And so, after three years of struggle, the decisive battle is won. Portpin have failed to pass the Owners and Directors test. Contracts are exchanged and the fans will become the new owners of their club.
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The next job is to make Pompey a well run club, one that reliably spends less than it earns, and one that deploys innovative new ways to earn more without loading the club with debt.
There are so many opportunities and possibilities now. Together, we can make Pompey the beacon for what a football club should be; accessible, affordable, inclusive and a fun place to be. We can be ambitious, by virtue of not being strangled by debt. It will take time, there will be struggle to turn the ship around. Hard work lies ahead. No doubt we will have to fight through the courts once again to remove the dead hand of the past.
One thing is now abundantly clear though. Pompey is the property of everyone who loves the club. It will be what we make it. If we don't have the will, the desire to support the club, to put our hands into our pockets, then the club will cease to be.
Lack of support though, has never been Pompey's problem. Lack of common sense, class and business acumen has.
It has been the most incredible victory. We were repeatedly told this couldn't be done. The people who have made it happen, the bid team and the High Net Worth individuals deserve to go down in history alongside the original founders of Pompey. They are the founders of the new Pompey and every one of them should be a hero with a place on the clubs honour roll. They have repeatedly told us they do not want publicity or recognition though because it would detract from the thousands who have also been such a great part of this struggle. Their hour to shine will come.
What can you do? If you can afford to pledge a share or have already done so, please make that pledge real. If you can't, there will be a new project launching this week which will give you the opportunity to directly back the club. Just don't do your Christmas shopping yet!
Most of all; if you possibly can, please get yourself down to Fratton Park. Every penny you put into Pompey goes to the club to help it survive and prosper. 40 years of cynicism and mistrust can now be laid to one side. The rest of the country told us this couldn't be done. Yet again, the fans of the last undeveloped big club in Britain have demonstrated that this is a different club, a special club, with special fans who never give up. The City on an island has a football club for a heart, and as time goes on that heartbeat will sound throughout football. We may have a notoriously disreputable recent past, there is no denying that. Our future though, will be an example to the rest of football; this is what a football really should be.
Play Up Pompey!
The views of Micah Hall are his own and don't necessarily reflect the editorial view of pompey-fans.com. Any proceeds of this column are donated to Action Aid.
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The Pompey Supporters' Trust is still seeking pledges from Pompey fans to back their bid. Information can be found here