BUSINESSMAN Paul McDonald yesterday revealed why he believes little Fort William can succeed where David Beck-ham failed - by selling football to the Americans.

The Cincinatti-based tycoon believes he can transform the Highland League whipping boys into a powerful force which will capture the imagination Stateside. And he intends to produce a TV series documenting their efforts to turn them into an internet fan-controlled club by calling them America's Team.

McDonald said: "I watched the David Beckham move to LA Galaxy and predicted that interest would soon wane and that has been the case. To grab the public's attention in America you need a story, a team they can follow from the worst to best and root for along the journey. Fort William gives us all that drama and of course you have the added dimension of the Scottish heritage."

Paul wants fan power to Yank Fort up. (Sport)Published Date: 28 June 2008 By Anthony Haggerty

McDonald has other reasons for selecting the Lochaber club to become America's new Dream Team. He said: "I have a long love of Scottish football. It began when I listened to matches on the radio before the internet was freely available.

"I was first attracted to the Rangers nine-in-a-row side with players like Ally McCoist and Brian Laudrup. Baseball was on strike at the time so my interest grew from there."

McDonald then kept up to speed with the best teams in Scotland but wanted to know more about the sides at the bottom end - and that's where Fort William came into it. Their record last season of played 28, won one, lost 27 and a goal difference of minus 142 made them a ripe target for his plan for an American dream team of losers

going from the bottom to the top which would be a must-watch for American audience.

McDonald wants to get fans in the states involved via the internet, paying to take part in the running of the club. This will include selection of players similar to the recent MyFootballClub.com takeover of English Blue Square Premier side Ebbsfleet United.

The second phase is to create a market for Fort William merchandise among the small but passionate group of football fans in the US. Then he hopes to recruit American players, some with international experience, to drive the club forward. Finally, he wants to make a TV reality programme that will film the journey of the club. McDonald added: "Fort William is the obvious place for the America's Team."

The Claggan Park committee were receptive to McDonald's initial advances when the entertainment media execu-tive started speaking to them about what he was aiming to do. He admits he was jealous of the takeover of Ebbsfleet by 21,000 internet fans by MyfootballClub.com and that they had stolen a bit of a march on his plans. He said: "I had created the vision of an American-backed team struggling against all the odds in a foreign land and I had created the model for fans involvement to take the team forward about 18 months ago.

"I am jealous that they were faster than me in getting their plan implemented but in a way it helped as it convinced my backers in America that it can happen."

FORT William Football Club's Claggan Park could be centre stage in a 21st century American Revolution. The Highland League club has signed a historic sponsorship deal with a US entertainment company which, in time, could lead to the side becoming a star of a reality television series in America.

A number of American semi-professional players are set to join the Fort William squad in June 2009. PMAC Tonight Enter-tainment LLC specialises in sports and reality interactive media. The firm is in the process of developing a membership-based website that will generate additional revenue for reinvestment back into the football club.

The website will be ready for the team's first match of the season in Aug, 2008. The website AmericasTeamFC.com will be featured on the kits for the upcoming 2008– 2009 season. The sponsorship is for one year with the possibility of an additional three-year option.

A source from PMAC Tonight Entertainment confirmed that the company is in negotiations for a potential reality-based television series based upon the players and that the AmericasTeamFC.com sponsorship will allow American players and viewers to participate in the performance and success of Fort William FC.

“Recruiting efforts will focus on American players that are visa and league-eligible to complement the currently understaffed Scottish team," said the source.

"Scouts will be contacting coaches at American universities and other semi-amateur teams to identify qualified and eligible team candidates.

"One person who has been asked to join the scouting efforts is legendary Scottish winger Charlie Cooke, who currently runs a successful football academy in the US."

The AmericasTeamFC.com website will be heavily promoted within the US with the hopes that Fort William will attract a large American fan base.

Jennifer Wolfe, a spokeswoman for PMAC Entertainment said: "The website will follow the players and the club on their journey from worst to first."

Between seven and 10 American footballers are expected to arrive next June in time for training for the 2009–2010.

In an exclusive interview with the Lochaber News, the American businessman behind the proposal, Paul McDonald, outlines the thinking behind the tie up which he believes will leave a legacy of improved facilities, a flourishing youth set-up and a success-ful football team which its town can be proud to follow.

Yesterday (Wednesday), Fort William FC chairman Jimmy Camp-bell told the LN: "We're delighted to have the shirt sponsorship deal concluded and we should have our new kit within the next two to three weeks.

"At the moment it would not be appropriate to be comment too much about the future plans as there is still a lot of discussion and negotiation to take place. It is exciting, thought, and we're looking forward to meeting Mr McDonald in the near future to take things further.

"This partnership could be a great thing for Fort William, not just the football club, but for the wider community and particularly for youth development in this area. I must emphasise there is much work still to be done and the council, the Highland League and other club chairmen will be included in our future discussions."

Colin Neilson, the club's life president said: "If the American dream comes off I will be absolutely delighted. I'm pretty excited about it but I know there is a lot of work to be done and our representatives are busy working on contractual matters.

"The Americans have even been in touch with John McGinlay, the former Scotland international who comes from Caol, to act as a potential scout in America."This can only brighten up the place. The club has had a hard time in recent years and I know a lot of people might sneer at what's happening but I can only see it as positive."

American IdolBy Stuart TaylorPublish: 26 June, 2008

s.taylor@lochaber-news.co.uk

DESPITE living on the other side of the Atlantic, he is a diehard Scottish football fan – though his team languishes at the foot of the Highland League.

But if Paul McDonald's plan comes off, Fort William FC will not only rocket up the league with the help of a string of aspiring American players, they will also become TV stars.

The American media executive yesterday unveiled his proposals toADVERTISEMENTturn Fort William into a fan-controlled club, whose followers will decide its fate via an internet site.

The website of Mr McDonald's TV company, PMAC Tonight, describes the project as a "high-concept reality (television] show that involves replacing the current players of a Scottish soccer team with American players and putting America in total control of the team's destiny … (which] will transform the world of fantasy sports by turning the fantasy into reality".

If successful, he plans to roll out the concept to English football, and into the rest of Europe.

But one thing is holding his ambitions in check: the club has yet to sign up to his plans.

Bemused Fort William FC officials say all they have agreed with Mr McDonald is a kit sponsorship deal for the forth-coming season, which will see their shirts boasting the logo of "America's Team".

James Campbell, the club's chairman, said: "All we've decided is to agree a kit sponsorship deal. We've certainly not agreed to sell the club or allow it to be run over the internet."

However, that has not prevented the 43-year-old – who admits his previous television experience has been limited to producing commercials for spectacle and contact-lens manufacturers – announcing details of his scheme to the world.

His website proudly states: "Members who pay a fee will be entitled to 'manage' a diverse group of young, dynamic Americans to go and represent our country in one of the world's most beautiful but difficult locations for Americans to play – the Highlands of Scotland. Millions will be glued to the competition and rally around the team that is against the odds."

Mr McDonald claims to have roots in the Lochaber area, with his ancestors being said to have left Scotland around 150 years ago for a new life in County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland, before heading across the Atlantic.

He told The Scotsman: "I'm deadly serious about this. It may sound like a huge wind-up but I came over to meet various officials at the club in May.

"I've been a big fan of Scottish football since the mid-1990s when there was a big baseball strike on in the US. I started to follow Glasgow Rangers, when they had great players like McCoist and Laudrup. I came to Scotland on holiday in 1997 and toured around but I just fell in love with Fort William, and have followed the team ever since."

Reality is they're rubbish – but can Fort William FC now be global TV superstars?Published Date: 28 June 2008By BRIAN FERGUSON

A Highland football team, widely regarded as the worst side in Scottish senior football, could be in line for an American invasion and massive television following. Fort William Football Club has attracted the interest of an American tycoon whose entertainment company has promised a shirt sponsorship deal and is negotiating a TV reality show centred on the Highland League outfit.

There is also the prospect of up to 10 semi-professional American college soccer players joining the beleaguered club next June. Club chairman James Campbell is cautiously optimistic about the proposals, describing them as “revolutionary” for a team which ended last season with one solitary victory.

Behind the project is millionaire Paul MacDonald, whose forebears left the Lochaber area for the US in 1850, and who runs a TV show called Tonight Entertainment.

He said: “I have been a Scottish football fan for most of my adult life and as much as I enjoy a great Old Firm match, I love the energy and passions of the smaller teams as well.”

A deal has been agreed for the kit sponsorship which will see jerseys bearing the “AmericasTeamFC.com” logo. The deal is for a year with the possibility of an additional three-year option. The US firm is also in the process of developing a membership-based website that will generate revenue to reinvest in the football club.

Tonight Entertainment has also confirmed that it is in negotiations for a potential reality-based television series based on the players.American players could also complement the currently understaffed Scottish team. Among those being asked to join the scouting efforts is former Scottish international winger Charlie Cooke, who runs a successful football academy in the US.

Former Fort William star “Super” John McGinlay has also been contacted for a possible role. Both men, along with the Tonight organisation, are based near Cincinnati.

Jennifer Wolfe, a spokes-woman for pmac Entertainment, said: “The website will follow the players and the club on their journey from worst to first.”

Claggan Park directors are said to be enthusiastic and behind the partnership and the potential for bringing in players to boost the club’s Highland League fortunes.

Mr Campbell said: “The strips should be with us in the next few weeks. We will be the best-dressed team in the Highland league.”

Tycoon plots reality TV deal for club

June 24, 2008

SCOTLAND’S FOOTBALL NO-HOPERS MAY FIELDAMERICAN PLAYERS AFTER AGREEING SHIRTSPONSORSHIP

BY KEN JONES

He said: "We're excited to be here for the first home match of the season. We certainly would have hoped for a better result than losing 5-0 to Shetland, but congratulations to them. As far as the strips go, we're as excited as can be to arrive at the field and look out and see the players in the strips.

"They look fabulous and we're excited to be part of the football club, to be part of the town, part of the franchise and part of the community now. Hopefully we can join forces together and together build a great result in the end.

"The strip sponsorship is the first step and we're hoping to use the sponsorship to gain notoriety across Scotland and the UK. We were proud to bring three different strips to Fort William, a yellow kit, black kit and white kit. Hopefully they'll dust out the white kit from time to time.

"We're excited to be able to do the first step of the sponsorship. Of course we're going to use that to spread the word that AmericasteamFC is going to be involved with the Fort William project. The next step is to spread the word, through the strips, and through web advertising doing a lot of what we call viral marketing, targeting of lots of soccer websites in the UK, Europe and the US.

"We have launched the website – [http://www.americasteamfc.com] – and basically the idea is for people to get personally involved with the team, the chance to be very interactive with the club."

"You can sign up from now but we don't officially start until next season but you'll get the benefit of a reduced rate if you sign up between now and the start of next season.

IT is game on for Fort William Football Club's American revolution.

Fantasy football will become a reality from next August when up to a dozen players from the United States will join the Claggan Park squad as part of a unique plan to turn the Highland League basement boys into championship contenders.

American businessman Paul McDonald, owner of Cincinnati-based PMAC Tonight Entertainment, a company which produces sports and entertainment shows, has told the Lochaber News that it is all systems go for his America's Team FC project.

Mr McDonald's plan, reported in the LN in June, is to create an interactive, fan-controlled franchise via the internet. Between now and August 2009, he aims to attract up to 25,000 mem-bers who will be entitled to "manage" the American players who will come to play for Fort William.

Members who sign up to the scheme will be able to pick the players who make the starting line-up and "create strategies and formations". Overall control would, however, remain in the hands of the team manager.

Negotiations are ongoing in the US to create a reality televi-sion series which will focus on the American players as they attempt to bring Fort William FC "from worst to first". The series would follow the players' exploits both on and off the pitch.

The first stage of the American deal has been concluded and has seen the Claggan Park team presented with three new sets of strips emblazoned with the TeamAmericasFC.com logo. This website has now gone live.

Mr McDonald (43), whose ancestors are from Lochaber, returned to Claggan at the weekend to present the new strips and take in the North of Scotland Challenge Cup match against Shetland. Unfortunately Fort crashed to a 5-0 defeat. Mr McDonald also took in Tuesday evening's home match against Rothes in the North Cup, with Fort succumbing to a 3-0 loss.

He was accompanied on his trip by Aaron Woesner, director of e-commerce and web design with PMAC Entertainment.After Saturday's match, Mr McDonald took time out to speak to the Lochaber News.

Stars and StripsBy Stuart TaylorPublish: 14 August, 2008

giving members the chance to help pick the starting eleven, to choose the five who go on the bench. The manager will have latitude to make changes during the match as they see fit but it will bring people a lot closer to the action than they ever have before.

"Certainly there are a lot of Americans and a lot of people across the world who think nothing of spending £30 or £50 every month playing fantasy sports. It's a $3.1 billion industry now so we're hoping that we can give them something a lot more real versus something that's fake.

"We will offer them something different. It will be unique and something with an American flavour. It will be something that has never been tried before." Mr McDonald believes Fort William FC can only gain from the deal and is optimistic the local populace will take the concept to its heart.

He said: "Hopefully the club will gain some exposure, they'll gain some notoriety and they'll have some folk come out to play football for them who didn't want to play football for them before. Certainly the club will have some better finances to attract and sign some better players, some extra coaches.

"For the town this could lead to extra tourism with people coming to the area to see the team, to see the players. Certainly, if we can take a team which loses 5-0 to Shetland and turn them into contenders for the Highland League then I think we'll be able to give the people of the town somethinfun to come out and watch hopefully give the kids some heroes and something to look forward to on a Saturday afternoon.

"You want to see a stadium full of kids and families on a Satur-day, especially on a nice day. The idea is that we want to give something back to the community that they are proud of." Since the news of his plans for Fort FC first broke in June, Mr McDonald says reaction has been on the whole positive.

"The response in Scotland and the UK has been a lot more positive than negative. I even got an email from a local guy, a sports officer in the area who works with youngsters and who just wanted to wish us all the best.

"The vast majority of folks who really know what is going on here at Fort William, who really know the situation, I would say it has been on the whole positive feedback."

"But this is not anything like that. Certainly, the contract which has been signed between my company and the Fort William committee states that any decision to look at moving up to the Scottish league, which of course is pretty unreal to think about at this time, is not up to me, it will be up to them.

"It's not even on my radar but if the committee wanted that to happen then that would be entirely their decision to make."

"What we want to do is encourage folks to sign up early and participate into the club and the funds that we generate from that will help bring more players and better facilities here to Fort William."

Mr McDonald said that since his first trip to Fort William in May, his company has been building a management team, acquiring resources and domain sites, as well as recruiting financial and business experts. "Another big step was getting someone in America who understands the rigours of High-land League football and there is no better representative for that than John McGinlay who has agreed to help attract and recruit players on the American side," said Mr McDonald.

"Of course the whole idea is to bring up to 12 American players over here and John will be instrumental in being able to identify and scout the right talent who will be able to come over here and perform on the field. He knows what it takes to win and he knows what it takes to play at this level so I am putting my faith and trust in him being able to find the right type of players.

"We have eyed some players already but if John tells me no, he's not going to cut it', then I'm going to believe in John."Everyone is waiting to see who jumps in first but we haven't been pushing hard yet until we are sure what kind of finan-cial return we can guarantee folk – both for the players here in Scotland and the ones coming over from the States.

"But we're probably going to have an answer for that in the next couple of weeks. By the time we come back here with the video crew in late September, early October, we could be able to be a little more aggressive in our recruiting efforts."

So, what is the big idea?Mr McDonald said: "Americasteamfc.com is a chance similar to one provided to a non-league side in England a few years ago. It's a similar concept, though we want to take it a few steps further, both on the interactivity level by giving people a say in who plays and what strategies are used as well as other interactivity levels with the players and coaches.

"But we want to bring it forward and bring it more into people's lives and into the living room both through the website, video-on-demand and through television. We do have a number of production companies interested and the nucleus of the idea was to turn it into a reality television series. "We do have a lot of people who are very interested in that concept, who love the idea of a half-Scottish, half-American mix and are very interested to see what comes of that.

"Even if the TV deal wouldn't happen; although my lawyers seem confident it's a done deal, let's just pretend it doesn't – even with the website alone we can guarantee this will be a financial success and guarantee a return for Fort William. However this turns out, this will be profitable for Fort."He added: "This is about interaction with a football club,

s.taylor@lochaber-news.co.uk

IN the annals of British football, the club is in the running to be theworst ever.

The unfortunate player wearing the goalie's jersey for Fort William FC pickedthe ball out of the net an aston-ishing 158 times last season. At the same time, the Highland League side's forwards managed to score only 16goals.

Unsurprisingly, The Fort - as the club is known to its handful of longsuffering-supporters - finished bottom of the table with a measly three points.

All the more surprising, then, that Fort William, which plays its home games inthe shadow of Ben Nevis, is at the centre of bizarre proposals to make it thestar of an American reality TV show. A U.S. businessman is behind plans whichwould turn the Claggan Park outfit into a fancontrolled team where supportersare given the chance to pick the team and decide on tactics.

As part of the deal, ten young American players will be sent to theInverness-shire town to play for the club. The players who are chosen by the viewers will be sent to Fort William - one ofthe wettest towns in Scotland - to stay in purpose-built accommodation at thefoot of Ben Nevis.

Last night, club officials were remain-ing tight-lipped about the scheme butadmitted they were due to be spon-sored by an American entertainment firm run byPaul McDonald.

Worst team in Scotland selected to star on U.S. reality TV; Lochaber show more: Fort stars appear on American reality TV Holding the Fort: Paul McDonaldPublished Date: June 24, 2008 The Daily Mail By Steven Henry

Fort William FC chairman James Camp-bell said: 'There are other things to comewhich will be beneficial for us but, at this moment, it would be wrong for meto discuss them.

“There's a long way to go but we are encouraged by this, because the proposalcould help our players - and theirs. It will give our club a bit of a boost andI think it will be good for the Highland League.' Despite their appall-ingrecord, Fort William attracted the attention from Cincinnati-based PMAC TonightEntertainment LLC.

Mr McDonald is the owner of the firm, which has a page on its websiteadver-tising 'America's Team FC' - the creation of 'America's firstfan-controlled' franchise via the internet. It states that members, who pay afee, will be entitled to manage the Americans in Fort William.

They will be able to pick the players who play and 'create strategies andfor-mations', according to the PMAC web-site. Money raised will be reinvested in the football club, it adds.

Last night, the Highland League's secretary John Grant said he was unaware ofthe plans.

He said: 'We have heard nothing about it so we are in the dark as much asan-yone. All I would say is good luck to them if it comes off because they have-been on a bad run for a few seasons now.' Mr McDonald, whose family roots arein Lochaber, was a spectator at one

of the team's last matches and is thoughtto have approached club officials with his proposals.

The first step is a new kit sponsorship deal, which will see the club's shirtsfea-ture the logo Americas- TeamFC.com. In April, Mr McDonald told the High-landLeague website that his ancestors are from the Lochaber area - they went to

America in the 1850s. He said: 'I have been a Scottish football fan for most ofmy adult life - and, as much as I enjoy the Old Firm matches, I love the energ-yand passion of the "smaller" teams as well.

'I had not been to Scotland for ten years but the area round Fort William hasalways been dear to us.' A similar scheme was used in the recent take-over atEbbsfleet United, a non-league club based in Gravesend, Kent.

It was acquired by MyFootball- Club.co.uk that now has 21,000 member/owners whoare involved in running the club - with 2,000 of those registered based inScotland.

Fort William joined the Highland League in 1986 but the side has finishedbottom 11 times since. They play at the stunning Claggan Park, right at the foot of Ben Nevis. The average crowd is 150 with the record attendance 1,500. Th club has yet to win any major honours and struggles to compete with shintyfor popularity.

An American millionaire with family roots in Glencoe sealed a sponsorship deal with Highland League side Fort William FC at the weekend.

Paul MacDonald, 43, who runs PMacTonight Entertainment in the US, has vowed to lift the club “from worst to first" in the table under the banner of “America’s Team FC”.

Fort William finished bottom of the Highland League last season with just one win – and no draws – in 28 games. And on Saturday they were hammered 5-0 at home by Shetland, a team not even in the Highland League, in the North Region Challenge Cup.

Cincinnati-based Mr MacDonald was a spectator at one of the club’s final matches of the season in May and afterwards told club bosses he wanted to base a US television reality show around them.

The deal includes drafting in a contingent of young American players to complement Fort's existing squad, and upgrading the club’s Claggan Park ground. Mr MacDonald presented Fort William with three sets of Nike strips and tracksuits yesterday. The new Fort FC shirts feature the logo AmericasTeamFC.com

The three-year sponsorship arrangement will see Fort receive a monthly “licence fee” of around £3,500. Club chairman James Campbell said: “Paul MacDonald is here for a few days and he'll take in the Claggan Park match on Tuesday, when we play Rothes. During that time we shall be sitting down to discuss the Team America plans.”

Mr MacDonald, whose Glencoe forebears emigrated to America in the 1850s, said: “I'm delighted to be here today.

“Our strips look fantastic. I'm looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Fort William FC, albeit we are disappointed by today's result. We're sure better times are ahead for the team.”

US millionarie vows to life Scottishfootball club from ‘worst to first’

Sunday 24 August 2008

NEW SPONSOR AIMS TO BRING IN YOUNG AMERICANPLAYERS