# List of fan-owned sports teams
A fan-owned sports team is a club in which supporters, through a supporters' trust, members' association, or cooperative, hold ownership or a controlling voting stake rather than a private individual or company. The model appears in several forms: full community ownership, statutory majority control such as Germany's 50+1 rule, and grandfathered member ownership such as the Spanish socios clubs.
| Team | Sport and league | Ownership form |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | American football, NFL | Community-owned non-profit; the only such team in major North American professional leagues[1](https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/112355/bitstreams/367772/data.pdf) |
| Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, CA Osasuna | Football, La Liga | Member-owned socios clubs, grandfathered under Spanish law that otherwise requires private ownership; members buy memberships and vote on directors and the president[2](https://sabr.org/journal/article/democracy-at-the-ballpark-looking-towards-a-fan-owned-future/) |
| Bundesliga clubs (Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and others) | Football, Germany | Members' club holds 50% plus one vote in the professional football company under the 50+1 rule, in place since 1999[3](https://amp.dw.com/en/the-501-rule-in-german-football-what-you-need-to-know/a-72952820) |
| AFC Wimbledon | Football, English EFL | Founded in 2002 by former Wimbledon FC fans after the FA allowed the original club to relocate to Milton Keynes; fan-owned via the Dons Trust[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48214424) |
| Exeter City | Football, English EFL | Fully or partially fan-owned[5](https://news.sky.com/story/andy-burnham-eyes-expanding-support-for-fan-owned-sports-clubs-13584029) |
| Heart of Midlothian | Football, Scotland | Completed a move to fan ownership in 2021[6](https://www.supporters-direct.scot/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/By-The-Fans-For-The-Future-AAM.pdf) |
| St Mirren | Football, Scotland | Fans shifted towards supporter control in 2016[6](https://www.supporters-direct.scot/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/By-The-Fans-For-The-Future-AAM.pdf) |
| Finn Harps | Football, League of Ireland | Fan-owned cooperative society relying heavily on voluntary effort[7](https://finnharps.ie/finn-harps-co-operative-society-limited-statement-to-shareholders-and-supporters-19-june-2026/) |
| AKS Zły | Football, Polish second division (women's team) | Founded in 2015 by supporters of Legia and Polonia Warsaw; owned and run democratically by its fans[8](https://apnews.com/article/d53e078e9d625ad9929bcabe309b7842) |
## Ownership models
**The German 50+1 rule.** German professional clubs were all member-owned before 1998, when clubs were allowed to outsource their professional teams into companies such as a GmbH or AG[9](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12662-023-00919-1). The 50+1 rule, in place since 1999, requires the parent members' club, for example Bayern Munich, to hold at least 50% plus one vote in its spun-off professional football company, protecting clubs from complete control by investors[3](https://amp.dw.com/en/the-501-rule-in-german-football-what-you-need-to-know/a-72952820). Exemptions exist for investors who have supported a club substantially and uninterruptedly for 20 years, the basis on which Hoffenheim's owner applied for relief from the rule[10](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/the-football-rich-list-2026-the-50-wealthiest-people-in-the-game).
**The Spanish socios model.** Spanish law requires football clubs to be privately owned, but four clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, and [CA Osasuna](https://www.edgepedia.org/ca-osasuna), are grandfathered in as fan-owned. Fans buy a membership, which gives them the right to vote on directors, the president, and other club matters[2](https://sabr.org/journal/article/democracy-at-the-ballpark-looking-towards-a-fan-owned-future/).
**Full community ownership.** In full fan ownership, supporters hold the club's shares directly through a trust or cooperative. Under this model, supporters buy voting power, either by holding shares or paying membership dues, and elect the directors who run the franchise.[2](https://sabr.org/journal/article/democracy-at-the-ballpark-looking-towards-a-fan-owned-future/)
## Notable fan-owned clubs
- **AFC Wimbledon**, described as arguably the most notable fan-owned club in the UK, was founded by former Wimbledon FC fans in 2002 after the Football Association allowed the original club to relocate to [Milton Keynes](https://www.edgepedia.org/milton-keynes)[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48214424).
- **FC United of Manchester** and **Bangor City** are cited as examples of clubs formed by fans; Bangor City supporters set up a new club and applied to enter the Welsh football system in 2019[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48214424).
- **Exeter City** and **AFC Wimbledon** are EFL clubs that are fully or partially fan-owned[5](https://news.sky.com/story/andy-burnham-eyes-expanding-support-for-fan-owned-sports-clubs-13584029).
- **Heart of Midlothian** completed its move to fan ownership in 2021, and **St Mirren** shifted towards supporter control in 2016[6](https://www.supporters-direct.scot/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/By-The-Fans-For-The-Future-AAM.pdf).
- **Finn Harps** of the [League of Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/league-of-ireland) operates as a fan-owned cooperative; in 2026 its board proposed bringing in an external investment partner after a FIFA training compensation claim strained cash flow[7](https://finnharps.ie/finn-harps-co-operative-society-limited-statement-to-shareholders-and-supporters-19-june-2026/).
- **AKS Zły** (Alternatywny Klub Sportowy Zły) in Warsaw was founded in 2015 by supporters of Legia and [Polonia Warsaw](https://www.edgepedia.org/polonia-warsaw) to resist aggressive nationalist stadium culture, and remains owned and run democratically by its fans with men's and women's teams[8](https://apnews.com/article/d53e078e9d625ad9929bcabe309b7842).
## The movement in the United Kingdom
Supporters Direct, established in 2000 with support of the Labour government, helped set up more than 200 supporters trusts for football clubs, giving fans a voice and a financial stake in how clubs operate[5](https://news.sky.com/story/andy-burnham-eyes-expanding-support-for-fan-owned-sports-clubs-13584029) • [9](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12662-023-00919-1). The movement saved many clubs from ruin, and around 50 English football clubs are now fully or partially fan-owned[5](https://news.sky.com/story/andy-burnham-eyes-expanding-support-for-fan-owned-sports-clubs-13584029). The 2021 Fan-Led Review of Football Governance noted that many clubs would not exist if not for supporter ownership, though it concluded that the ultimate objective of 50+1 advocates, better fan consultation and involvement in key decisions, could be better achieved by other means[11](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future).
The Football Governance Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in July 2025, established an Independent Football Regulator with new standards for fan engagement in club decision-making[12](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/football-governance-act-becomes-law-in-historic-moment-for-english-football). Its licensing system includes a fan consultation condition requiring supporter consultation on certain actions, such as changing a club's name or relocating its home ground outside its current local authority area[11](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future) • [13](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0213/amend/football_rm_pbc_0616.pdf) • [18](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/21/schedules/enacted?timeline=false&view=extent). Statutory guidance on 'significant influence or control' explicitly recognizes a veto right held by a supporters' trust, such as a Golden Share, as a form of control[14](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/football-governance-act-2025-statutory-guidance-on-the-meaning-of-significant-influence-or-control/meaning-of-significant-influence-or-control-in-the-context-of-the-football-governance-act-2025-statutory-guidance).
## Performance and sustainability
Research on Spanish football comparing member-owned clubs with stakeholder-owned Sport Stock Corporations tested whether multi-stakeholder governance compromises efficiency, applying Data Envelopment Analysis to all first-division teams from 2010/11 to 2020/21[15](https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1934883525001193). A study of supporter-owned clubs found that community-owned clubs prioritize financial prudence, transparency, and community engagement, reframing football success as a by-product of stability and social value[16](https://www.stir.ac.uk/research/hub/publication/2240109). Fan ownership also carries financial constraints: the Dons Trust reported that for a fan-owned club in League One and League Two, long-term sustainability is extremely challenging given the financial landscape[17](https://thedonstrust.org/2025/11/14/joint-board-update-november-2025/).
## References
1. [Who makes the game? Examining private ownership in professional sports, University of Illinois](https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/112355/bitstreams/367772/data.pdf)
2. [Democracy at the Ballpark: Looking Towards a Fan-Owned Future, SABR](https://sabr.org/journal/article/democracy-at-the-ballpark-looking-towards-a-fan-owned-future/)
3. [The 50+1 rule in German football: What you need to know, Deutsche Welle](https://amp.dw.com/en/the-501-rule-in-german-football-what-you-need-to-know/a-72952820)
4. [Bangor City fans follow AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester example, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48214424)
5. [Andy Burnham eyes expanding support for fan-owned sports clubs, Sky News](https://news.sky.com/story/andy-burnham-eyes-expanding-support-for-fan-owned-sports-clubs-13584029)
6. [By the fans, for the future: football governance under supporter ownership, Sport, Business and Management](https://www.supporters-direct.scot/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/By-The-Fans-For-The-Future-AAM.pdf)
7. [Finn Harps Co-operative Society Limited: Statement to Shareholders and Supporters, Finn Harps FC](https://finnharps.ie/finn-harps-co-operative-society-limited-statement-to-shareholders-and-supporters-19-june-2026/)
8. [A fan-run club pushes back against aggressive stadium culture in Poland, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d53e078e9d625ad9929bcabe309b7842)
9. [Conceptualizing sustainable participation in the context of German football supporters, German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12662-023-00919-1)
10. [The Football Rich List 2026, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/the-football-rich-list-2026-the-50-wealthiest-people-in-the-game)
11. [Fan-Led Review of Football Governance: securing the game's future, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future)
12. [Football Governance Act becomes law in historic moment for English football, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/football-governance-act-becomes-law-in-historic-moment-for-english-football)
13. [Committee Stage: Monday 16 June 2025, UK Parliament](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0213/amend/football_rm_pbc_0616.pdf)
14. [Meaning of 'Significant Influence or Control' in the Context of the Football Governance Act 2025, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/football-governance-act-2025-statutory-guidance-on-the-meaning-of-significant-influence-or-control/meaning-of-significant-influence-or-control-in-the-context-of-the-football-governance-act-2025-statutory-guidance)
15. [Stakeholders versus shareholders in governance match, ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1934883525001193)
16. [By the fans, for the future: football governance under supporter ownership, University of Stirling](https://www.stir.ac.uk/research/hub/publication/2240109)
17. [Joint Board update, November 2025, The Dons Trust](https://thedonstrust.org/2025/11/14/joint-board-update-november-2025/)
18. [Football Governance Act 2025](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/21/schedules/enacted?timeline=false&view=extent)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Football clubs and league systems — overviews and lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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