Watford, a football club, has teamed up with Republic, an investment platform, to offer mom-and-pop investors about 10% of the club’s equity. Aiming to generate £17.5 million, the Hertfordshire club, who recently competed in the Championship in 2020, values it at £175 million total.
The European fan program will soon be available on Seedrs, a crowdfunding platform. Orange County SC in the United States and AFC Wimbledon in the United Kingdom both made a comparable move on this same platform. By spending a minimum of £49.76 on Seedrs or £99.52 on Republic, fans can become part-owners.
Fans who purchase one stock will also receive an owner’s pin, an official certificate of ownership, and a shareable social media image. The benefits that fans receive, however, rise in proportion to the amount they invest.
In terms of crypto, Watford was actually ahead of the curve. During part of 2019, the team allowed spectators to pay with cryptocurrencies at the stadium and even wore Bitcoin shirts for a period of time.
The new funding infusion will be used toward player acquisition, coaching, and training, with the goal of raising the performance of the club’s teams—especially the men’s first team.
Watford FC is a 150-year-old club that has competed in the English Premier League for six of the past 10 seasons. By enabling supporters to own a portion of the team, the club hopes to draw in a larger pool of investors. Additionally, investors will be able to access exclusive offers and receive tokens.
Watford FC Chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury said:
“We are proud to be the first major English football club to offer true ownership shares to a wide range of investors, including fans, through digital equity. We believe this is an innovative and inclusive way to help us return to the Premier League.”
Republic has a track record of collaborating with sports clubs to increase brand value and raise funding.
Andrew Durgee, President of Republic said:
“This sale is, to date, the largest digital equity offering to unlock true ownership shares in an English football club. We are committed to making sports ownership more accessible for fans and professional investors alike.”