Finn Harps FC has launched its new ownership model with a target of 3,000 members outlined as a need as much of a want.
The new ownership model, which will go live on Finn Harps’ website from 3pm on Tuesday will see members now pay an annual fee of €25 to have ownership rights in the club.
Shareholders of the Finn Harps Co-Operative Society Ltd recently gave a unanimous green light to the new model.
David Courell, the CEO of the Football Association of Ireland, and League of Ireland Director Mark Scanlon were in Ballybofey to mark the official launch at a press conference in Jackson’s Hotel.
“We want to show solidarity and support,” Courell said. “Finn Harps has a history and has the depth of connection with the community, which is exactly what we want to promote.
“There is a rich history here – and a very clear vision. Innovative models and funding structures are exactly what we need and we are here in absolute support of Ian and the Board and I implore all locals to get behind this scheme.”
The club’s immediate and long-term future remains dependent on the renaissance of its plans to relocate across the River Finn to Stranorlar. The Donegal Community Stadium – which is approaching the 20th anniversary of when it was first mooted at an AGM following Harps’ winning of the First Division – has hit bumps and roadblocks aplenty and has been stuck in limbo for years.
Walter Holleran, the Head of Grant Funding & Infrastructure Development at the FAI, was also in Ballybofey on Monday and met with club officials to discuss renewed plans for a fresh application for planning permission to be submitted later this month to Donegal County Council.
“We will break it into different phases and we need to agree that with the FAI,” Finn Harps Chairman Harkin said. “Once we have it submitted, we will break that down and get it costed and see how far our money goes.”
The FAI delegation visited Finn Park, which had its own share of difficulties in 2024, and also the site of the new stadium
“We encourage as many people to get behind this to make sure that the stadium becomes a reality,” Scanlon said, “It is very important that people get behind Finn Harps. There are so many possibilities here and there is fantastic work in the academy; players see a pathway now and they aspire to play football in their own region.”
The previous share price of €317 was seen as a “barrier” to attracting people, the chairman said, and Harps are aiming to hit the ground running with their new scheme, which proved a success in England at Exeter City.
While Harps are targeting 3,000 members at the outset of their new membership scheme – a figure that would see them as the largest fan-owned membership model in Ireland – Harkin outlined that they will need to double that and more, going to between 6-8,000 before they can “confidently turn out back on private ownership”.
While Harps have had tentative approaches regarding a private purchase of the shareholding, they have yet to receive communication that would be deemed “credible”.
“A number of people have come forward looking about investment, but there has been no-one worthy of presentation to the shareholders,” Harkin said.
Existing shareholders will still remain, but cannot participate in meetings or vote without becoming members of the new scheme. The annual fee, the club says, has been set to make ownership “ultra accessible” and the target membership number is attainable.
“We have to be confident,” Harkin said. “We have significant ambitions with our stadium and our academy, but we have to do this in a sustainable way.
“This is a very precarious industry and we hope that this is a sustainable way of doing business. We feel that this will appeal to a wide Donegal audience.
“This model is all about being sustainable as a club. This either works or we will have to go back out and look for investment.”
Finn Harps board member Aidan McNelis said the launch of the new model would offer a “unique opportunity to commit to supporting and owning this great club”.
Senior football, he said, is a challenging landscape and particularly so for clubs “without wealthy owners”.
“The €25 charge ensures that this is as accessible to as many people as possible,” he said. “We cannot keep relying on the same core of people. You can only feel humbled when you see what some people do for this club.
“We need to improve our volunteer base and we need to grow in every aspect. We are ready to face the challenges head on.
The Finn Harps Co-Operative Society Ltd, which currently has around 650 shareholders – a large number of whom are lapsed – was formed in 1996 following a failed takeover of the club in the aftermath of the club winning promotion to the Premier Division.
“When the existing share model launched in 1996, over 500 shares were sold, but there were only another 150 sold in the 28 years since,” the Harps Chairman said. “That is not enough to get people to participate and we have to look at widening the base. The €25 fee allows us to go and sell but it will also allow fans to go out and sell to extended members.”
Last month, Harps marked its 70th anniversary and McNelis told the gathering that their story is “one of the greatest, if not the greatest”.
“They said we had no chance at all,” he said. “We won the Cup. We competed for the League. We fielded the most phenomenal goalscorer (Brendan Bradley) this League has ever seen. So many clubs have fallen by the wayside so credit to everyone across the region and across the world who makes it happen. The club defies the odds time and time again.”
