Fans can buy a square metre of turf
Pompey fans are being urged to sow the virtual seeds for the future of the club.
Supporters can buy their square metre of two additional pitches at the club’s new training ground for use by the Blues’ academy sides.
The idea is the core element of the club’s recently launched fanfunding scheme, conceived in partnership with London-based start-up company Tifosy.com.
Fanfunding is a football-specific version of the crowdfunding concept, where a lot of people are asked to contribute a relatively small amount in order to raise a substantial amount of money.
The club’s project manager for the campaign, Colin Farmery, explained how it would work.
He said: “Fanfunding is all about the power of numbers. For instance there were 250,000 on Southsea Common the day after we won the FA Cup in 2008 – if all those people gave the club just £1 we would achieve our goal.
“More practically, there are around 25,000 people who tune in on a Saturday to listen to Pompey commentaries on the radio. If all of those people gave us just £10, again we would achieve our goal.
“This is an affordable reward scheme which allows every Pompey fan to play their part in making sure Andy achieves his goal of getting the funding for the new academy pitches in place by the start of the season.”
The core reward, priced at just £25, allows fans to buy a virtual square metre of the two pitches which are planned.
“Each pitch is 6,600 square metres,” said Farmery. “That’s 13,200 in total. We want as many fans as possible to buy their virtual plot and if every one is taken, which we hope they will be, we will smash our target.”
And Farmery assured fans the money was ring-fenced for the academy.
He said: “Whether we raise £50 or £500,000, this money will be going to support the development of our young players.
“The more we raise the more attractive Pompey will be as a club for young talent, which is what every Pompey fans wants to see I’m sure.”
Fans can contribute to the academy fanfunding campaign by clicking here.
Click here to see how former Chelsea legend Gianluca Vialli is backing the campaign.
The fanfunding campaign has been designed to complement a number of ways fan can contribute, including PST community shares and the club’s lottery.