Israeli Fintech startup FBFM (Football Fans Marketplace) is developing an online marketplace that will allow football fans worldwide to invest in their favourite players and clubs.

The platform, footballcrowdfans.com, which is now open for early registration of fans and clubs, seeks to strengthen the football industry by introducing crowdfunding practices inspired by websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Through footballcrowdfans.com fans will be able to select their favorite football players and clubs, invest in them, and share in their success. Through the online arena, fans will be able to build their own dream football teams, track their progress, and demonstrate their support of their chosen players and clubs. The clubs will be able to optimally raise capital, strengthening both their brand and bond with the supporters.

FBFM’s business model is based on low-interest long-term loans provided online by football fans to specific clubs and players. All loans received by clubs from fans will be meticulously supervised and inspected by FBFM professionals and specialized escrow, legal, and accounting experts.

FBFM’s experts will select and register only regulated transparently managed European clubs that meet FIFA and UEFA conditions and which are expected to yield high returns for the investors. FBFM also undertakes not to interfere in the club’s professional management or decisions.

The registration and management of the online arena, and the full lifecycle of the loans will be managed for free by FBFM, which will only charge commission if and when a transaction is made. If a player who is presented on the arena is transferred to another club, the fans who invested in him will receive a portion of the proceeds.

FBFM says that contemporary football is a ‘closed club’ into which only the richest clubs can enter. The rich clubs of Europe’s football superpowers buy the best players and win the championships and the cup matches. The ‘semi-finals club’ is also a ‘closed club’ in which only clubs with very large budgets can participate.

Conversely, most of the world’s football clubs face funding and budget limitations that prevent them from hiring the players who can take them to the top. As a result, European football clubs need to obtain high-interest loans, which are based on bonds issued by U.S. financial institutions.

The venture is led by a group of Israeli fintech entrepreneurs with a track record in the development and global marketing of online platforms for raising capital.