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Located on the outskirts of the historic city of Florence in the picturesque hilly landscape of Tuscany, a club is redefining, or reintroducing, what the relationship between a team and their supporters can be.
Centro Storico Lebowski, spearheaded by a conglomerate of supporters fed up with "mod€rn" football and the growing disconnect between Italian clubs and their supporters, is founded on the prioritization of fan ownership, self-management and a bit of Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski.
The best part of it all: CS Lebowski are offering you a categorical piece of this fan-owned paradise.
If supporting a club that entitles you to rock gear featuring “The Dude” wasn’t enough for you, you can become a member of CS Lebowski for as little as $21.50, allowing you to take part in the club’s decision making process through a democratic, online voting process.
Just imagine the possibilities: vote to change the color of the kits, rename the club "CS Shut the f*** up, Donny" or petition to get a Michael Jackson statue erected outside the ground. It's time to put those Football Manager 2016 skills to the test, the club is your democratic oyster.
Since going public with their request for members, over 390 transcendentalists have joined from four different continents, 20 nations and over 70 cities. You'll be in on the ground floor.
CS Lebowski Club Members:
Photo: @LebowskiCS | Twitter
As detailed in a piece on The Guardian, CS Lebowski are a club that exists solely on the foundation which their supporters provide. Fans cook, work on the pitch, raise funds through social events and sponsorship and provide daily coverage of the side.
On game days, the CS Lebowski ultras also provide some of the most colorful and passionate support around. With a budget of only €70,000, 70% of which is raised internally through fundraising events, Lebowski have also been enormously successful since their inception in 2010.
They began in the Terza Categoria, the lowest tier of Italian football, before achieving the remarkable feat of two promotions in five years. CS Lebowski are proving not just a romantic, fanciful idea but proof of the positive change that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can achieve.
Photo: @tribundergi | Twitter
The side currently sit in 5th place in their division, recording five wins, four draws and three loses through their first 12 games. CS Lebowski also boast a women’s team, junior team and an amateur side.
Currently, the club are in the process of finding a permanent home, having been charged as much as €10,000 per year for basic facilities in the past.
Unable to afford your own slice of the pie but still want to show your support? Go ahead and give their Facebook page a like.
