List of fan-owned sports teams
Encyclopedia
This is a partial list of professional or semi-professional sports teams that are owned by fans (via either a collective organisation or where the assumption of majority ownership by a small group is prohibited by the club's constitution or governing documents) from all over the world sorted by home country. Teams playing at every level in each country are shown.

Australia

AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...



NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...

  • Bulldogs
    Canterbury Bulldogs
    The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...

  • Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
  • Parramatta Eels
    Parramatta Eels
    The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...

  • Penrith Panthers
    Penrith Panthers
    The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...

  • St. George Illawarra Dragons
  • Sydney Roosters
    Sydney Roosters
    The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...

  • Wests Tigers
    Wests Tigers
    The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...


Israel

  • Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C.
    Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C.
    Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. is an Israeli basketball club. The second most successful side in Israeli basketball, The club Owned by Hapoel Tel Aviv Supporters Trust and is currently in Liga Leumit, the Second tier.-History:...

  • Hapoel Petah-Tikva B.C
  • Hapoel Ramat Gan B.C.
    Hapoel Ramat Gan B.C.
    Hapoel Ramat Gan was an Israeli basketball club which played in the major League in the past and was for many years one of the top teams. For 6 years also was Vice Champion State basketball. Remembered mainly for victories over the many time Champion Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. The group were dismantled...

  • Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem
  • Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa

England

The majority of supporter-owned clubs in England are run by Supporters' Trust
Supporters' trust
In British sports, a supporters' trust is a formal, democratic and not-for-profit organisation of fans who attempt to strengthen the influence of supporters over the running of the club they support...

s, which typically operate as an Industrial and Provident Society
Industrial and Provident Society
An industrial and provident society is a legal entity for a trading business or voluntary organisation in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand...

.
  • AFC Liverpool – Cooperative
    Cooperative
    A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...

    .
  • AFC Telford United – Fully owned by Telford United Supporters Trust.
  • AFC Wimbledon
    AFC Wimbledon
    AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, the club are members of Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football....

     – Fully owned by The Dons Trust, a Supporters' Trust.
  • AFC Rushden & Diamonds
    AFC Rushden & Diamonds
    AFC Rushden & Diamonds is an English football club based in Northamptonshire. They currently play at Kiln Park, the home of Raunds Town. The club was formed in July 2011 by supporters after Rushden & Diamonds were expelled from the Football Conference and subsequently liquidated...

  • Aylesbury United F.C.
    Aylesbury United F.C.
    Aylesbury United are a football club based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, currently playing in the Spartan South Midlands League, nicknamed the Ducks....

  • Brentford F.C.
    Brentford F.C.
    Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

  • Bromsgrove Sporting F.C.
    Bromsgrove Sporting F.C.
    Bromsgrove Sporting F.C. are a football club based in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England. The club was founded in 2009 and played their first season, 2010-11, in Midland Football Combination Division Two where they ended third.-History:...

  • Cambridge City F.C.
    Cambridge City F.C.
    Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport...

  • Chelmsford City F.C.
    Chelmsford City F.C.
    Chelmsford City F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Chelmsford, Essex. The club are currently members of the Conference South and play at the Melbourne Stadium.-Chelmsford:...

  • Chester F.C.
    Chester F.C. (2010)
    Chester Football Club is a supporter-owned English football club based in Chester. The club was founded in 2010 following the winding-up of Chester City F.C.. The club plays its home games at the Deva Stadium, and for its inaugural season played in the Northern Premier League Division One North...

  • Ebbsfleet United F.C. - owned by MyFootballClub
    MyFootballClub
    MyFootballClub is an English Industrial and Provident Society that sought, starting in August 2007, to recruit at least 50,000 football enthusiasts from across the world to purchase an English association football club. MyFootballClub's premise is to allow its paid members to control the club...

    , an Industrial and Provident Society in England, but open to anyone around the world. As a member-owned enterprise, it has much in common with many fan-owned teams, but as it explicitly solicits investment and members from fans of other teams, has significant differences to the others, whose ownership is predicated on members being long-term fans of the club.
  • Enfield Town F.C.
    Enfield Town F.C.
    Enfield Town F.C. is an English football club from Enfield Town, Greater London. Established in 2001 as a fan-led breakaway from Enfield FC, the club currently play in Division One North of the Isthmian League and are based at the Queen Elizabeth II stadium....

  • Exeter City F.C.
    Exeter City F.C.
    Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...

  • F.C. United of Manchester
    F.C. United of Manchester
    F.C. United of Manchester is an English semi-professional football club based in Bury, Greater Manchester that plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. It was formed in 2005 by Manchester United supporters opposed to American businessman Malcolm Glazer's controversial takeover of the...

     - Owned by a Community Benefit Society. One member, one vote basis.
  • Fisher F.C.
    Fisher F.C.
    Fisher F.C. are a non-League football team based in Bermondsey, London Borough of Southwark, England who play in the Kent League.-Formation:...

  • Hendon F.C.
    Hendon F.C.
    Hendon Football Club are an English football club based in Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.In the 2003-04 season they finished fourth in the Isthmian League Premier Division...

     - Fully owned by Hendon Football Club Supporters Trust.
  • Lewes F.C.
    Lewes F.C.
    Lewes Football Club is an English football team based in Lewes, East Sussex. The club are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at the Dripping Pan.-History:...

  • Newport (IOW) F.C.
  • Prescot Cables F.C.
    Prescot Cables F.C.
    Prescot Cables F.C. is a football club based in Prescot, Merseyside. It was established in 1884 and has also been known as Prescot and Prescot Town...

  • Runcorn Linnets F.C.
    Runcorn Linnets F.C.
    Runcorn Linnets F.C. are an English football club based in Runcorn, Cheshire. The club currently plays in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division, the ninth tier of English football, and is a full member of the Cheshire County Football Association...

  • Scarborough Athletic F.C.
    Scarborough Athletic F.C.
    Scarborough Athletic Football Club are an English football club formed on 25 June 2007 following the winding up of Scarborough. Although they bear the name of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, they ground-share with Bridlington Town...


Germany

All German football clubs—except for some historic works team
Works team
A works team is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company.-Africa:...

s that are allowed to maintain their company affiliation, such as Volkswagen's VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...

 and Bayer's Bayer 04 Leverkusen—are required to have at least 51% member ownership; when Red Bull
Red Bull GmbH
Red Bull GmbH is an Austrian company which sells the Red Bull energy drink. In 2010, more than 4.204 billion cans were sold in over 161 countries. 7,758 employees generated 3.78 billion euros in revenue...

 purchased the playing license of the Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

-area club SSV Markranstädt
SSV Markranstädt
SSV Markranstädt is a German association football club from the city of Markranstädt, Saxony near Leipzig. It is part of a larger sports club that also has departments for badminton, cycle ball, gymnastics, table tennis, and volleyball.-History:...

 and renamed the football team RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig is a German association football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club is supported by energy drink-maker Red Bull who purchased the license of fifth division side SSV Markranstädt with the intention of advancing the re-modeled club to the top-flight Bundesliga within ten years...

, it could only acquire 49% of the shares, and could not use the full Red Bull
Red Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...

 name due to other German rules. Member ownership is also the standard in most other professional sports leagues. Apart from the aforementioned Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig, some other football clubs enjoy strong backing of local industries or of deep-pocketed individuals, such as 1899 Hoffenheim (backed by SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...

 cofounder Dietmar Hopp
Dietmar Hopp
Dietmar Hopp is a German software entrepreneur. He was one of the founders of SAP AG in 1972 with other former IBM employees Hans Werner Hector, Klaus Tschira, Claus Wellenreuther and Hasso Plattner...

, who played in the club's youth setup).

In some cases fans have also re-founded bankrupt or otherwise disappeared clubs, one such example is Lokomotive Leipzig
Lokomotive Leipzig
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig is a German football club based in the city of Leipzig in Saxony and may be more familiar to many of the country's football fans as the historic side VfB Leipzig, the first national champions of Germany...

.

Ireland

  • Bohemian F.C.
    Bohemian F.C.
    Bohemian F.C. , more commonly referred to as Bohemians, is a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history, having won the League of Ireland title 11...

  • Cobh Ramblers
  • Cork City F.C.
    Cork City F.C.
    Cork City Football Club is an Irish football team that plays in the League of Ireland. Founded and elected to the league in 1984 to continue the long tradition of Association Football in Cork, City's traditional colours are green and white with red trim, and the crest is a variant of the Cork...

  • Finn Harps F.C
  • Shamrock Rovers F.C.
    Shamrock Rovers F.C.
    Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...

  • Sligo Rovers F.C.
    Sligo Rovers F.C.
    Sligo Rovers Football Club is a professional Irish football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in the League of Ireland since 1934. The club is a co-operative venture, owned by the people of Sligo. Sligo Rovers have played at...


Northern Ireland

  • Cliftonville F.C.
    Cliftonville F.C.
    Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. Founded on 20 September 1879 by John McCredy McAlery in the suburb of Cliftonville in north Belfast, it is the oldest football club in Ireland and celebrated its 130th...

  • Coleraine FC
  • Crusaders F.C.
    Crusaders F.C.
    Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish association football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005...

  • Derry City F.C.
    Derry City F.C.
    Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...

     (located in the North, but play in the Republic's league system)
  • Linfield F.C.
    Linfield F.C.
    Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....


Scotland

  • Clyde F.C.
    Clyde F.C.
    Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...

  • Clydebank F.C.
    Clydebank F.C.
    Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...

  • Dundee F.C.
    Dundee F.C.
    Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...

  • Gretna F.C. 2008
    Gretna F.C. 2008
    Gretna F.C. 2008 is a football club from the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway. It was founded in 2008 after the bankruptcy and demise of Gretna F.C., which had existed since 1946...

  • Stirling Albion F.C.
    Stirling Albion F.C.
    Stirling Albion F.C. are a Scottish football club currently playing in the Scottish Second Division. The club are nicknamed The Binos . They play at Doubletree Dunblane Stadium in Stirling, on the outskirts of the city near the River Forth...

  • Stranraer F.C.
    Stranraer F.C.
    Stranraer Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football team based in the town of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway. They are members of the Scottish Football League, and currently play in the Third Division.-History:...


Sweden

All Swedish football clubs are entirely fan owned. No other form of club ownership is allowed.

Turkey

All Turkish football clubs are entirely fan owned. No other form of club ownership is allowed.

Canadian Football League

  • Edmonton Eskimos
    Edmonton Eskimos
    The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...

  • Saskatchewan Roughriders
    Saskatchewan Roughriders
    The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...

  • Winnipeg Blue Bombers
    Winnipeg Blue Bombers
    The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...


Ice hockey

  • Kitchener Rangers
    Kitchener Rangers
    The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that have called Kitchener, Ontario, Canada their home since 1963. The Rangers are a publicly owned hockey team, governed by a 40-person Board of Directors made up of season ticket subscribers. The Rangers hosted...

     (Ontario Hockey League)
  • Prince Albert Raiders
    Prince Albert Raiders
    The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the Saskatchewan city of Prince Albert...

     (Western Hockey League)

Soccer

  • Victoria Highlanders F.C.
    Victoria Highlanders
    Victoria Highlanders is a Canadian soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.The team plays its home games in...

     - majority owner Alex Campbell Jr. publicly announced that the purchase of season tickets will give supporters "an ownership share in the club and a voice in its direction".

United States

  • Green Bay Packers
    Green Bay Packers
    The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

     (National Football League) — The only fan-owned team in one of the country's four major leagues.
  • Memphis Redbirds
    Memphis Redbirds
    The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...

     (Pacific Coast League, AAA baseball)
  • Rochester Red Wings
    Rochester Red Wings
    The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...

     (International League, AAA baseball)
  • Toledo Mud Hens
    Toledo Mud Hens
    The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...

     (International League, AAA baseball)
  • Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
    Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
    The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a minor league baseball team of the Midwest League, and the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, and are named for timber rattlesnakes. The team plays its home games at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium...

     (Midwest League, Class A baseball)
  • Burlington Bees
    Burlington Bees
    The Burlington Bees are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Oakland Athletics, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home is in Burlington, Iowa.-History:...

    (Midwest League, Class A baseball)
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK