[Archived] FSF and club ownership

[Neil Weaver]

Was just catching up with the Blackpool game thread and was reminded of this email I got the other day.  Expect a few others here have received it, but for anyone who hasn't.....

T Quote The Football Supporters' Federation and Supporters Direct have set up a joint working party to look in detail at the changes we would like to see introduced into the rules of the FA, and/or other football bodies and/or Company law to prevent the problems we have seen caused by owners at a number of our historic clubs. Many of these problems have been outlined in the paper produced by Supporters Direct which was discussed in a workshop at the Supporters Summit in July 2017 and elsewhere. We recognise that each club is different and these problems have had different causes but are keen to identify regulatory changes which would eliminate them in future.  We have been promised access to the FA Board to present our detailed proposals when this work is complete. It is important that we produce detailed, robust, achievable and relevant proposals which we can defend and which would have a real effect.   We would be very grateful if you could let us know what rule or legal changes you think would have prevented, or at least reduced, the problems at your club. Please be as specific as you can and outline the reasons why you think the changes you have proposed would have prevented or mitigated those problems.  It would be very helpful if you could let us know your ideas, proposals and views by 15th December to info@fsf.org.uk subject heading 'FA Regulatory Changes'.  Thank you very much for your help.  Malcolm Clarke Chair of the Football Supporters' Federation

Are the Trust, WMC folk etc aware of this?  Anything needed from the wider fan base?

[Dreams of 1995]

Fan representation at board level is essential if we want to try and combat the greedy, corporate business moguls that are bastardising the beautiful game.

Clubs should stop being treated as a jewel in some oligarchs portfolio but as a community asset. The only way to ensure this is to have members from that very community have more insight into the clubs inner workings. If an owner is truly acting in the clubs' interest it should be no issue to him to give a fan an unpaid seat at the board table.

 

[JBiz]

2 hours ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Fan representation at board level is essential if we want to try and combat the greedy, corporate business moguls that are bastardising the beautiful game.

Clubs should stop being treated as a jewel in some oligarchs portfolio but as a community asset. The only way to ensure this is to have members from that very community have more insight into the clubs inner workings. If an owner is truly acting in the clubs' interest it should be no issue to him to give a fan an unpaid seat at the board table.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22625160

I know it’s an old article but to add to what you are saying, the German 50+1 model is something that (whilst unrealistic to be applied now) our FA could learn from.

[OscarRaven]

All FA affiliated clubs should have supervisory boards made up of fans and owners representatives, my proposal would be the following:

Supervisory Board

Six suitably qualified fan elected seats and 6 shareholder (owner) elected seats. Chairperson elected by the 12-person supervisory board from the 6 shareholder representatives (only fair given the capital involved). The Chairperson has the deciding vote in event of any vote tie and is responsible for the frequency of  meetings (minimum. 2 pear year). The supervisory board can also be requested to meet by the board of directors. Minutes are confidential and supervisory board members are bound by confidentiality agreements.

Role of supervisory board:

• Appoint/remove decide on composition of a club's board of directors and remuneration (BOD)

• Approve appointment or removal of first team manager when recommended by BOD

• Sanction / approve annual operating budget (or changes)

• Monitor the performance of the board of directors and advise as necessary

• Meet 2-4x per year

Role of Board of Directors:

• Operational running of the football club

• Meet monthly and report to supervisory board as needed (2-4x per year)

• Recommend budgets and shareholder dividend payments

• Recommend appointment or removal of first team manager

While this does not tip the balance from owners to fans, it is a good first step to better fan representation and better governance of football clubs.

[Norbert Rassragr]

Maybe if a club receives a winding up order or goes into administration a German style 50+1 rule is automatically proposed or imposed should it be financially viable. At least until things are on the up. Not that responsible ownership is going to happen. The powers that be want to sell up and make a fast buck in whatever sector.

[Michael Doherty]

Hi

I was at the Supporters Summit in July 2017 and attended this meeting on behalf of Rovers Trust. I know that Mark from BRAG was there too.

I agree with many of the comments above on what we would ideally like to see in the regulatory framework of English football. It is a shame that the shape of that framework will not be decided by FSF/SD but instead by the FA/EPL/EFL authorities. Since taking on a role on the policy/legal side with the Rovers Trust 18 months ago I have tried to keep in mind Bismarck’s maxim that ‘Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable --- the art of the next best’.

For example, the so-called ‘fit and proper person test’ is never going to address the concerns of supporters of clubs like Rovers, Charlton, Coventry etc – even in an enhanced form. I came to a conclusion that an annual licensing scheme was the best and most realistic way of making progress. This is what I said to the Sports Minister when I met her earlier this year and what I have been saying to Supporters Direct.

It is gratifying to know that I am completely unoriginal in this analysis – many people in the supporters’ movement argue along the same lines. The fact that it has actually been implemented in the National Leagues (shamefully -  only two levels below us) shows how realistic and attainable a prospect this is.

It is great to see ‘licensing’ front and centre in the Supporters Direct / FSF discussions and I will continue to press this from a Rovers Trust point of view. Of course, if you want some say in what the Rovers Trust argues in these forums (SD/FSF/football authorities/Government) then you just need to join and let us know. The Rovers Trust is not some external organisation – we are Rovers supporters and we are 100% owned by our members, with a Board elected by them and accountable to them.

http://www.roverstrust.com/registration-page/