Football Fans in Poland Raise More Than $1 Million for Ailing Team
- Wisla Krakow team raised rescue funds target in two days
- Beesfund platform expects other offerings from sport clubs
Photographer: Yorick Jansens/AFP via Getty Images
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When a 112-year-old Polish soccer club with 13 national championship titles teetered dangerously close to bankruptcy, its fans stepped in with funding.
Wisla Krakow SA supporters turned equity investors, saving their beloved team and boosting an emerging niche capital market in the process. They drummed up 4 million zloty ($1.1 million) between 9,129 investors who bought 40,000 shares in less than two days earlier this year, using the Beesfund crowdfunding platform. The fast-track raising has attracted other sports teams, said Beesfund Chief Executive Officer Arkadiusz Regiec.