"There seems to be a not-for-profit association for everything in France, from amateur mycology to choral music and international disaster relief. There were one and a half million Associations Loi 1901 at the last count, which equates to one for every 48 inhabitants, with 60,000 to 70,000 new groups created each year. They constitute an essential part of the fabric of French society, a natural response to every kind of need felt by local communities except when it comes to organised football."
"This is odd, considering professionalism was introduced by the French FA as late as 1932 after a decade of hand-wringing and it would have been natural for practitioners of the game to take the matter in their own hands. Yet in France, club ownership at all but the lowest level has always been the preserve of private individuals, local authorities and, a very French trait, businesses that have set up teams for their employees, the football corporatif or football entreprise,"
"What is missing from the picture is clubs run and owned by their members, similar to those in Spain, Sweden or Germany; or, more accurately, what was missing until recently when fan groups started to organise themselves in groups of socios (the abbreviation of societaires) in order to purchase shares of their clubs. It is too early to speak of a phenomenon sweeping through"
France hosts about 1.5 million Associations Loi 1901, roughly one for every 48 inhabitants, with 60,000–70,000 new groups formed annually. Associations form an essential part of social life and meet diverse local needs, yet organised football remained an exception. Professional football was only introduced in 1932, and club ownership has long been dominated by private individuals, local authorities and company-backed teams (football corporatif). Member-owned clubs common in Spain, Sweden and Germany were largely absent until fan groups began forming socios to buy shares. A Federation des Socios de France was created in October 2023; notable examples include Guingamp, Sochaux, Bastia and Rouen.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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