the concept will work in a Q&A session with the ShareLiverpoolFC board.



A reminder about tomorrows meeting. I'm sure this will be a lock out so it's probably best to get there early.

So now, we have to put our money where our mouth is?

Is that the new 'take home' message.

I'am not sure if this is in the right place, but i found this on football365.com. And this guy is an Evertonian!!!!

The Liverpool fans group who want to buy the club will get backing for their dream from sports minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday night.

The MP for Leigh, a life-long Everton fan, will put aside cross-city allegiances to back ShareLiverpoolFC's dream of co-operative ownership of the Anfield club, eventually ousting American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Burnham will speak at a meeting prior to the Champions League qualifier with Standard Liege, at the Liverpool Lighthouse pub near the stadium.

Also speaking will be officials of the Spirit of Shankly fans organisation to emphasise the solidarity of Liverpool supporters' groups behind the scheme.

ShareLiverpoolFC founder member Dr Rogan Taylor will also address the meeting, aimed at re-establishing the group publicly as the current Liverpool owners try to raise money to re-finance their own loans as well as the £400m needed to build a new stadium.

Taylor, director of the Football Industry Group at Liverpool University, said: "We want to make sure everyone realises that we are serious and intend to be around and ready whatever happens."

Taylor believes that financial pressures will soon call into question once again the Americans' ability to continue as owners and prompt more interest from Dubai-based investors, who have been waiting in the wings to mount another takeover bid.

Taylor continued: "Whoever takes over the club, they are going to need a local partnership. We are here to stay, and have people signed up to help and support the plans we have.

"We want to be around when the next roll of the dice comes, and that could be very soon."

ShareLiverpoolFC have what many observers see as a romantic, if distant, aim of running the club, but are realistic enough to know that may not be their initial involvement.

"We will be ready, we have a data-base of people willing to help and we could say, 'we want 10 per cent now' so let's talk," Taylor explained.

ShareLiverpoolFC has re-launched their website and want the 28,000 fans who had initially registered their interest, to sign up again.

The grand idea is to have 100,000 people pledging £5,000 to create a financial base to fight for control of the club.

Currently the group have 9,500 who have signed up, another 9,000 who have registered interest but cannot afford £5,000, plus a further 9,000 who want to be kept informed.

Taylor added: "There is a long way to go, but we believe we can have a genuine impact. You can't score a goal if you are not on the pitch, and we are certainly on the pitch as players."

It is believed that ShareLiverpoolFC have held exploratory meetings with possible Dubai investors and members of the previous Anfield hierarchy.

I went last night, did anybody else go.

I will write about it more later today when I have time.

Hi, I went to the meeting last night.
I have to say it was a very good meeting, it was not packed, but i always thought it was a bad time to have a meeting.
There was a few people there you might know, Rogan Taylor, John Aldridge, John Barnes, Phil Thompson, SOS Chairman, Paul Rice, and Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport.
So there was a lot of people who new what they where taking about.

A lot was said, that i will not go into, you will be-able to read it on there web site soon.
http://www.shareliverpoolfc.co.uk/index.php/home

They are not asking for any money yet, what they are asking for people to tell there mates to look at the site and to REGISTER ON THE SITE.

They have 8 to 9000 people who have said yes to have a share at £5000.
They have about 9000 people who are thinking about it.
and about 7000 people who have said yes, they love the idea but cant get the £5000.

What there saying now is they need to go to stage 2, push it more with your family and mates, and to start getting more meda coverage, to get the message across.

IF YOU NEED TO KNOW MORE PLEASE GO ON THERE WEB SITE.

I think its a great idea, that Liverpool fans own there own football club, there is a long way to go, but as John Barnes said last night, from little acorns, grows a great tree.
It is going to take time, it is not something that will happen over night.

The way I'm looking at it, Its costing me nothing up to now, and with the people they have got behind them, they might just pull this off, and if the do, I want to be apart of it.

Thanks for reading this.

Thanks for the info Graham. Was there any mention of future meetings?

Let me try and pick on some of the points raised so far;

If this comes off, having a share in Liverpool, will not get you anything on tickets, it will only give you 1 vote, but that 1 vote, will help to vote the men on the board to run Liverpool football club, and there will be men and women just like us on the board, so its a big 1 vote.

Yes I have put my name down, to say I will give them £5000, and I hope it does come off, and my share I would hope will pass down to my sons, (I do not have any girls), and there sons etc.

As many of you as you want can buy a share, lets say 5 of you all club together to buy 1 share, then you just take it in turns who has the vote that year.

There is not 1 club in the Perm who is not in debt, its all about running a business, and getting the best people in to do that (back to your vote again).
So to own a club like Liverpool debt free, my god your of to a great start.
There is a lot of money in football, why do you think these yanks came in, it was not out of the goodness of the heart.
So we would not strudel to keep up with investments, and buy new players, in fact it would be other clubs studding to keep up with us.

I know most are saying DIC to take us over, but let us not pin are hopes on DIC.
Lets face it they could have got Liverpool for about £220 mil. 18 months ago, but they saw there arse, and walked away, now they want us back and there going to pay £400mil. They are only going to pay £400mil, because they know they can make money out of it,
I don't know if DIC is the way forward, they could be as bad as the yanks, or they could be a lot better, we just don't know.
But the 1 thing I do know if the fans own the club, then it will be are club to do with as we see fit, and for me that will be a great feeling that I own a share in are great club.

One thing I do know, its web sites like this one who can help to get the word across.

If you need to know more, please go on the web site and ask them.

Many thanks.

SHARELIVERPOOLFC Gets Heavyweight Backers At Liverpool Lighthouse Event       
Written by Administrator     
Friday, 29 August 2008 16:26 
 

Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, Andy Burnham, endorsed the prospect of fans taking ownership of their clubs at a meeting to launch the next phase of ShareLiverpoolFC’s bid to takeover Liverpool FC.

 

The meeting took place before the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League qualifier on Wednesday 27 August, at the Liverpool Lighthouse in Anfield with a high profile list of speakers, and was covered by local, national and international press, radio and TV. 

 

Lifelong Everton fan and MP for Leigh, Mr Burnham put aside his personal allegiance to back a principle that he championed in his former role as Chairman of Supporters Direct. 


Mr Burnham said: "I think it would be good for any football club. I think the principle is a good one, that the people who have built up these clubs over the generations and have invested millions of their money should control their future."


The minister spoke passionately about how clubs belonged to their communities, and that the prospect of the Premiership becoming simply a financial league table of the world’s richest billionaires would render football a pointless and ultimately soulless exercise. 

The minister gave encouragement to the audience, saying that over 140 Supporters Trusts had been set up since Supporters Direct was launched in 2000, and that 14 clubs, including Notts County, the oldest club in the league, were now run by their fans. “If we all believe, then this is achievable” he concluded.
He also joked in how some of the players on the stage behind him had given him psychological scars as teenagers, with their regular beating of Everton

Some of those former players players, John Barnes, Phil Thompson and ShareLiverpoolFC board member, John Aldridge, spoke alongside the organisation’s founder member, Rogan Taylor. 

John Barnes spoke up for the passion and commitment of those fans based all around the world, saying that he had met many himself in the far-east and elsewhere who were as committed as many kop regulars, even though they never had a chance to get to Anfield. “We need to harness that support if this is going to succeed” he said, urging local fans to work in partnership with fans  from around the world to make this dream a reality.

Paul Rice, who Chairs the Spirit of Shankly, and Nicky Allt (founder member of SOS) also spoke in favour of a change of regime at the club, in a show of solidarity amongst Liverpool FC supporters’ groups. Both appealed against apathy amongst supporters, and spoke of the direct benefits of fan empowerment of the club, and the responsibility the club has in the community. This is sadly lacking under the present ownership, but is at the heart of the ShareLiverpoolFC constitution. Paul also underlined the significance of the ‘local culture’ – and the local fans largely responsible for it – for the attraction LFC has for its world wide fan base. 

 
SLFC wholeheartedly agree. It’s the character that local fans (and the City too) have stamped on our club that is at the heart of its special place in the football world. The marketing men may call it ‘brand’ – but it really means ‘personality’ – and LFC’s distinctive identity is what we local fans have made it, especially over the past fifty years and more. It is a tightrope walk for such a great club to balance both the local & global demands upon it, but it should never forget where it all came from – if we ever lose our roots, we’ll wither and die.

Supporters took the opportunity to ask questions on how the concept will work in a Q&A session with the ShareLiverpoolFC board. Joining the speakers on the platform were board members Chris Talavera, Barry Baxter, Liz Crolley and Martin McEwan.

Some of the questions included:

·         How was the decision to make shares £5000 each made?
·         How would transfers and the new stadium be funded?
·         How can this benefit the local fan and why should fans from different parts of the world have as much say in the club?

·         How well were ShareLiverpoolFC’s marketing and communications working?
·         Whether any of this really mattered with the reality of billionaires’ involvement in football?
·         The timescale – what will happen next?
·         How could we make use of the website to provide resources to ShareLiverpoolFC supporters who wanted to spread the word, eg on the coaches to away matches?

These questions and others will be collated and published on this website along with the answers, and the audience was invited to send in further questions to the board. The meeting wrapped up in time for everyone to head off to the match – the Reds ultimately overcoming a difficult challenge. That’s exactly what ShareLiverpoolFC needs to do. 

Here’s a selection of the media coverage of the event:

Liverpool Echo (including video clips) http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/videos-pictures/videos/liverpool-fc-videos/2008/08/28/shareliverpoolfc-scheme-backed-100252-21624485/ 

Liverpool Daily Post http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2008/08/28/minister-shows-support-for-fans-to-buy-liverpool-64375-21622709/

International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/27/sports/EU-SOC-Liverpool-Sports-Minister.php     

BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7584470.stm  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7585507.stm 

The West Australian http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=4&ContentID=94663 

China Post http://www.chinapost.com.tw/sports/soccer/2008/08/29/172372/Minister-backs.htm   

Fox Sports http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/8494598/Burnham-to-back-Reds-fans-takeover

 
Dam still cant pic,s onto this site, can someone tell me how you do it.

Many Thanks

PRESS RELEASE BY SHARELIVERPOOLFC


LIVERPOOL FC FACE CREDIT CRUNCHING TACKLE
10/10/08

Amidst calls by FIFA President Sepp Blatter for controls on the foreign ownership of football clubs, and comments by the FA Chairman, Lord Triesman, and UEFA’s general secretary David Taylor, regarding the excessive amount of debt held by Premier League clubs, the fans’ organisation ShareLiverpoolFC have raised serious questions about their Club’s financial stability as a result of being so heavily geared at a time when the “Credit Crunch” is really beginning to bite.

Utilising a powerful business modelling tool widely used in the football industry, ShareLiverpoolFC have reviewed LFC’s finances from the last audited accounts and projected these figures forward over the next five years. The results raise some very serious questions about the financial stability of the Club in the near future:

Even if the current RBS loan is extended beyond Jan ‘09, under the current arrangement it will only be until July, 2009. With both American owners unable to raise money for the stadium, in today’s financial climate, can they raise more ‘real’, unleveraged money to restructure the loan and keep the Club afloat?
If the football bubble bursts, could the loans secured against LFC become sub prime and put the Club at risk?
Kop Football Ltd has to find £20m plus to service the debt of £245m. How will the debt be serviced? Can the owners assure us that Kop Football’s indebtedness is not to be serviced by the Club? If it is, how can the Club pay it?
Rogan Taylor, founder of ShareLiverpoolFC, said:

“The turmoil we are witnessing in financial markets is largely down to excessive lending to those that have difficulty in servicing the cost of the debt and who, as a result of the borrowing, effectively have negative equity in the assets they have borrowed on. Without a new owner in prospect, Liverpool FC now appears to fit this description based on the results of our review. We call on the owners to capitalize the loan from Kop Football to the Club. In other words, put some ‘real’ money into the business.”

By July next year, ShareLiverpoolFC estimate that losses at LFC will have eroded the club’s Capital and Reserves to a negligible amount compared with it’s liability to its bankers; i.e. it will be very heavily geared and won’t have sufficient income to cover this total interest cost.

Over the next five years ShareLiverpoolFC anticipate losses to range between £30m to £70m a year. These projected losses are largely due to the Club not having a big enough stadium or commercial income to support its current player and debt costs.

It is also likely that the Club and its parent company, Kop Football, will be going through a re-financing exercise come the Club’s year end.

Rogan Taylor commented: “Not a comfortable position to be in at a time when the game’s regulators are calling for a reduction in debt and foreign ownership - not to mention the effects of the global ‘Credit Crunch’ – which will make a Stevie Gerrard tackle look like a vicar’s limp handshake.”

SLFC Board member, Barrie Baxter, said:

“ShareLiverpoolFC already represents thousands of fans prepared to invest real money into the Club. Raising the required funds won’t be the issue once we have a deal in prospect. We’re confident we’ll be able to succeed.

“We are prepared to consider a partnership with any incoming buyer with the right attitude to the development of LFC going forward. After the experience with the current owners, it will be important for any new owner to ensure that they have the confidence of Liverpool fans.

“We call on the current owners to inject cash as capital to reduce the Club’s debt. If they are unwilling or unable to do this, then they should move over and let others that can better serve the Club take control.”

ShareLiverpoolFC’s long term objective is to gain control of the Club. However, in the medium term their strategy is to work with suitable new investors to help achieve a change of ownership, stabilise the Club’s finances and represent the fans interests by acquiring a stake in the Club. ShareLiverpoolFC believes their participation in the future will assist with this.

Their message to potential new owners of “their” Club is “come and talk to us; you need the fans behind you and this is no ordinary Club. We understand it and have the experience to help”.

ShareLiverpoolFC

Dear Graham,

We constantly receive suggestions and comments on our Constitution from Liverpool fans who have registered with us, and we value your contributions highly. However, we sometimes receive quite contradictory opinions or advice and we feel that we need to understand your views better. When we speak publicly, we would like to be assured that we are representing the views of those who have signed up to show their support for the principles of ShareLiverpoolFC.

For this reason, we would appreciate it greatly if you could take a few minutes of your time to answer a few questions. Please follow the below link to complete the questionnaire:

www.shareliverpoolfc.exvn.com/forms/survey1208.cfm

Many thanks for your time. We will post the main results of this survey on our website in the next few weeks.

Best regards

ShareLiverpoolFC
www.shareliverpoolfc.com

I think that is the best takeover to be thought of. Make Liverpool a Real Madrid style club. we own the club, vote for the board, get everything sorted ourselves. and more money needed? no problem, any one of us who are well off  can afford to dish out 5k quid to have a SHARE of his beloved club.

Real Madrid are the richest and biggest club in the world because they roll that way. there is no way the whole fan base wouldn't be able to afford a takeover.

Liverpool supporters group planning serious takeover bid

Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, is under pressure to provide guarantees for the club’s £350 million loans as the clock ticks on his efforts to refinance the debt before today’s deadline.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Wachovia agreed a refinancing deal in principle with Liverpool’s owners two months ago, but while George Gillett Jr has raised the necessary funds by selling his stake in the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise, Hicks, whose business empire in Texas has been hit hard by the credit crunch, has spent the past weeks trying to secure the cash, the loans or the outside investment to satisfy the banks.

The banks are expected to give Hicks a little leeway, rather than call in the loans as soon as today’s deadline passes. However, even if the Hicks-Gillett regime is propped up for another six months by an extension to their refinancing plan, their credibility has long been shattered in the eyes of Liverpool’s fans. Last night ShareLiverpool FC and Spirit of Shankly, influential supporter groups that rose out of the dissent with the owners, warned against another short-term fix and stepped up their efforts to launch a serious bid to buy the club.

ShareLiverpoolFC launched a revised initiative to raise £150 million that would be used to make an offer to buy 60 per cent of the club, with an additional £100 million sought from a commercial partner. The remaining £100 million debt would be exchanged for convertible loan stock in the club, which would be bought from the banks in instalments over a 20-year period.

The Spirit of Shankly group said: “This new proposal is a sound plan which offers the only real solution for the club: long-term financing that isn’t supported by short-term — and expensive — bank debt.”

Times Online.

Fans revise Liverpool buy-out bid

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8166334.stm

Supporters groups Spirit of Shankly and ShareLiverpoolFC have unveiled a new, joint proposal to buy Liverpool.

The supporters' organisations are unhappy with the financial structure of the club following the takeover by Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

The key change to the original "member-share" proposal is a reduction of the share price from £5,000 to £500.

Gillett and Hicks were expected to complete a refinancing of the club's £350m debt on Thursday.

A statement from the SLFC board said: "This is a realistic plan that squares the circle: How to get broadly based fan ownership of the club, and relieve the level of debt, by offering Liverpool fans an affordable entry fee and a chance to get a modest return for their additional financial support.

"Now we need all those Liverpool fans to carefully consider the proposals in detail on our website - and let us know what they think."

The supporters' groups first proposed a takeover - the model of which is based upon that operated by Barcelona, Real Madrid and other European clubs - in January 2008.

Initially they hoped to raise £500m from 100,000 fans each paying the £5,000 'entry fee', but this has now been reduced.

The aim is to acquire a 60% stake in the club by raising £150m while seeking a "commercial partner" to invest £100m for a 40% stake.

In June 2009, it was announced the parent company of the club, owned by Tom Hicks and George Gillett, lost £42.6m in the year to August 2008, largely as a result of interest payments that had to be made to service the debt taken on by Kop Football Holdings when it purchased the club in February 2007.

On Tuesday, the BBC learnt that the club were close to renegotiating its debt with the Royal Bank of Scotland - one of the two banks to which it owes money.

SHARELIVERPOOLFC MAKE REVISED PROPOSAL FOR FAN BUY OUT, SUPPORTED BY SPIRIT OF SHANKLY

On the deadline day for the American owners of Liverpool FC to complete the refinancing of the debt they took on to buy and run the Club, the two key supporters’ groups, ShareLiverpoolFC (SLFC) and Spirit of Shankly (SoS) unveiled a revised fan buy-out plan for consideration by the banks and the owners. Though it is expected that RBS & Wachovia will extend the credit line to the current owners, in the view of the fans, this is only a short term (and expensive) fix for LFC.

Initially SLFC looked to raise £500m from 100,000 LFC fans who would pay £5,000 for a single share. Feedback received from SLFC registrants and SoS has convinced SLFC that reducing the ‘entry fee’ from £5,000 to £500 is the best way forward, as it ensures a much broader base of fans can get involved. Subsequently, they have put together a revised proposal.

The revised proposal is designed to achieve:

* Fan ownership of Liverpool FC

* A much broader base of that ownership by reducing the entry price for a single share from £5,000 to £500

* One member: one vote

* A way in which fans who can afford to put in more than £500 can receive a return of 2%

* A way commercial investors can participate

The fan groups are looking to raise £150 million from LFC fans to initially acquire a 60% interest in the Club:

* Approximately £10 million to come from the sale of £500 shares in ShareLiverpoolFC on a one person one share basis

* Approximately £140 million to come from shareholding fans acquiring SLFC Loan Stock which gives them a return of 2% a year

In addition to this, they are seeking a commercial partner to invest £100 million in return for a 40% interest in the Club, through a combination of loan stock and equity shares. This raises in total £250 million which can be used to pay down £250 million of the current £350 million of bank debt.

The £100 million balance of current bank debt would be exchanged for convertible loan stock in LFC, which SLFC would have rights to acquire from the banks in equal annual instalments over a 20 year term. Acquisition and conversion of the LFC loan stock would eventually raise SLFC’s equity interest in the Club to 71%.

This plans worse than the first one.

So we're going to raise £250M - pay the Yanks £350M and still be carrying £100M?

Sorry but the answers no.  We will not be crippled by any debt at all.

There's only one way to go is a buy out and then plc conversion.  Existing paid LFC members receiving pro-rata shares in Liverpool FC plc and say 45% going to the open market.

This would not only raise a huge amount of capital but it would ensure that the club is majority owned by fans, and fans would be rewarded financially with any success in the club (because at the end of the day - that will be a mass driver of implementation of the plan).

I agree totally with JD. As much as I'd love and I think we all would like to be rid of the Yanks and their Debt we need to look at bigger and better solutions than this. I'd love the fans to be able to own LFC, I would be having one share if I could, but where would the flow of money needed to buy players and pay for their wages come from? It couldn't all be from our winning and sponsors, surely we wouldn't raise enough.

A way in which fans who can afford to put in more than £500 can receive a return of 2%

I'm In!! thats 1.8% more than my ISSA's

.or....£1000 = a Share and a Season Ticket!

TODAY July 24th

FROM SHARE LIVERPOOL STATEMENT                   

REVISED PROPOSALS

Many of you reading this will have signed up for a plan to buy Liverpool FC by purchasing shares in ShareLiverpoolFC (SLFC), an Industrial & Provident Society designed as a vehicle to deliver fan ownership and democratic control of the Club we support.

Please find below a detailed summary of our revised plan. We would be extremely grateful if you would click here to give us your feedback on our new proposal. Without your support we can not proceed with confidence.

At first, early in 2008, we looked to raise £500m from 100,000 LFC fans who would pay £5,000 for a single share. Recently it became clear (and with the changing economic conditions) that we were unlikely to achieve that. Also, we have realised from the feedback we have received from many of you – as well as from other LFC fans at Spirit of Shankly - that one size doesn’t fit all. In other words, reconsidering the sum of £5,000 for every participating fan is the best way forward, due to the wide range of affordability within the fan base.

As a result, the SLFC Board’s finance team has put together a realistic plan that squares this circle: How to get real, and broadly based, fan ownership of the Club (by lowering the ‘entry fee’ for voting shares), and relieve the level of the Club’s bank debt by offering those Liverpool fans who are able to put in more money a chance to get a modest return for their additional financial support.

Realising the current owners have been trying to sell the Club, we also sought your views on SLFC entering into a joint venture with a new commercial investor partner. This approach was widely supported. Our aim remains full ownership of the Club in the longer term, but we see joint ownership in the medium term as a sensible way to begin. So our revised proposal allows for the entry of one or more commercial investors to take a minority stake in the Club.

Now we are at the point where the huge debt of around £350m which the owners took to buy and run the Club has had to be re-structured with the lending banks, RBS & Wachovia. The deadline for this was today. We understand that this re-structuring has been agreed and that RBS & Wachovia are to extend their respective credit lines to the current owners. In our view, this is only a short term (and expensive) fix for LFC. The only real solution for the Club is long term financing that isn’t supported by short term – and expensive - bank debt.

Our proposals offer precisely that.

Effectively, we have put together revised proposals – to include the feedback we have had whilst maintaining the essential elements from the original plan.

Our plan is to deliver fan ownership to as broad a base as possible.

We will offer one single vote-bearing share per person at a price down from £5,000 to £500. We think this will make it possible for many more fans to take part in a share-owning democracy. No one fan will own more of ShareLiverpoolFC than anyone else.

Our plan offers fans a chance to contribute more and get a return on their capital.

For those fans that can afford more than £500 for a share, they can contribute additional funds in the form of 2% Loan Stock and earn interest on such additional funds. We know there are many thousands of you prepared to pay £5,000 for a share – and there is, in addition, a significant number of LFC fans who would put in even more money.

You can take a look at an ‘Executive Summary’ of the proposal at www.shareliverpoolfc.com.

You can examine a more detailed version of the proposal at www.shareliverpoolfc.com.

In a nutshell

We are looking to raise £150 million from LFC fans to initially acquire a 60% interest in the Club:

    * Approximately £10 million to come from the sale of £500 shares in ShareLiverpoolFC on a one person one share basis (this would require at least 20,000 fans to sign up).

 

    * Approximately £140 million to come from shareholding fans acquiring SLFC Loan Stock giving them a return of 2% a year

In addition;

    * We would seek one or more commercial partners to invest £100 million for a 40% interest in the Club.

 

We would also seek to negotiate with the banks to swap £100 million of their current debt for convertible Loan Stock in LFC. The banks would give SLFC the right to purchase this convertible LFC Loan Stock in equal annual instalments over 20 years. Following acquisition of the banks’ convertible LFC Loan Stock, SLFC could convert it into new shares in LFC, therefore enabling it to increase its equity interest over time to 71%.

The balance of the banks’ current debt of £250 million would be discharged (indirectly) from the £250 million of funds raised above.

These proposals would provide the long term, affordable financing our Club desperately needs and delivers ownership of Liverpool FC to a broad base of fans.

Would we get a say in transfers to and from the club?

Would we get a say in transfers to and from the club?

No, although i think the fans would have a say on how much the manager can spend.

I Dont think it will work i hope i does i cant see 40,000 share holders ? everyone wanting a say in who we buy it would turn into like a lotery who we are going to sing not for me ? if it was to work we would need a leader mabe an ex player or a shareholder who has put more money than everyone else just like what sunderland had with Quinn