Community club wins South Korean supporter

A community-owned football club has attracted the attention of a South Korean fan, who flew over to invest in their share scheme.

In December 2024, Bilston Town FC said they wanted to give fans the chance to become their owners, and since then almost 200 membership packages have been sold.

The West Midlands club said Gee Syub Kim got in touch after reading an article about the scheme on the BBC website and he was invited over for a visit.

He said he found his tour of the stadium "very interesting" and he would be following the club's fortunes when he got back home.

It was not the first time Gee had visited the West Midlands, as he studied tourism at South and City College Birmingham, and lived in the UK for 13 years before returning to South Korea in 2013.

The Liverpool fan travels to the UK every year to watch English football and also sponsors non-league Guiseley.

He said non-league football was "very different" from Premier League football and was "another good experience".

The next time he visits the UK, he said he might return to watch a Bilston game.

Club membership secretary Adam Balfour said Gee flew to the UK on Friday and was treated to a tour of the stadium, met the club chairman and captain and was given a selection of merchandise, including a signed shirt.

The club said before Gee continued his tour of the West Midlands with a visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers, it treated him to "one of the major specialities" of the region - orange battered chips.

Gee said everyone at Bilston was "very kind".

He invested £100 in the share scheme, but was not the club's only foreign investor. They said there had also been interest from Spain and the USA.

Balfour said the overseas interest was a good boost for them and helped spread the word about their fan-ownership model.