Henry FlynnreportsThe lush mountains of Austria would
normally seem an unlikely destination
for a growing hive of supporter activity.
But thanks to an inspired approach,
it is now. Third division amateur club
FC Pinzgau Saalfelden – an hour’s
drive from Austrian juggernauts Red
Bull Salzburg – have come up with
an original idea to spark excitement.
The club was12 years old when,
inJuly 2019, American Mark Ciociola
stepped in to become their CEO.
Formed in 2007 by struggling
rivals Saalfelden SK and ESV Saalfelden,
who settled their differences to create a
name worthy of attracting the best local
talent, Pinzgau have yo-yoed between
the third and fourth tier, but finally have
something considerable to shout about.
Disillusioned with the fan experience
at MLS side Real Salt Lake City – the
team Ciociola supported in the United
States – he proposed a revolutionary
idea. By investing $500 (approximately
£380), fans from around the world
could not only own part of the club,
but also impact matters on the pitch.
“In the US, I saw these full stadiums
and thought these people were investing
a lot of time, money and energy into
their club,” says Ciociola, who harbours
hopes of reaching the first division.
“It’s usually a millionaire or billionaire
who owns the team. So, there’s always
this disconnect between what goes on
in the front office and what fans actually
get to know, see and do.
“I wanted to come up with a better
way to own a football club and involve
the fans. What better way to do that
than actually let them be the owners.”
Coaching the team is ex-Germany left
wing-back Christian Ziege, whose status
has helped draw extra interest in the side.
Pinzgau’s league season began as
early as August, and there has already
been evidence of supporters having
their say in what Ciociola insists is
not just a membership model.
So far, fan owners have been able to
discuss the club’s strategy with officials,AUSTRIATrailblazing in
the mountains
Fan-owned club FC Pinzgau Saalfelden are
finding novel ways to include their supporterseyewitness
including Ciociola and Ziege. They have
even explored topics such as player
transfers, allowing for a much greater
transparency between both parties.
There will be more to come too, with
initiatives such as designing the team kit
already underway. The club is also keen
to involve the skillsets of its owners,
whether it be regarding the players,
bookkeeping or legal aspects.
Of course, fan-ownership is not
an unknown concept, but Pinzgau’smethods are unique and push the
boundaries on access and interaction.
In neighbouring Germany, the Bundesliga
enforces a 50+1 rule to give supporters
majority ownership of their club (despite
RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim finding some
loopholes in the system). While the same
regulation exists in Austria, the lion’s
share of control belongs to non-profit
organisations instead of supporters.
Indeed, the power granted to fans to
make key decisions is not commonplace
in European football, although there are
some examples to consider.
In Germany, Union Berlin have a
particularly intimate relationship withtheir fans, who even gathered funds
from blood donations to once keep the
club afloat, while in Spain, fan-owned
Osasuna allowed followers to have the
final say on new stadium renovations.
At bigger clubs, the dependency
is less. For instance, Barcelona’s
membership, or socio, system does little
to influence the club’s decision-making.
Prompted as to whether Pinzgau’s
ambitions are in any way motivated
by countering clubs with different
philosophies, such as Red Bull Salzburg,
Ciociola maintains that the attention is
on themselves.
“We’re focused on us. The first step
is the second league and once we get
there, then we can look at the process
in front of us and what’s needed to get
to the top league,” Ciociola adds.
“We actually have the second largest
youth programme in the state behind
Red Bull Salzburg. So, they do a lot of
things really well there, but the budget
is of course night and day.
“We’re something completely unique
to Austria and to European football.”Celebrating...Pinzgau
finished second in
the Salzburg section
of Austria’s regional
thirdtierin2019-20“I wanted to come up with a better way
to own a football club and involve the fans.
What better way to do that than actually
let them be the owners”
Mark Ciociola, Pinzgau Saalfelden CEO