Mousehole AFC is beginning an early-stage exploration into whether the club could become a 100% fan-owned football club.
Following recent discussions among the board, initial conversations have taken place with both the Exeter City Supporters’ Trust and the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) to better understand what a supporter-owned model could look like for a club of our size, history and community roots.
It is important to stress that no decision has been made. This is the start of a listening process – one that puts our supporters at the centre of the conversation about the club’s long-term future.
Why consider fan ownership?
Club Secretary Daniel Tasker explains the thinking behind the discussions:
“In Germany all clubs must be at least 51% fan-owned; there are more and more clubs over here who are moving in that direction and we want to be part of that. With fans across Cornwall and all over the country – if not the world – we feel this is a really exciting opportunity for the club and our supporters.”
At its heart, fan ownership is about long-term sustainability, transparency and community control. Rather than being dependent on a small number of individuals, the club would be collectively owned by its supporters, helping to protect Mousehole AFC for future generations.
Why now?
Like many non-league clubs, Mousehole AFC faces increasing financial pressures. Rising operating costs, infrastructure investment, and the ambition to continue growing on and off the pitch mean we must look carefully at how the club is structured and funded.
Exploring fan ownership is part of a wider conversation about how we ensure the club remains:
- Financially stable
- Community-focused
- Ambitious but responsible
- Protected for the long term
Your voice matters
This process will only move forward with the support and involvement of our fans.
Alongside this article, we are launching a poll to gauge interest from our fans. If you can, please click below or follow this link below to take part in the poll.
We want to understand:
- How you feel about fan ownership in principle
- What excites you about the idea
- What worries you
- What you would want from a supporter-owned Mousehole AFC
This is about shaping the future of your club – together.
What happens next?
At this stage, we are:
- Learning from clubs who have already taken this route
- Seeking guidance from supporter organisations
- Listening to our community
Any future steps would only be taken after full consultation with supporters and a clear understanding of what is best for Mousehole AFC.
You can keep up to date with progress by subscribing to our fans ownership email by clicking here
As an ex-devotee and officer of MAFC, my comments are:
(1) You are in good hands with Darren Bernstein of FSA
(2) Bear in mind that FSA’s overall aim is for fans-owned clubs, not just more formal means of increasing fans involvement
(3) The FA’s Guide to Club Structures includes nine feasible ‘legal entities’ each with their own ‘governance models’. The two structures that best fit the fans-owned principle are a Community Interest Company and a Community Benefit Society, each with their own pros and cons, some practical, some hypothetical.
(4) FSA will advise which other clubs have adopted these structures
(5) You would do well to investigate how things have turned out in practice for these clubs!
(6) The Exeter City model is on a different scale, and at present they are trying to resolve a ‘constitutional crossroads’ amid significant financial difficulties related to insufficient investment in the club
(7) Beware deceptively simple solutions and white-knight panaceas! As in most cases, the best way forward might be to consider a ‘best of all possible worlds’ hybrid-type set of changes.
(8) You need to have a dispassionate assessment of where you are now, what your starting point is, and a realistic feet-on-the-ground view of potential
(9) Logically, if the club moves towards fans-owned status (and maybe sets up something like a Fans Trust) the key positions need to be held by people with the appropriate skill set – individually and collectively business-like, evidence-based, financially astute, as well as ‘sustainably ambitious’, but not just ‘passionate’!
(10) I have researched this area over the last six months at my present club, discovering in the process that changing its legal status can be complex, lengthy and expensive (if engaging legal experts). The League and the FA can provide free legal advice up to a point
With best wishes
Andrew Large
13.01.2026
As an AFC Wimbledon supporter I fully engaged with fan ownership.
But as we rise through the ranks, fans have seriously cut back on what they are able to chip in with.
If you can make the 51% fan owned work then that’s brilliant, its something AFC need to look at.