Major English club become first to allow fans to buy shares to fund transfers

A major English club looks set to allow its fans to buy shares as a means of funding transfers.

Watford are looking to raise £17.5million by selling 10 per cent of the club to supporters and investors.

Fans will be able to buy a minimum of four shares at £12.44 each or an even larger stake, which the Hornets claim will make them among the "first major English clubs to offer true ownership to fans and investors alike".

"Part of the funding will be channelled into recruitment to strengthen Tom Cleverley’s playing squad as we seek a return to the Premier League," the statement said.

Gino Pozzo has owned Watford since 2014 and in that time, twice led the club to the Premier League as well as reaching the FA Cup final in 2019.

However, the club were relegated from the top flight in 2022, and last year finished 15th, some 17 points adrift of the play-off places.

Watford have had nine different managers since the summer of 2020, with Cleverley having been appointed in April following a spell as interim boss.

Watford are looking to raise £17.5million by selling 10 per cent of the club to supporters and investors (Getty)

"In common with many other clubs, we have been exploring opportunities to bring investment into the club as we look to grow the club further and bolster revenue streams which, in turn, allow us to strengthen the playing squads," the statement added.

"Put simply, we are aiming to offer approximately 10% of the club at a value of £17.5million, on the basis of a valuation of £175 million.

"Having posted a pre-tax profit of £24.1 million for the last financial year, reported to be the highest in the EFL, we believe this is a fair valuation.

"We believe this project can form a key strand of football’s future finance, where investors and supporters alike can enjoy the fruits of the club’s future success."