Caledonian Braves Football Club

What Caledonian Braves Football Club does

Caledonian Braves Football Club is a Scottish Lowland League (Tier 5) football club that operates what it describes as the world's first online community club. The club originated in 2011 as Edusport Academy, a football and education programme for young French players; following promotion from the South of Scotland League in 2017, the senior team rebranded to Caledonian Braves in June 2019, a name and identity chosen through online votes by more than 800 fans from 30 countries. The club is based at Alliance Park, a 500-capacity ground in Motherwell developed in partnership with North Lanarkshire Leisure, with a registered office at 272 Bath Street, Glasgow.

The core product is a mobile application (iOS and Android) that turns fans into legal co-owners and the primary engagement channel. Through the app's Boardroom feature, owners vote on club matters including player recruitment, finance, and strategy, and access live match streaming of all home games globally. Adjacent products include Brave TV (YouTube behind-the-scenes content), the Match Centre, the Brave Calling documentary (picked up by STV Studios for STV Player), and a membership programme. Ticketing is delivered through a February 2025 partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets, and merchandise is sold via a dedicated commercial storefront.

The revenue model is diversified across five streams: matchday ticket sales (£8 adult / £4 concession), season tickets (£95), merchandise, sponsorship (Alba Cola as main sponsor), and a referral revenue share from Sports Illustrated Tickets. Long-duration capital is raised through WeFunder equity crowdfunding, which has produced 8,000+ co-owners from 50+ countries on a $250K raise to date. Management is led by founder Chris Ewing as Chairman and Owner, with a recent senior transition appointing Jamie McNee as Manager from May 2026 following Ricky Waddell's 12-year tenure.

Name

Caledonian Braves Football Club

Legal name

Caledonian Braves Football Club

Website

https://caledonianbraves.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caledonian Braves Football Club is a Scottish Lowland League football club operating as the world's first online community club, with 8,000+ global co-owners who vote on club decisions via a dedicated mobile app. The club generates revenue from tickets, merchandise, sponsorship, and a Sports Illustrated Tickets referral partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Football Club (Lower-League / Tier 5)

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB), Team & Club Coaching (seasonal team coaching) (HSADAEAF)

Keywords

• Fan-owned football club
• Community football club
• Matchday ticket sales
• Club merchandise sales
• Football membership program

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Matchday and season ticket sales through Sports Illustrated Tickets partnership and direct online sales. Adult match tickets priced at £8, season tickets at £95.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of club merchandise including kits and accessories through the commercial website (commercial.caledonianbraves.com) and Braves Shop.
3. Referral Revenue: Revenue earned through Sports Illustrated Tickets referral program where club's 8,000+ owners purchase tickets for other events (concerts, theatre, sports), generating direct revenue for the club.
4. Crowdfunding/Ownership Shares: Global fan ownership model through WeFunder campaign, allowing fans worldwide to purchase shares and become co-owners of the club.
5. Sponsorship: Commercial partnerships and sponsorship deals, including Alba Cola as main sponsor.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Caledonian Braves Football Club operates a Scottish Lowand League (Tier 5) football club built on a global fan-ownership model, selling matchday tickets, season tickets, club ownership shares via WeFunder, merchandise, and membership subscriptions. Its core offering revolves around competitive football matches played at Alliance Park, supported by a custom mobile app that gives global co-owners voting rights over club strategy, player recruitment, and finances, plus live match streaming worldwide.

Product overview

Caledonian Braves Football Club operates a unified fan-ownership platform centered on its mobile app, which serves as the primary interface for its global community of co-owners. The ecosystem comprises the core mobile application enabling fan participation and governance, integrated with Sports Illustrated Tickets for ticketing, live match streaming, and the Brave TV content channel. Additional modules include the Match Centre for statistics and matchday information, the commercial merchandise store, and membership programs. The club also produces the Brave Calling documentary series distributed via STV Player. This integrated digital offering supports the club's unique model of fan-owned Scottish Lowland League football.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Our Football Club: The fan ownership project that enabled the rebranding from Edusport Academy to Caledonian Braves, allowing global fans to participate in club decisions.
• Alliance Park
• Brave Calling
• Braves TV

Products and services

• Caledonian Braves Mobile App Free mobile application for iOS and Android that enables fans worldwide to become club owners, participate in Boardroom votes on club decisions, watch live match streams, and access exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
• Matchday Tickets Single-match tickets for home league fixtures at Alliance Park, priced at £8 for adults, £4 for concessions (Over 65 / Under 18 / Student), and free for Under 16s. Cup matches and special events priced separately.
• Season Tickets 2025/26 Annual season tickets covering all 17 home league matches, priced at £95 adults, £45 concessions, and free for Under 16s — working out to just over £5 per match for adults.
• Club Ownership Shares (WeFunder campaign) Equity ownership shares in Caledonian Braves sold via WeFunder, granting fans co-owner status with voting rights on club matters (player recruitment, finances, strategy) through the mobile app Boardroom.
• Club Merchandise (Braves Shop) Online and matchday merchandise store offering replica kits, accessories, memorabilia, and player sponsorship packages through commercial.caledonianbraves.com.
• Membership Program Club membership offering exclusive discounts and perks, sold separately from WeFunder ownership shares, available through the Braves Shop.
• Brave Calling (Documentary series on STV Player) Documentary series chronicling the club's journey from Edusport Academy through the rebrand to Caledonian Braves, distributed nationwide via STV Player by STV Studios.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scottish football's first club to win promotion from bottom of pyramid when Edusport Academy won South of Scotland League in 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Sports Illustrated TicketsflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 February 2025First Scottish football club partnership for Sports Illustrated Tickets, serving as Official Ticketing Partner. The collaboration brings ticketing expertise to Braves fans with global inventory exceeding $2.5 billion and access to 50 million+ tickets. Features a referral program enabling Caledonian Braves to earn direct revenue from ticket sales made through a dedicated link shared with the club's 8,000+ owners.
• Travancore Royals FCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Partnership with India's first fan-owned club based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Approved by overwhelming 90% vote from Caledonian Braves owners. Enables player exchange, coach and fan engagement activities, mutual development support, exchange of best practices, and dual membership/ownership opportunities between clubs.
• North Lanarkshire LeisurecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaboration to develop Alliance Park at the former site of Bothwellhaugh Playing Fields into the club's home ground and training centre. The partnership has seen the development of facilities meeting SFA club License requirements.
• Alba ColaminorOthersSoft drink company celebrating Scottish heritage, founded by Chairman Chris Ewing. Alba Cola serves as the main sponsor of Caledonian Braves.
• Edusport AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal football academy founded in 2011 by Chris Ewing providing coaching and education to young French players. After rebranding in 2019, the academy remains closely linked to Caledonian Braves, providing players for the South of Scotland and U20 Lowland League teams. Edusport Academy continues as the Academy of Caledonian Braves FC.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FC United of Manchester: Fan-owned English football club founded in 2005 by disaffected Manchester United supporters. Directly comparable as a member-owned, community-governed lower-league club operating with democratic decision-making structures — the UK benchmark for the model Caledonian Braves is commercializing.
• AFC Wimbledon: Fan-owned English football club risen from non-league to the EFL via supporter ownership. Closely comparable as a democratically governed, community-funded lower-league club that has successfully climbed the pyramid — a relevant roadmap for Caledonian Braves' SPFL aspirations.
• Cumbernauld Colts: Direct Lowland League competitor sitting 6th in the table, one place below Caledonian Braves. A relevant same-tier domestic peer for benchmarking on-pitch performance, matchday economics, and pyramid progression in Scottish lower-league football.
• Travancore Royals FC: India's first fan-owned football club, based in Kerala and partnered with Caledonian Braves. Directly comparable as a digitally organized, fan-ownership-model club in an emerging market — a peer and strategic partner that mirrors the global-fan-owner thesis from a non-UK base.
• Tranent FC: Direct Lowland League competitor currently sitting 4th in the table, one place above Caledonian Braves. Highly relevant as an immediate on-pitch benchmark peer in the same tier, geography, and promotion-chase context.

Broad incumbents

• Forest Green Rovers: English lower-league club recognized for sustainability, innovation, and global brand positioning under chairman Dale Vince. Comparable as a small club that punches above its weight through differentiated mission and content-led growth — relevant to Caledonian Braves' brand-led community strategy.
• Wrexham AFC: Welsh football club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney since 2020, famous for the Welcome to Wrexham documentary. Comparable as a lower-league club that has leveraged celebrity ownership, media content, and global fan engagement to scale brand and revenue — a model Caledonian Braves is replicating through fan ownership rather than celebrity.
• Swansea City AFC: Welsh football club with a significant supporter-trust ownership stake among its broader investor base. Comparable as a club that has integrated fan-ownership principles into a professional-league operating model — a relevant upmarket reference point for Caledonian Braves' potential trajectory.

Others

• Green Bay Packers: Iconic American NFL franchise structured as a community-owned, non-profit sports team with publicly traded shares. The global reference point for fan/community ownership in professional sport — relevant as a long-term aspirational model for community-owned club economics.

Regional players

• East Stirlingshire FC: Scottish lower-league football club with a long history of operating in the pyramid's lower tiers. Comparable as a Scottish League/Tier 5-adjacent club facing similar infrastructure, attendance, and financial constraints — a relevant domestic benchmarking peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheBravesFC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thebravesfc
• Facebookfacebook.com/CaledonianBraves
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caledonian-braves

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caledonian Braves Football Club