American club offer Brits chance to join fan ownership scheme in California

Exclusive: Orange County SC target UK fans for share purchase deals after linkup with SPL side Rangers

(Orange County SC)

Amid the calls for football clubs to factor supporters into their thoughts more and be run less like corporate money-making machines, British fans are to be offered the chance to buy an ownership stake in one - though perhaps not one they’ve watched too much until now.

Over in California, Orange County SC are used to doing things differently, though.

They are a USA-based club playing in the USL Championship, not Major League Soccer (MLS), which means they are able to avoid the usual trade restrictions on those clubs and instead come up with their own business model, one which they decided would be based on a more European approach: one of player development and transfers.

Now, owner James Keston has accelerated plans to continue making waves and growing the fanbase - by selling part of the club to fans worldwide. A similar sale took place Stateside in 2023 and now they are looking to target UK-based supporters for the next phase, which could eventually see around 3 per cent of the club in the hands of supporters - with the share sale to be announced this week.

Orange County have ties with Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, but also with Rangers FC in Scotland, with this link-up and plenty of their club staff highlighting the reasons why they feel UK-based fans make sense for them as a potential market.

“This is a continuation of the process from when I bought the team, in terms of expanding the fanbase and letting people in and outside the US know what we’re doing,” Keston told the Independent.

“The perception among English and British fans of US Soccer is that it’s all about MLS, shiny stadiums, corporate soccer - it’s important for them to experience that we can do it without billionaires swooping in. We had three employees and played in front of 120 people when I started. We’ve improved everything with local fans and local community.”

Orange County won the USL Championship in 2021, then under English head coach Richard Chaplow, and made the Conference semi-finals last year. Partway through the 2024 campaign, they are again on track to make the playoffs.

Orange County’s home stadium (Orange County SC)

More notably from an overseas perspective has been the number of players which have come through their youth programme before going on to earn transfers to Europe.

They include defender Kobi Henry and forward Korede Osundina; while the latter moved to Feyenoord last year and spent this past campaign on loan in the Dutch second tier, Henry moved to Reims on a USL record $700,000 deal (£550,00).

“We are an international-facing club and our story is one of giving players a pathway, a chance to succeed in Europe,” president of business operations Dan Rutstein told the Independent, adding that’s why the have cultivated a following “beyond locality”.

Rutstein, a “proud owner” of AFC Wimbledon for many years since their launch under the supporters’ organisation which holds controlling shares, noted that over 1,400 individuals had purchased shares in OCSC in last year’s US-based sale, raising around $650,000.

A similar amount is anticipated to be brought in by the European share sale, equivalent to valuing the club at around $50m (£39m). The share sale will be offered through the platform formerly known as Seedrs, now Republic Europe.

Up to 5 per cent of the club is potentially available to buy, should demand go that high during the July launch.

Orange County fans (Orange County SC)

“We want to show Brits there’s a real team doing things a normal way - it’s not all about [Lionel] Messi and hype,” Rutstein added, by way of comparison to MLS, where there are stringent rules around how clubs can add players and where contracts are held by the league, rather than clubs being able to sell players themselves.

“The youth development side is what makes us special and makes us different within US Soccer. Transferring young players to Europe was something we were considered unlikely to succeed with - we’ve reached a point where much of the country have done a 180 degree turn and are copying us.” Keston added.

Money raised in the share sale is set to be used to expand the stadium, add a new section for fans and further invest in player development side within the reserves.

Club officials have also privately expressed potential interest in the multi-club model which many around Europe have become involved in, such the Red Bull and City Group organisations.