Our Story
Built on friendship.
Funded by it too.
From humble beginnings to the most-mentioned club in a league statement, this is the story of Sham FC: a club that never let a small commercial reality stand in the way of a large commercial report.
Timeline
2008
A friend arrives
A generous new friend buys the club. The friend would like to remain a friend. Just a friend. Nothing more to see.
2009
The ship is turned upside down
The club adopts its iconic inverted crest, and its iconic inverted accounting. The Golden Era of Commercial Excellence begins.
2009 – 2018
Nine seasons of partnership magic
In the real case, sponsors paid about £119m in base fees while about £950m was recorded as sponsorship income. At Sham FC we call this 'punching above our weight'. Roughly 8x above.
2018
The league asks a question
An investigation opens in December. Our archive department prepares its first concerted effort.
2023
We receive 115 charges
The most our club has ever received from anyone without a friend topping it up.
2024
42 days in the big room
A hearing lasting 42 days. Our longest unbeaten run of saying 'no comment'.
2026
Me, sham? Never!
On 29 September the real commission publishes its decision. The word 'sham' appears five times. Our marketing team wets itself with joy.
Next
Appeal, appeal, appeal
Like any great club, we never give up. Especially not on process.
Club Values
Integrity
We have the integrity of a ship. Specifically, one that's upside down.
Transparency
You can see right through our explanations.
Circularity
Money goes out. Money comes back. Our sustainability strategy in one sentence.
The Crest
Our crest features a golden ship, sailing proudly upside down, because in 2009 our accountants flipped it over to see what was underneath. Below it, a red rose made of folded banknotes represents our deep roots in the community, and our even deeper pockets. The numbers 20 and 09 mark the season our commercial revenue began growing faster than physics allows.
“Me, sham? Never!”