Member Article

Fan ownership the focus at Spurs as Asset Match hosts share auctions

Fans of Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur will soon be able to buy and sell shares in the club with Asset Match, the online share marketplace.

Spurs, who currently sit second in the league, will become the first Premier League club to have their shares traded on the online marketplace which specialises in trading shares for unquoted companies.

Spurs delisted from the AIM market, a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, in January 2012 as the club’s owners believed it restricted their ability to develop.

The share auctions on Asset Match, who have also traded shares in Scottish brewer Brewdog and Co-Operative Bank, will mean small shareholders are provided with a proper forum to buy and sell, with more transparency regarding share prices and transactions.

Stuart Lucas, Co-CEO of Asset Match, commented: “In our discussions with shareholders it is clear that they are frustrated by the lack of transparency in the current arrangements.

“Neither buyers nor sellers can see any pricing and there are no details of completed transactions. Because of this they cannot be sure they are getting a fair price for their shares and this is causing liquidity issues for minority shareholders.”

“Our aim is to help shareholders in private businesses to achieve liquidity in their investment. Tottenham Hotspur has a significant number of minority shareholders with substantial holdings who collectively own over 28 million shares.

“It is these investors who would benefit from our open and transparent share trading platform. Because the shares are freely transferable and CREST enabled we are able to assist those who are restricted by the inherent illiquidity of the current arrangement.”

The first auction is due to open on Thursday 10 March and close on Thursday 17 March.

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