Next season, Seattle Sounders FC will join the MLS. I previously wrote that their ownership has a refreshing approach to building the loyalty of their supporters.
Earlier this week, Seattle Sounders FC took it to a new level when they announced that every 4 years, their fans will vote on the retention of the general manager.
Talk about pressure.
General Managers in North American sports are largely immune to public criticism. Typically the coach will take the bullet for poor performance but usually the general manager has more authority than the coach to select players. So, it makes sense that the performance of the Sounders FC general manager would be up for referendum.
They followed it up with an additional announcement of their membership association
In our ongoing commitment to our fans the Seattle Sounders FC Members Association is the only members association in professional sports in the United States to offer its members a voice in club matters. Every member has a vote in determining the direction of the club. By purchasing season tickets you are automatically a member of the association and able to receive all benefits. In addition, non-season ticket members are eligible for a fee of $125.
It sounds a lot better than my grocery discount card. I would love to vote on the direction of the Rudderless Rapids. I am definitely going to buy a ticket less membership just to observe the experiment.
To form a membership association is a very non-North American thing to do. Other fútbol teams throughout the world have membership associations. Some even sell shares into the ownership of the team.
None of the ‘major’ North American leagues - baseball, basketball, ice hockey or American football would dare let their fans have a say in any club matters. These leagues claim that fans of a professional sports team ‘vote’ with their money. They can ‘choose’ not to purchase season tickets or merchandise and this ’sends a message’ to the team that the fans are unhappy. It is a far cry from actually voting.
Granted, Sounders FC membership association has limited power - other than the general manager. For example, player acquisitions and team tactics are up for a vote. That would be folly. Minority owner and Chairman Drew Carey had this to say,
I was mostly interested in spreading the gospel of fan control over the team’s management, like they have at Real Madrid and Barcelona. It had nothing, really, to do with wanting to own a business. We’re all excited about bringing democracy to sports in America.
Their membership association is going to rock the MLS and I think they will rival expansion Toronto FC and venerable powerhouse DC United for fan support.
Three cheers to Sounders FC! Well done, once again.
