Chapter 1 – Ownership Models & Ultimate Power

Core question: Who ultimately holds power in a football club, and why does that override everything else?

Episode 3 - Why Own a Club? (Part 2)

Power, Identity, and Non-Financial Returns

In the second part of this series, we expand the lens from social positioning to political, strategic, and entertainment dynamics.

We look at how football ownership generates political capital without formal authority, how clubs operate as soft-power and geopolitical tools, and why concepts like sportwashing are structurally effective rather than accidental. We then shift to football as show business, comparing clubs to entertainment IP, media platforms, motorsport assets, and U.S. franchise sports, where scarcity and emotional demand drive long-term value.

This episode explains why football attracts global capital despite weak financial logic, and how clubs become strategic assets rather than commercial ones.

Chapter 1 – Ownership Models & Ultimate Power

Core question: Who ultimately holds power in a football club, and why does that override everything else?

Episode 2 - Why Own a Club? (Part 1)

Power, Identity, and Non-Financial Returns

Why would anyone own a football club when most of them lose money?

In this first episode, we move beyond the naïve idea of football ownership as a financial investment and reframe it as a power instrument. We examine why profit is rarely the primary motivation, how football converts private capital into public influence, and why clubs function as powerful generators of status, visibility, and identity.

We also explore how stadiums, VIP areas, and hospitality spaces operate as elite social platforms, and how ownership allows individuals to embed themselves into collective identity and legacy structures that far outlast balance sheets.

This episode sets the foundation: football clubs are not owned because they make money, but because they produce leverage that few other assets can offer.

Chapter 1 – Ownership Models & Ultimate Power

Core question:
Who ultimately holds power in a football club, and why does that override everything else?

Episode 1 – What Does Ownership Really Mean?

Ownership is one of the most frequently used words in football, and one of the least defined.

This episode explores what ownership actually means inside a club, beyond money, visibility, or personality.
It looks at ownership as ultimate authority, as the layer that defines boundaries, absorbs risk, and controls time.

Rather than focusing on individuals or outcomes, the episode examines how ownership shapes executive behavior, governance, decision processes, and, ultimately, what happens on the pitch.

This is the starting point for understanding clubs as systems of power, not as stories.