Ebbsfleet make transfer history

September 2, 2008—

At about the same time the British transfer record was being smashed by Premier League outfit Manchester City just prior to the transfer deadline, a little further down the football pyramid a slightly less expensive transfer was making history of a different sort.

Ebbsfleet Utd's sale of John Akinde to Bristol City for £140,000 was unique in the way the transfer was decided, by a vote over the Internet of 7,452 of the members of myfootballclub.co.uk (MFC), owners of Ebbsfleet Utd who approved the transfer by a majority of 82.3%.

There are approximately 30,000 members worldwide, living in 122 countries, who intially paid £35 each to raise the £700,000 needed to takeover the football club, with each fan receiving an equal share in the club.

The club's members have voted several times already, including to decide the price of season tickets, this time around they were given 48 hours to decide whether or not the club should go ahead with the sale of Akinde.

Ahead of the present campaign, the MFC members helped raise £20,000 to fund the purchase of striker Michael Gash from Cambridge City, beating fellow Blue Square Premier league outfit Kettering Town to his signature.