difficulties for the club, which had necessitated taking out a PFA loan to pay players' wages and the club being placed under a transfer embargo. Notts County F.C. Portsmouth F.C. – Portsmouth became the largest fan-owned football club in England, after the Pompey Supporters Trust (PST) successfully gained possession of Fratton Park in April 2013. However, in May 2017, the PST members voted in favor to sell its ownership to former Disney chief executive, Michael Eisner; this value estimated to be at £5.67 million. Scarborough Town F.C. – This was a second supporter-owned "phoenix" club formed after the liquidation of Scarborough, and essentially competed with the larger Scarborough Athletic F.C. for former Scarborough F.C. fans, though focused more upon a youth team rather than a senior one. It eventually folded. The club was run on a democratic basis by a management committee. Membership was open to everyone by payment of an annual fee. All adult members had an equal vote and were encouraged to use this vote at every AGM and EGM. It had two complete seasons, the first in the Wearside Football League, then being promoted to the Humber Premier League, Division One. The club were champions of both leagues and were very well attended. Despite this success, financial problems overcame the club during its final year, resulting in its records for that season being expunged. Stockport County F.C. – Purchased in 2005 by the Stockport County Supporters' Co-operative but was sold to an investment group in 2009 after near-bankruptcy. A long-term goal of the Supporters' Co-Operative is to buy the ground and to buy back the club. Finland HIFK Fotboll Tampere United TamU-K France Ménilmontant FC 1871 Germany In Germany a majority control by a single entity (person, or company) is not permitted by the Deutsche Fußball Liga, and is the German law for clubs. The law suggests a registered club should have minimum seven members. The league requires that either a club, or a limited company which is controlled by a club with 50% + 1 vote can get a license to participate in the German first or second league. In the lower leagues, it is required to be a club. An exception to the 50+1 rule allows a company or individual investor that has substantially funded a club for at least 20 years to gain a controlling stake in that club. This exception most notably applies