Crawley crypto owners re-affirm pledge to build worldwide following for club

Crawley Town's ambitious owners have put more meat on the bone when it comes to how they plan on running the League Two club.

WAGMI United LLC completed their takeover of the Red Devils in April, declaring they would "shake up the status quo, try out some new ideas, and build a worldwide community of fans". The company are to use non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as an ownership model, allowing people across the world to make decisions on the club, while also generating valuable revenue streams. NFTs have no physical form but can be bought or sold.

Despite some scepticism, it wasn't long before they were having to deal with a crisis after allegations of discriminatory language and behaviour by manager John Yems towards Crawley players. The 62-year-old was initially suspended by the club before Yems' exit was later confirmed.

Now, having appointed Arsenal's under-23s boss Kevin Betsy as Yems' successor, the owners have been laying out their unique plans.

Speaking to the Guardian, co-founder Preston Johnson said: "A lot of the world whether it be football, sport crypto or whatever is living a more digitally native life. We think there's an opportunity for the remote fan to attach themselves to a club as a result. We want to offer unprecedented access to local as well as remote fans and technology gives us that ability to do it in a way that hasn't been done before. That's the macro vision.

"Being able to take part in the decision-making is absolutely on the table and those are the things we need to weigh."

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Johnson also confirmed that he and fellow co-owner Eben Smith purchased the club using currency rather than NFTs and that their reserve stock will allow them to "preserve the club" for multiple seasons. He added: "We're still really confident that we will be able to establish something that's going to generate revenue for the club and be a positive."

Those comments perhaps bely the fact that Crawley, who have only just completed their 11th campaign in the Football League, have little reach outside Sussex and last season boasted the second-lowest average attendance in the EFL.

Betsy, 44, began his coaching career with Fulham and then took charge of England age-group sides up to under-18s level. He joined Arsenal last summer and guided their academy side to a third-placed finish in Premier League 2 last term.

Speaking after his unveiling, he said: "I am joining a club that has a great history that we should no doubt embrace, and we are also looking at an exciting new beginning on many levels both on and off the pitch. I was very impressed with the owners' vision for the club. Following discussions, l knew I would be working for bright and genuine people that share the positivity and energy to take this club forward."