The FC St. Pauli will prove with the founding of the first cooperative in professional football that alternative financing is possible – without the sale of clubs and co-determination. After nearly five months, the subscription phase for the FCSP cooperative has officially ended. In the last hours, there has been an immense surge; all open inquiries will still be processed. The FC St. Pauli and the FCSP eG thank the gigantic support, which proves: Alternative financing in professional football is possible! Since November 10, 2024, all interested parties have been able to purchase shares in the first cooperative in German professional football and in a European top league. Now, this phase has ended. The result is overwhelming: More than 21,000 people have become members of the Football Cooperative Sankt Pauli 2024 eG and have purchased shares worth more than 27 million euros. "We were overwhelmed", explains Andreas Borcherding, chairman of the eG. Therefore, all new registrations that have been received until the end of the subscription period on Monday (31.3.) will still be processed. This may take a few days, as there were hundreds of inquiries alone on the last evening, so Borcherding. To process these registrations and support inquiries, the FCSP eG portal will remain open. For the board of the cooperative, the work with the end of the subscription phase is still far from over. In addition to processing the open orders, all numbers must be checked and the next steps prepared. Specifically, this concerns the takeover of the majority at the Millerntor Stadium. There will also be a waiting list, on which interested parties can be placed to participate in the next project of the cooperative – or possibly purchase shares from other members. The final balance of the subscription phase and the next steps will be presented by the board to the members in early May. In June, there will be the first general meeting of the FCSP cooperative. But already now, the club and the cooperative want to thank the incredible support. Oke Göttlich, president of the FC St. Pauli, emphasizes: "We are amazed and infinitely grateful for this huge response from our community! The people who carry the FC St. Pauli in their hearts or sympathize with our way have sent a clear signal: Alternative financing in professional football is possible!" Wilken Engelbracht, commercial manager of the FC St. Pauli, adds: "The cooperative will open up new spaces for the FC St. Pauli: Through the takeover of the majority at the stadium, the club will be able to pay off financial liabilities much faster than planned and invest in new projects again. We thank everyone for the great support: Fans, volunteers, employees, members, partners – everyone who has helped to achieve this incredible success!" Also, Andreas Borcherding emphasizes how grateful and happy the board of the eG is that the cooperative has become such a great success.