Watford FC to sell 10% of club as digital equity, including tokens, to investors and fans

Watford Football Club is selling approximately 10% of the club to investors — including fans — in an equity sale facilitated by investment platform Republic and its European platform, Seedrs. Investors will have the option to receive tokens and access exclusive offers, and the club plans to facilitate the future trading of the tokens.

Watford F.C. is valued at 175 million GBP and is aiming to raise upwards of 17.5 million GBP in funding. The price per share is set at 12.44 GBP and the minimum investment is four shares through Seedrs and eight shares through Republic.

Capital raised from the sale will reportedly be used to fund initiatives aimed at improving the club's performance — with a particular focus on recruitment, training and coaching for the men's first team. It will also be used to develop the club's brand.

“We are always looking at ways that we can help grow Watford FC to deliver on our plans and are proud to be the first major English football club to offer true ownership shares to a wide range of investors, including fans, through digital equity,” said Watford FC Chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury. “We are determined to take the club back to the Premier League and believe this is an innovative and inclusive way of helping this happen.”

Republic claims "the sale is, to date, the largest digital equity offering to unlock true ownership shares in an English football club."

Watford F.C. is located in London and has spent over half of the last ten seasons in the English Premier League. It is currently playing in the EFL Championship. It claims, in a press release, to have had a 24.1 million GBP pre-tax profit in the 22/23 season.

Notably, Sir Elton John is the club's Honorary Life-President.