If there is one truth to the game of football it is that supporters love to play the role of manager. Whether it is playing Football Manager or fantasy soccer for hours, calling up 606 with ideas and instructions on how to put their team over the top, or the steady stream of messages at the bottom of each article supporters have thoughts and ideas on how to better their squad and get them over the top.
While most of these ideas never make it beyond one’s close circle of friends what if supporters did have the chance to make decisions for their club? That is precisely what United London FC is offering. The Essex Premiership side is breaking the mold in professional football by giving supporters the chance to become Assistant Managers. London FC, who tout themselves as being “The World’s First Managerless Football Club” allow supporters to directly manage the club and let them vote on the club’s lineup every week.
Prost Amerika editor Sean Maslin had the chance to speak with United London FC’s chairman Mark North on the club’s model, the challenges in building a club, and their goals ahead of their first season.
Sean Maslin: How did your group decide that you wanted to create a football team?
Mark North, Chairman, United London FC: The idea came from me watching X-Factor and thinking, “Why are there no voting shows for men”? I have a choice of singing or ballroom dancing so thought I would research something that would include our national sport. With over 265m people playing football worldwide I knew the audience was there if I could come up with a simple way of people becoming engaged with a club.
SM: I understand that your group plays in the Essex Premiership. For those outside of the UK what is the level of competition like? Is it your goal to advance through the various levels of English football and eventually play in one of the top leagues in England?
MN: The Essex Alliance Premier sits at Level 12 in the English football pyramid. The Premier League is Level 1. We certainly hope to take the club as far up the levels as we possibly can and onto becoming a real league club in the future.
SM: What are some of your goals in your first season?
MN: From the clubs point of view we must be aiming for the league title, but we are up against some very organised and historical clubs so this will not be easy. From a squad point of view, we hope that some of our players will be scouted by larger clubs who can move them onto the level they want to get to. We are also entering 3 cup competitions so a bit of silverware would be a nice bonus!
SM: In terms of those that vote for the starting eleven every week what are some of the numbers that you are seeing? Are you seeing people vote from different parts of the world?
MN: We’re up to about 1,500 managers at the moment but will see those numbers climb as the season kicks off. This is a new concept and people have to get used to it. Football is a sacred tradition in England and time will tell if people embrace something revolutionary such as this. The very positive thing from our side is that we already have managers signed up from across 5 continents and this just goes to show how universal the language of football is.
SM: What has been the reaction from those inside of the game to your work?
MN: This has probably been the most surprising thing. We envisaged other non-league clubs opposing what we are doing due to breaking with tradition, but we’ve had some great support as they appreciate that United London FC is there to promote grassroots players and teams. The Premier League gets all the coverage so getting people, especially the younger generation, interested in non-league football is a challenge. Hopefully we can put a spotlight on football outside of the leagues.
SM: If there is one thing that you have learned through this process that you could tell yourself when you were starting out what would it be?
MN: Great question. “Expect to multi-task and work harder than you ever thought you could”. As a start up, I am consistently having to juggle 10 different tasks and I’m working 70+ hours a week to make this club a success. On top of trying to manage players (which any non-league club will tell you is like herding cats), I’m dealing with marketing, sponsorship, IT, web copy, photography, filming, interviews, being part of a weekly TV show (Fan TV) and more, all whilst looking after two young children as my wife works. Is my head spinning? Yes. Would I have it any other way? No. I love being busy and I really believe in the players and the club.
SM: How important has Leon Constantine been in helping get this team off of the ground?
MN: Leon has been great. To get a professional of 16 years is obviously a massive bonus, but Josh, Neil, Kelly and James have all played a part in getting us to where we are today and beyond. We have built a partnership with organisations such as UCFB at Wembley Stadium which will really help push the club to the next level and we are always open to hearing from enthusiastic volunteers who feel they could add something to the club.
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United London FC will take on Old Esthameians FC on Saturday. You can vote on their roster on the team’s website.
