FAQs

Fanshare Frequently Asked Questions

  • July 15 2011 Update: What is happening to Arsenal Fanshare following the takeover offer by Stan Kroenke for Arsenal?

    The Board of Arsenal Fanshare are writing to provide you with an update on the scheme following the recent takeover offer for the club by Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) and then a subsequent offer, at £14,000 per share made by Red and White Holdings (R&W). KSE currently owns 66.7% of Arsenal Holdings PLC and R&W 29.2%.

    All holders of Fanshares were given an opportunity to vote on the proposition of accepting the KSE offer. The recommendation from the Board of Arsenal Fanshare was to reject this offer. The Arsenal directors unanimously recommended the KSE offer and indeed each director sold their entire shareholding to KSE. The result of this ballot was that 95% of Arsenal Fanshare holders voted against and the Arsenal Fanshare Board rejected the offer and continue to operate the scheme.

    Alongside this, in recent weeks the Arsenal Fanshare Board have been unable to carry out the normal monthly purchase of shares for the scheme. This is largely because we could not guarantee a supply of shares from the market. After due consideration of the current highly unusual market conditions the Board of Fanshare concluded that it was in the long term interests of Fanshare to pause our activity in the market until the artificial conditions set first by KSE’s takeover offer and subsequently the offer made by R&W ended.

    During this period, all monies invested into the scheme not already converted into Fanshares continues to be held in individual Fanshare members’ accounts as cash balances. We are pleased to be able to inform you that we expect normal business to resume shortly as we have now had indications from several shareholders that they would like to sell into the scheme.

    The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust and Arsenal Fanshare Board will also shortly be entering into talks with Ivan Gazidis, Arsenal's Chief Executive to discuss the long term development of the scheme. It was very encouraging to hear Ivan Gazidis speak of both his and Stan Kroenke’s commitment to the Arsenal Fanshare scheme in the recent AST Q&A held on 13th June. The whole of this Q&A can be viewed on arsenal.com

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  • Is Arsenal Fanshare the "sharesave scheme" that the Arsenal Supporters' Trust has been talking about for ages?

    Yes. The Arsenal Fanshare Society has been established by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST) as part of its objective to widen supporter ownership, representation and influence at Arsenal.

    The AST received legal advice that under current financial legislation it needed to establish a separate not-for-profit organisation to run a sharesave scheme. Arsenal Fanshare Board members are all members of the AST.

    For more information see http://www.arsenalfanshare.com/about-us/who-runs-arsenal-fanshare

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  • Is Arsenal Fanshare run by Arsenal Football Club?

    No. Arsenal Fanshare is run independently of Arsenal Football Club. However, Arsenal have given their support to the scheme and back its objective to promote custodianship and increase supporter involvement in the club's ownership structure.

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  • Why can I only join using Direct Debit?

    Direct Debit is the most efficient system for keeping costs down and giving flexibility to members, so at present Arsenal Fanshare only accepts payment by this method. The Direct Debit system involves the Arsenal Fanshare member authorising their bank to make payments to the scheme. These payments can include regular monthly contributions and/or one-off contributions. Later in the year Arsenal Fanshare intends to add the option of debit card payments.

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  • Can I join if I am an overseas resident?

    We would very much like to accept overseas persons into the Arsenal Fanshare Scheme but we are advised there are legal restrictions preventing us from doing this. Unfortunately this Scheme is therefore presently only available to people who have a British address and a UK bank account. This is because there are complex legal restrictions for products like Arsenal Fanshare that are based on making a financial investment into shares. These include rules that many overseas countries place upon their citizens investing in other countries financial services and money laundering arrangements. We are working with our lawyers to see if we may be able to open up this Scheme to residents in other countries but it is an area of complex regulation and may prove to be an issue that cannot be overcome. So if you are an overseas resident please check back from time to time to see if we have any update to this position.

    You might wish to consider joining the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (www.arsenaltrust.org). The AST itself holds some shares in Arsenal and all members have a collective say over those shares and can also contribute to the campaigning work the Trust does.

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  • Why can't I join if I am under 16 years old?

    When you join Arsenal Fanshare you become a member of the Arsenal Fanshare Society, an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS) registered with the Financial Services Authority. IPS rules do not allow those under 16 to be members.

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  • I have forgotten my Arsenal Fanshare Members' login information, what do I do?

    Your Arsenal Fanshare username will be the email address you used to register for membership. There is a prompt on the website in the Login section that will send your password to this address if you have forgotten it.

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  • How do I make sure that I receive emails from Arsenal Fanshare?

    Arsenal Fanshare would like to contact members from time to time with important information or updates using email newsletters. This system allows us to send information and links to members quickly and without cost, ensuring that everyone remains up to date at all times and membership fees are as low as they can be.

    Unfortunately, some email providers mark our newsletters as spam or junk and divert them to an appropriate folder accordingly.

    As a Fanshare member, it is important that you are able to receive these email newsletters and we therefore suggest that you monitor your spam/junk folders in your email client periodically, and if you find a Fanshare newsletter, mark the sending address as safe or add it to your safe sender’s list.

    Special Instructions for Hotmail users

    Our experience so far suggests that Hotmail is particularly aggressive in its mail filtering and routinely moves Fanshare newsletters to the junk folder.

    To enable receipt of our communications while logged into Hotmail, click the "Folders" option on the left navigation bar, opening a list of folders, and click on the folder called "Junk".

    If you see one of our newsletters you can click on the subject line to view the contents and you will see a yellow bar with an exclamation mark just above the contents of the email stating: "Microsoft SmartScreen marked this message as junk and we'll delete it after ten days."

    On the following line there is a blue link titled "Wait, it's safe!" – clicking on this link will let Hotmail know that this message is not spam and the message will be moved to your inbox, any subsequent newsletters should now land in your inbox as opposed to your junk folder.

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  • How do I register for Arsenal Fanshare on Equiniti Shareview?

    You can view the status of your Fanshare account on the Equiniti shareview service. This account will show the amount of cash you have deposited into Arsenal Fanshare and your Fanshare units.

    You can download a detailed guide on how to do this here.

    To log-in to this service go to http://www.shareview.co.uk/clients/myportfolio/

    You will then need to register for a new account by clicking on the 'Open a FREE portfolio' button (represented by a finger image).

    You will then be presented with the Equiniti Shareview registration screen

    Select 'Arsenal' as your company from the from the drop-down list and enter the following details that you gave in your application to Arsenal Fanshare:

    • Your Surname
    • Unique Reference Number/Shareholder Account Number (this is Arsenal Fanshare account number given in the top right hand corner of your welcome letter)
    • Post Code
    • E-mail Address
    • Mailing Preference

    You will then be asked to choose a Password (or PIN) and agree to the terms and conditions.

    A letter will be then be sent to your Registered Address containing your Access Number (or User ID). You need to use this number together with your Password each time you wish to access your Arsenal Fanshare Shareview portfolio.

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  • Can a supporters' club or a syndicate join the scheme?

    No - Arsenal Fanshare Society is an Industrial and Provident Society and the rules stipulate that only individuals can join. It is therefore not possible for a supporters' club or syndicate to join the scheme. As Arsenal Fanshare has been designed to make owning a part of an Arsenal share affordable we would encourage supporters' clubs to promote the benefits of Arsenal Fanshare to their membership.

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  • What if I need to leave Arsenal Fanshare?

    You can pause your contributions or leave the scheme at any time. You can remain a member as long as you have at least one Fanshare, or you can sell all of your Fanshares and receive the market value at the time, less the £50 exit charge. For more details of your options please go to the Members' area of the AFS website.

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  • Can I sell some of my Arsenal Fanshares?

    No, it is not possible to sell some of your Fanshares. If you choose to leave the scheme you must sell all of your Fanshares and close the account. When leaving the scheme you will receive the current market value of the Fanshares less the £50 administrative exit charge.

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  • Can I leave my Fanshares in my will?

    Yes you can subject to the transfer of your Fanshares being approved by the Arsenal Fanshare Board. This is a standard requirement to confirm that the recipients of your Fanshares complies with the Arsenal Fanshare rules, for example a member has to be over 16.

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  • How can I check how many Fanshares I have at any time?

    Once you have joined Arsenal Fanshare you will be sent a welcome letter explaining how you can register with the Equiniti Shareview system which will enable you to check your Arsenal Fanshare account at any time on-line. There are two ways to access Shareview:

    1. Go direct to www.shareview.co.uk/myportfolio, or
    2. Click through to Shareview from the AFS website www.arsenalfanshare.com

    Once you are in Shareview, register for Your Portfolio, and you can then check your account. This will show you if you have accumulated Arsenal Fanshares and, if so, how many you own. It will also show you your cash balance. Your Fanshare account will be updated once a share purchase has been completed. Any cash balance you have will go towards the following month's share purchase. Please note that as the price of an Arsenal Fanshare is likely to be in the region of £85 to £105 you should not expect to see an Arsenal Fanshare in your account until you have contributed at least this amount to the scheme.

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  • What happens when I reach 100 Arsenal Fanshare units?

    The long-term aim for members may be to save towards 100 Fanshares, the equivalent to a full share in Arsenal. When you reach this milestone you will receive enhanced AFS membership status, with a guaranteed place at the AGM and the full voting rights for one share, equivalent to any other shareholder.

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  • What are the charges associated with the scheme and where does this money go?

    Arsenal Fanshare is a not-for profit organisation. The charges applied by the scheme cover only the administrative costs of running the scheme. The Arsenal Fanshare charges are:

    • One-off £20 membership joining fee
    • 2% charge against contributions to the scheme
    • £50 exit fee when scheme membership is closed

    Please note that whilst every effort will be made to keep all of these costs at current levels, the AFS Board reserve the right to amend the charges in the future if necessary.

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  • Who is Arsenal Fanshare buying shares from?

    When Arsenal Fanshare needs to purchase a share its nominated broker will do this on the scheme's behalf on the open market, and the seller of that share will receive the monies paid. The nominated broker is instructed to buy at a competitive price. Each share the Arsenal Fanshare buys meets the objective of getting more shares owned by supporters.

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  • Are there enough shares available in the market place for Arsenal Fanshare to buy?

    Our market research suggests that there will be enough shares, and we are often contacted by people who wish to sell their shares only to other supporters. As the scheme grows and has a greater demand for shares, we aim to enter into discussions with the club and the major shareholders to seek a greater supply.

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  • What happens to the value of my Fanshare if the value of the Arsenal share price goes up or down?

    The share price of Arsenal Holdings PLC will fluctuate and therefore so will the value of an Arsenal Fanshare, which will always be worth one hundredth of the full share price. This means the value of your Arsenal Fanshare account will also go up and down. Arsenal Fanshare stress that this scheme is not designed primarily as a financially motivated investment. The goal is to increase fan ownership of Arsenal. We hope that Arsenal Fanshare members will view their investment as one based on custodianship and will want to keep their Fanshares despite any fluctuation in value.

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  • When will I receive my membership certificate?

    Your certificate will be included with your welcome letter. You will also receive a statement every six months showing you the status of your account.

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  • How do I go into the ballot to attend the Arsenal AGM?

    Once you own at least one Fanshare you will be entitled to enter the ballot for places at the Arsenal Holdings PLC AGM. Members will receive a form of notification from Equiniti. This will include arrangements for you to cast your vote on the key resolutions at the AGM and the opportunity for you to enter the ballot to attend the AGM.

    Please note that due to the scheme being launched in mid-August 2010, with the first Direct Debit payments not taken until September, it is unlikely that most members will have accrued a full Arsenal Fanshare in time for the 2010 AGM in October. However, Arsenal Fanshare is hoping to extend an invitation to as many early joiners as we can to attend the 2010 AGM. More details will be available shortly.

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  • What voting rights do I have and how will AFS organise the voting arrangements?

    Voting arrangements will be introduced for the 2011 Arsenal Holdings PLC AGM. Once you own at least one Fanshare you will receive a notification form from Equiniti which sets out the key resolutions at the Arsenal Holdings PLC AGM - similar to a proxy form. You will return this to Equiniti who will pool together the votes from all Arsenal Fanshare members. The Arsenal Fanshare Society will then vote at the AGM in accordance with the wishes of its membership.

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  • What is the difference between the Arsenal Fanshare Society and the Arsenal Supporters' Trust?

    The Arsenal Fanshare Society will oversee the operation and management of Arsenal Fanshare. It is not a campaigning body and will not have members' meetings and/or events in the same way that the Arsenal Supporters' Trust does although it will hold an AGM each year.

    The Arsenal Supporters' Trust will continue to play an important role in representing the views of Arsenal shareholders and supporters to the club and championing more involvement for supporters in the ownership structure of Arsenal, including the success of the Fanshare scheme. The Arsenal Fanshare Society encourages all of its members and Arsenal supporters to join the AST as well the AFS. Please visit www.arsenaltrust.org and email info@arsenaltrust.org if you would like more information.

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  • Is the AFS designed as a financial investment to make money for Arsenal supporters?

    The simple answer is 'No'. The principal reason for creating Arsenal Fanshare is to enable supporters of Arsenal to have the chance to share in the custodianship of the club and help ensure a plural ownership structure that includes Arsenal supporters. We advise against looking at Arsenal Fanshare as an investment to make money. By joining together with your fellow Arsenal supporters, the shares bought will gradually increase supporter ownership in our club.

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  • What happens if there is a takeover of the club?

    If a takeover attempt is made for Arsenal then a formal offer and proposal has to be made to all shareholders. In this scenario all members of the Arsenal Fanshare society will receive a crucial vote on the future of the club. If the takeover offer is accepted and the club is taken into private ownership then the purchaser will need to buy all the shares including those in the Fanshare scheme. This means that you will receive the offer value made by the person or institution making the takeover bid and you will have the value of your Fanshares at the time returned to you.

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  • Will this scheme make any difference when so many of Arsenal's shares are held by four individuals?

    The answer is yes, it does make a difference. Every share the Arsenal Fanshare Society holds reinforces the importance of supporter ownership at Arsenal and amplifies the message that Arsenal supporters should be involved in the club's ownership. Of course, the more people that join the bigger the scheme becomes and the more influence it exerts, not just in its share holdings but as a representation of the views of supporters. Arsenal is the last big English club to have supporters involved in the ownership structure and Arsenal Fanshare urges every supporter to take advantage of the opportunity that Fanshare creates.

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