an entrepreneur needs to be flexible

So i met with my buddy Ben the lawyer and his colleauge and we thrashed out wether a central cooperative was the best model for the fans coop. It turns out it isnt. All sorts of issues related to shares etc and it would cost about R1 million to set up. So i am back at square one and probably copy "Supporters Direct" a non-profit from the UK where i got the idea in the first place. Basically it would be better to set up a fan's coop with each and every team we decide to do a deal with. The non-profit entity would be funded to help fans to set up these coops and the coops can buy into the clubs and keep them honest. By chance i will be travelling to the UK in April and i will go and see them, chat with them and learn as much of possible so i can implement this concept properly. In the meantime i will try and get 1 soccer club ( Martizburg united), 1 cricket team ?? and one rugby fan base ( the bulls would be best) and see if we can test case the concept.

an entrepreneur needs to be patient

I havent written for a while but things have been happening on all fronts, maybe thats why. The stick fighting company is trying for an ETV sponsorship for a documentary as well as great articles in Mail and Guardian. Other foreign media want to showcase this product but are unwilling to pay. They are OK paying celebs but not us...so I have said no to a number of foreigners. After all it is Vuyisile and my time and we are not short of publicity and i dont think we ever will be. the next tournament is on the 20th feb in Stellenbosch where we hope to get sponsors there to see the spectacle. I also want to transmit the feed live of the fighting as I think this will take it to another level.
On the tripe business we are busy organsing the first world tripe festival on the 26th in a small park. Exciting.
The sports/fan coop should be formalised this week when i meet wih the lawyers. Everyone says it is a great idea and would buy shares in the coop. It is important for me to pick up some good media partners as well as the publicity has to be very broad and across sports codes. I suppose as an entrepreneur having patience is as important as the the dynamic wam bam thank you mam moments. Lets see what happens after Friday and the lawyers. Breath...be patient...relax

Fans are generally treated like shit

while i continue working on the stick fighting Company and the Tripe Franchise and they are all moving nicely, the 1st always means a new venture.
I am a major sports fan, but fans are treated like shit. The clubs need fans, so do countries, players, sponsors and owners. Without fans there is no sport. So what is it about fans that make them so fanatical and loyal about their teams and players and yet receive so little in return. Passion maybe? Lets look at local teams. The 3 biggest sports codes rugby, cricket and soccer all need fans. when stadiums are empty the game is dead! for all these 3 sports and millions of fans, how many can actually own a share in a club? The answre is a simple none! None! Why is is that fans cant own shares. The answer is because sports are controlled by a few powerfull individuals either as owners or as committees. Now as a fan this really pisses me off. I want to own shares in Chiefs, Pirates, Stormers and ( well I dont really follow local cricket but i know a few people who do....right!). while riding the train one day i read an article about a UK Non profit that mobilised fans to set up a cooperative ( which means you can own as many shares as youn like but you only get one vote). This Cooperative then purchased shares in local clubs and there are now over 300, sit on their boards, add revenue to the club when needed, help make decisions, and so on. So I started to calculate how much the soccer clubs in South Africa are worth? My gues is no more than R60 million-R100 million. So if i sold shares in a cooperative of which i have no name yet for R100 i would need 1 million fans to purchase shares so the fans could own all the PSL clubs in the country...yup this is the next idea. Fans will invest in the coop, the coop will offer to purchase shares in clubs, the fan will become a part of the game ( rather than some fat dickheads who only care about their own pockets not the game or the fan), fans will fill stadiums, fans will make money and buy more merchandising goods.
The next steps are to meet with my lawyer buddies to make sure its legal and the cash is safe, to meet with my other buddy for the branding, and then we can launch to the public. The ultimate goal is to purchase shares in all 3 codes and let the fans rule again that belongs to them...viva