Club 1872 director Laura Fawkes has made an appeal to Rangers fans to become legacy members as funds are raised to buy Dave King’s shareholding in the club [Four Lads Had a Dream Podcast].
Former Chairman, King, confirmed last week that he had agreed a landmark deal to sell to the supporter’s organisation, which is set to become the club’s largest single shareholder.
It’s a move that Ally McCoist has expressed concerns about [Scottish Sun], but King has billed it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to act to safeguard the future of Rangers [Glasgow Times].
1000 supporters signed up to become legacy members within 24 hours, but over 20,000 are needed.
It’s a massive ask but Fawkes is convinced it’s possible.
“When I’m talking about Club 1872 and how it works, I always say to them (supporters) ‘do you have £13million to buy out Dave King’s shareholding?’ And the answer with everyone that I know would be ‘no, of course I don’t”, she said [Four Lads Had a Dream Podcast].
“But if you ask them ‘do you have £10 a month that you could spare to put towards this over a period of three years?’ then the answer, for most, is yes. We are understanding of the situation that people find themselves in. We are in the middle of a pandemic and people’s jobs have been affected. We know that they give so much already to the club.
“But what we are asking is if they can afford a little bit more and if they can afford that £10 a month, and tens of thousands of other Rangers supporters say yes, then collectively it is absolutely doable to raise the funds required to raise Dave’s shareholding. We are confident about this.”
Time is also of the essence for Club 1872.
They have three years to come up with the funds, but if enough legacy members sign up before December 2021, they will be able to buy the shares at a cheaper price.
Plenty of supporters have already acted, perhaps partially prompted by the feelgood factor around the club right now.
Yet, it’s clear that there’s a long way to go if the target is to be reached.
Dave King has defended his decision to sell his shares rather than gifting them to the fanbase, with the former Chairman estimating that he’s already made a seven-figure loss across his investments at Ibrox.
