England & Wales » homepage: Recent news

The upcoming Champions League final, to be contested by FC Bayern München of the Bundesliga and Chelsea FC of the Premier League, has been billed in some quarters not just as a clash of two outstanding teams, but of two differing models. In the first of two articles focusing on Saturday's game, we unpick just what people mean when they refer to the 'German Model'. 

Head of SD Scotland

Supporters Direct Scotland

Based in Glasgow

Below is the latest Supporters Direct media briefing, rounding up a selection of news and opinion on some of the issues that have made headlines over the last fortnight.

"We don't need SLOs because our clubs are too small," is a commonly held view that does not quite stand up to closer inspection. The principles of supporter liaison hold true whether a club attracts attendances of 500 or 50,000, as was underlined by a recent case in Luxembourg, where all 14 BGL Ligue clubs have now appointed an SLO. In the run-up to the recent top-of-the-table matchup between CS Grevenmacher and Jeunesse Esch there were fears (for the first time ever in Luxembourg) that the game would be marred by clashes between rival supporters.

Amid lurid media speculation, the two clubs and their respective SLOs and safety officers did an excellent job preparing for the match. Supporter groups were consulted and a security concept was worked out with the police. As a result of the measures taken, the game, which attracted a large crowd by Luxembourg standards of about 1,500, passed off completely without incident.

The April 28th-May 5th edition of The Economist contains an article entitled "Crowdfunding football: Buy this team", which can be viewed online by clicking here.

Supporters Direct's response to the article has been sent to The Economist, and can also be viewed below.  

The Federation of Stadium Communities (FSC) has worked with a number of Supporters' Trusts in recent years on heritage projects. The process has helped to develop new relationships with a range of different agencies including positive ways to work with clubs themselves. The two most recent projects - Shrews Tales and More which finished in December last year and Swinton Lions Tales and More which finishes in October this year - have created sustainable resources that will be used in the community, keeping the profile of the club visible and celebrated for generations to come.

1 May 2012

Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) presented their Fans' Plan to the Chief Executives of the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Scottish Premier League (SPL), and Scottish Football League (SFL) atHampdenParkon 26 April 2012. 

Supporters Direct (SD) today confirmed that Alasdair Galloway and Colin Pike have resigned from their positions as elected members of the SD Scottish Council, stating disagreements with SD over the last six to nine months.

A 1-0 victory at home to Ilfracombe Town was enough to secure the Western Football League Premier Division title and promotion to the Southern League for Merthyr Town F.C this Saturday. With just one postponed match remaining at Wells City tonight, the Martyrs are guaranteed to finish at least one clear of Bitton. 

Supporters Direct (SD) today confirmed that Alan Harris has resigned from his position as an elected member of the SD Board and from the SD Scottish Council, of which he was Chair.

Our Club is at the dawn of a bright new future as it enters the play-offs for promotion back to the Football League.

As our thoughts drift to Wembley and promotion back to the Football League, we start thinking about the future of our Club; a future which we all hope will be a successful and sustainable one after years of disappointment on and off the pitch. Promotion is what we all dream of, but we also need to transform our Club into a sustainable business, regardless of which league we are in.

WST has been working with Supporters’ Direct for over 12 months on a community share scheme designed to help us re-structure the business in the short-term and to grow it in the medium to long-term. This scheme is the first of its kind to be launched at a football club in the UK, so WST is once again leading the way in innovative new models of football club ownership.

Below is the latest Supporters Direct media briefing, rounding up a selection of news and opinion on some of the issues that have made headlines over the last fortnight. 

AFC Rushden & Diamonds' debut season ended in triumphant style this past weekend, with the club's Under-18 side defeating AFC Kempston Rovers 4-1 in the final of the Northants Senior Youth League knock-out Cup, held at Steel Park in Corby and attended by a crowd of almost 500. 

Supporters Direct welcomes today’s agreement by the Football League and its clubs for the introduction of a Financial Fair Play framework and continuation of the Salary Cost Management Protocol, which will operate in the Championship, League One and League Two from the beginning of the 2012/13 season. 

The framework aims to: “reduce the levels of losses being incurred at some clubs and, over time, establish a league of financially self-sustaining professional football clubs.” In the Championship, clubs have used UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations as the basis for a break-even approach, whilst Leagues One and Two will adhere to the Salary Cost Management Protocol.

Tom Hall, Head of Policy and Development at Supporters Direct, said: "Since 1992, there have been 92 insolvencies in the top five divisions of English football. This framework represents a necessary step in combating the financial difficulties that have become all too common throughout the pyramid." 

In a time of continuing economic uncertainty, it is essential that football adopts more responsible business practices, and embraces good governance, in order to preserve clubs as valuable community assets. Supporters Direct therefore commends the Football League and its member clubs for agreeing this framework, and looks forward to the continued development of a more sustainable game; in the UK and Europe. 

----------ENDS---------- 

Last Friday saw the first steering committee meeting for the EC-funded project, ‘Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership'; which Supporters Direct is taking part in, along with nine partner organisations representing football supporters from across Europe. 

Press Association Images, the leading sports content supplier, has agreed a partnership programme with Supporters Direct (SD), the organisation tasked with promoting supporter engagement and fan ownership.

The partnership will see Press Association imagery support SD’s new website and newsletter communications. Targeted at promoting the work of their members which include The Swans Trust, FC United, AFC Wimbledon and Exeter City, the site will be launched before their Fans Weekend in July. 

------ENDS------

Supporters Direct (SD), the UK and Europe wide body based in London that has supported 30 supporters’ trusts in Scotland to own shares in their football clubs, commented today on the vote taken by their Scottish members on the 1st April to retain their membership of Supporters Direct.

Yesterday Supporters Direct together with their partners Football Supporters Europe (FSE), and the Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE) met UEFA President Michel Platini and colleagues at their headquarters in Nyon. For five years in a row now this meeting has promoted an exchange of views and constructive discussion between fan representatives and UEFA.

In response to reports that the Glazers are to revive their failed attempt to float at least part of their Manchester United shareholding on the Singapore Stock Exchange and that this is a precursor to a full sale, MUST chief executive, Duncan Drasdo, said:

"Until we have more detail it is impossible to say with certainty what this will mean for Manchester United or its supporters. However if they are coming back with the same sort of inflated valuation and the same sort ofproposal including non-voting shares then they should expect the same negative response from the market as last time.

Supporters Direct (SD) will team up with The Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) this summer to bring all football supporters together at one big event - The FSF and SD Fans’ Weekend (on twitter: #fansweekend). As part of the Fans’ Weekend both organisations’ AGMs (the FSF’s Fans’ Parliament and the SD AGM) will take place on Saturday 7th July at the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London.

The Fans’ Weekend is kindly supported by The Co-operative Group.

Chris Sliski may not be a name many of you would recognise, but in a way you had met him many times before, and he sadly died at the weekend.

CHESTER have won the Northern Premier League (Evostick North) Premier Division title - their second title in a row.

Following the recent announcement that George Rolls has paid off the debt to HMRC which had led to Monday’s winding-up petition being heard, we are now closer to the official takeover of Kettering Town Football Club being completed. The Trust would like to express its gratitude to the Rolls family and Ritchie Jeune for stepping in at this time and helping preserve the future of Kettering Town Football Club.

Below you will find the latest Supporters Direct media briefing, which brings together some of the stories that have been making headlines recently.

FC United highlights women in football with special event this Saturday

Fan-owned, community football club FC United of Manchester is recognising and celebrating the role that women play in football with a special event on Saturday 7 April 2012 called “A Woman’s Place is at the Match”. The event, focusing on the club’s female fans, volunteers and staff by highlighting the roles that they play, is taking place at FC United’s home game against Buxton and will also offer free admission to women via a special voucher.

Politicians in Nantes have unanimously voted to support SD affiliate, a la nantaise, and its project for the community ownership of the famous 'Canaries'.

AFC Wimbledon have become the first football club to be presented with a Big Society award, set up in November 2010 in order "to recognise individuals, groups or organisations that are demonstrating the Big Society in their work or activities." 

Last weekend's Scottish Communities League Cup final between Kilmarnock and Celtic saw Lucy Bruce, who was selected as the winner of the competition to design the logo of the Scottish Football Supporters' Network, attend the match as a guest of the Scottish Football League, organisers of the competition. 

In a joint statement issued this afternoon, European Commission (EC) Vice-President in charge of competition policy Joaquín Almunia and UEFA President Michel Platini have confirmed that UEFA's Financial Fair Play are in line with EU state aid policy, and that both organisations will work together to promote a situation where all professional clubs live within their means, and compete fairly. 

Supporters Direct Scotland, the voice of football supporters’ trusts in Scotland, today publishes The Fans’ Plan – key recommendations to shape the future of Scottish league football based on the results of supporters’ surveys over the past two years and a detailed analysis of the issues facing the game.

The Fans’ Plan calls for:

• greater competition within Scottish league football structures
• equal funding for each team in a league
• support for clubs by central league management to increase the average attendance over a season of 20% by 2016, and achieve an average stadium capacity utilisation of 65% within 10 years
• two leagues of 16 teams, and a qualifying league of 10
• re-introducing the League Cup, with a mini-league qualifying format structured on a geographical basis with four teams in each group
• improved training and professional development for all players including greater use of Modern Apprenticeships and post-career planning
• the establishment and implementation of a strong club licensing scheme

Week after week, millions of football supporters across Europe are making a huge contribution to football beyond ticket and merchandise sales - through creative visual and acoustic means of support. In recognition of this, Football Supporters Europe have launched the Choreo Trophy, the first award of its kind for supporter choreographies. 

Supporters of fan-owned, co-operative football club FC United of Manchester are celebrating today after raising over £1.6m from a community share issue to help fund a new football ground and community sports facility in Moston, north Manchester. Reaching the £1.6m target will help the club unlock the grant funding they need to meet the costs of the £4.6m project and enable building to start on the Moston site in the spring.

Norwich City Supporters’ Trust and A la nantaise, l’association des amoureux du FC Nantes, have officially become twinned organisations, in a meeting held at the offices of Supporters Direct, the umbrella organisation for supporters’ trusts.

Today the football authorities issued their joint response to the recommendations of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee Inquiry into Football Governance and the Government's response on improving the regulation and governance of English football. The full response can be viewed by clicking here. 

This past month saw Brøndby IF of Denmark take a step towards greater openness and democracy, with the news that fans of the club will, through Brøndby Support, be represented on the board of the club’s majority shareholder. This is a direct result of the campaigning undertaken by Det Ney Brøndby, a supporters’ group who have been working closely with Supporters Direct over the last twelve months. 

Supporters Direct is going through an exciting phase of evolution, moving to a social enterprise strategy to diversify its funding and increase partnership working.  This role is a fantastic opportunity for a Qualified Accountant with significant senior management experience to join an energetic and forward thinking organisation

Below you will find the latest Supporters Direct media briefing, which brings together some of the stories that have been making headlines over the last fortnight. 

Exeter City Football Club were delighted to put their full support behind the recent International ‘Football v Homophobia’ campaign, which was marked at the club’s recent match against Bury FC at St James Park.

On Saturday February 25th, football supporters, administrators and other stakeholders gathered at the University of Venice Scoletta del Calegheri, to discuss, debate and learn about the role that Italian football supporters can play in the governance and ownership of their clubs. 

With the Olympic and Paralympic Games fast approaching, sport has rarely had a higher profile in England and Sport England wants to build on this. 

FC United closes in on £1.6m community shares target  to help finance new football ground and community facility in Moston

Supporters of fan-owned football club FC United of Manchester have raised over £1.5m in community share income, leaving just £94,000 of their £1.6m shares target to raise to help fund a community sports facility in Moston, north Manchester.

As part of its commitment to continuous improvement, the Board of Directors has recently approved a code of conduct for elected members. This Code of Conduct will apply to all Directors and Council/Advisory Body members. The new code is here. 

The Brakes Trust (Leamington FC Supporters' Co-operative) is once again running the Citizen of the Year Awards in South Warwickshire. Now in its second year, this is the campaign to find a local unsung hero, someone who brightens the lives of others around them for little or no reward.

Statement from Supporters Direct Scotland on Rangers FC being placed in Administration.

Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) regrets to note that Rangers FC has appointed administrators to deal with its financial affairs. The effects of this process on the employees and players are distressing and our thoughts are with those facing such an uncertain future.

As others have commented the financial dealings of the club have brought it to the situation where its very existence is in doubt. No matter how much supporters want to see the best players play for their club few, when given the choice, are willing to sacrifice the long term viability of the club they support to see short term success.

This is not the first club in Scotland to enter Administration and SDS continues to call for stronger regulation of the sport. While some lessons have been learned fundamentally the conditions still exist for clubs to overspend year-on-year threatening not only their own viability but the viability of other clubs and crucially the sporting integrity of the league. This is why SDS supports UEFA's Financial Fair Play initiative.

SDS also believes that the community should have a far bigger say in the running of their club. If anything positive can come out of this crisis we hope that, should the club be saved, supporters and the community will have a meaningful stake in the future of the club and that the club takes a lead in the reform of football finances in Scotland.

We are sure that all Rangers supporters will rally round the club and do what they can in order to safeguard its future. We further hope that they join the Rangers Supporters' Trust or any combined representative body and make their voices heard in the same way as countless other Scottish football fans have done over the last decade and more.

ENDS