Report: Hammers United committee’s long-term goal is to see West Ham United being owned by its fans

Leaders Sport Business Summit 2016 - Day One
Leaders Sport Business Summit 2016 - Day One

West Ham United have been owned by chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan for 10 years, and it appears the majority of the fans have had enough of them.

One of the club’s supporters groups Hammers United organised a protest where more than 8,000 supporters marched to the London Stadium last month, and this came after two other protests held this year.

The Hammers United committee has a long-term goal in mind – West Ham being owned by its fans – and planning remains underway, according to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas.

The supporters’ group have been researching extensively on fan ownership and have been in contact with a handful of fan groups across Europe.

Fans are the majority shareholder at the likes of Portsmouth, Exeter City and Swansea City, and it remains to be seen if West Ham could follow suit in the coming years.

Hammers United are looking at a model where the club can have transparent engagement with the supporters, make West Ham a community asset that ensures it is well-protected and not bought and sold at will.

They are also hoping to have fans present at board level and are thinking of a formula that would allow investment from a private company and investment in the club.

The lack of communication from vice-chairman Karren Brady, Gold and Sullivan is eating up West Ham fans, and a majority of them definitely want new owners.

It will be interesting to see what happens going forward, but the “SGB out” protests aren’t likely to end anytime soon and they are bound to resume when Premier League action restarts.

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