"He said he's open, if we want to buy the club outright or we take some shares and he still remains in the club, he's open to that.
"We're putting together a team but on Monday we'll have a press conference to let people know where we're at and what our plans are."
I HAVE SOME MASSIVE NEWS EVERYBODY
Over the last week I have been in some pretty serious discussions and today I can...
Posted by Monty Betham on Wednesday, August 23, 2017
The development comes after Auckland businessman Paul Davys yesterday fell out of the race to purchase the Penrose-based franchise, after Watson rejected his offer of $15 million.
Watson's asking price is $20 million, although he is still considering his options and remains open to the idea of retaining a stake in the club, along with former managing director-turned-executive director Jim Doyle, who owns a 10 per cent share.
The prospect of fans claiming full ownership would bring numerous complications - including questions around how the deal would be structured, who would manage the club, and whether and how shares could be on-sold.
But the Herald understands Watson is open to the idea of fans taking on a share of the club's ownership in a much reduced capacity with the Warriors remaining as a private enterprise.
The way it could work is if three or four individuals were to each buy a share, say 10 per cent, with Watson and Doyle, who currently owns a 10 per cent stake, retaining a controlling share between them.
The potential would then exist for fans- possibly a crowdfunding group as per Betham's original proposal - to also buy a stake, at a value determined by the cost of the shares sold to the group of new investors.
Shares could be made available for sale for fans and sponsors to purchase during a certain timeframe and depending on the level of interest and how many are sold, Watson's stake could then diminish to perhaps 30 or even as low as 10 per cent.
