THST, alongside other supporter groups, welcomes the proposals in the Government’s Expert Working Group Report on Supporter Ownership and Fan Engagement. Anything that promotes structured dialogue between fans and the clubs we support is a positive development.
However, along with our colleagues at the Manchester United and Arsenal Supporters Trusts, we have concerns that the proposals as they currently stand offer little to those clubs not facing insolvency. We believe the Government needs to take a more comprehensive look at football governance, and that the issues and proposals outlined in the piece written for Supporters Direct by THST’s co-chair and MUST’s chief executive should be addressed.
We said in that article: “Football is not a business like any other, and so needs a unique set of rules to be applied to it. The current legal framework does not recognise that Football Clubs are fundamentally different from ordinary commercial businesses in certain key respects. Like commercial companies, they are run by a board of directors and owned by shareholders. Like commercial companies, they have relationships with suppliers and customers and need to take into account the interests of employees. But, unlike most companies, most Football Clubs are integral to the local community. Uniquely, Football Clubs have a very important stakeholder – their supporters – but, unfortunately, the current legal framework does not recognise their existence.”
We still believe that legislative change that strikes the right balance between the long-term interests of football clubs and the short-term interests of their owners is needed. So we add our voices to those calling for a further inquiry into Football Ownership and Governance. The focus of such an inquiry would include reviewing the implementation of the Expert Group’s proposals on supporter engagement and to also take stock of the wider debate about how to improve Football Governance.
We said in that article: “Football is not a business like any other, and so needs a unique set of rules to be applied to it. The current legal framework does not recognise that Football Clubs are fundamentally different from ordinary commercial businesses in certain key respects. Like commercial companies, they are run by a board of directors and owned by shareholders. Like commercial companies, they have relationships with suppliers and customers and need to take into account the interests of employees. But, unlike most companies, most Football Clubs are integral to the local community. Uniquely, Football Clubs have a very important stakeholder – their supporters – but, unfortunately, the current legal framework does not recognise their existence.”
We still believe that legislative change that strikes the right balance between the long-term interests of football clubs and the short-term interests of their owners is needed. So we add our voices to those calling for a further inquiry into Football Ownership and Governance. The focus of such an inquiry would include reviewing the implementation of the Expert Group’s proposals on supporter engagement and to also take stock of the wider debate about how to improve Football Governance.