Supporters Direct briefing Oct 29th – latest news from Supporters’ Trusts around the country
PST Named Preferred Bidders for Portsmouth FC
“After extensive discussions over the past few weeks, we have today nominated Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust as the preferred bidder for Portsmouth Football Club”
Thursday 18th October saw the above statement released by PKF, administrators of Portsmouth FC. Needless to say, this is a landmark moment for PST, the club, the Trust movement and football supporters as a whole. There is much work to do, but all the praise that has been directed towards PST in days following the announcement is fully deserved. This article by Penny Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth North, sums up just why their bid is the best option for the club and wider Pompey community.
Look out for a PST special edition of the SD News Mail later this month. In the meantime, make sure you are following PST on Twitter for all the latest updates.
Trust News
Premier League and Championship Groups off and running
October 11th saw the Premier League Supporters’ Trust group meet for the third time at SD’s offices in London. A number of issues relevant to the Premier League were discussed, including the introduction of Supporter Liaison Officers, possible joint projects, and establishing a structured relationships between Trusts and clubs. To find out more, please contact Tom Hall.
The following evening saw the first meeting of the newly-established Championship Supporters’ Trust Group in Birmingham. Once terms of reference and objectives for the group had been agreed, the discussion turned towards potential collective action, and the importance of establishing a better understanding of what new requirements in the area of Financial Fair Play and Supporter Liaison Officers will mean for Trusts and clubs. To find out more, please contact Kevin Rye.
AST delivers account analysis ahead of AGM
Earlier this month the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust produced their annual analysis of the club’s latest set of accounts, for the year ending May 31st 2012. The analysis examined the club’s business model, the overall financial outlook, and the potential impact of Financial Fair Play. To view the analysis in full, visit the AST website. AST were also represented at Arsenal’s AGM on October 25th, thanks to their Fanshare Scheme.
More publicity for WST’s Community Share scheme
Wrexham Supporters’ Trust’s Community Shares scheme has attracted over £100,000 of investment from a range of supporters, and the scheme received some more publicity from an unlikely source – ITV programme The Chase. Watch the first two minutes of the programme to see what one contestent would spend his winnings on. To find out more about the scheme, visit WST’s website.
Northwich Victoria Supporters’ Trust members to vote on new club
It has been announced that the members of Northwich Victoria Supporters’ Trust will vote next month on whether to start a supporter owned club, in the face of the current club’s ongoing problems. To find out more, click here.
FCUM supporting Mental Health Football at Ordsall Fit City
The Mental Health Football project is an ongoing community health session that FC United have been supporting on a regular basis every Friday throughout 2012, with first team player Carlos Roca a regular at Ordsall Fit City. To find out more, visit the Community section of FCUM’s website.
Chester FC ready to Go Pink once again
For the third year running, Chester FC will be showing their support for the Breast Care Unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital with Go Pink 3. There will be a number of fundraising activities centred around the club’s home game against Histon on Saturday October 26th – to find out more, visit the Chester FC website.
Barnet Trust meet Chairman over ground issue
The Barnet Supporters’ Trust have confirmed that following discussions with club chairman Tony Kleanthous, the two parties are in agreement on the ongoing stadium issue, and the long-term interests of Barnet FC. To find out more about this and the Trust’s new membership initiatives, visit their website.
Cambridge Fans United team up with local curator to put on historic exhibition
Between October 11th-20th, visitors to Cambridge Central Library were able to view an exhibition depicting Cambridge United’s history from its formation to the present day.
The exhibition, developed and coordinated by Cambridge Fans United and a local curator, with funding from the local Council, was illustrated with collections from local fans, as well as the photograph and archive collections at the Cambridgeshire Collection, based in the Central Library. To find out more about the 100 Years of Coconuts project, contact David Matthews-Jones or visit the website.
Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust call for formal relationship
Following a survey of supporters on a variety of issues, Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust have issued some insightful comments on recent events at the club, and laid out the case for the Trust to develop a structured relationship with NUFC. To find out more, visit their website.
Merthyr Town FC celebrate club history with Hall of Fame evening
Supporter owned Merthyr Town FC celebrated the careers of two club legends last month, at their annual Hall of Fame evening. To read more about Albert Lindon and Ken Tucker, please visit Martyrs to the Cause. Earlier that day, MTFC also used a recent home match against Abingdon United to show their support for anti-racism efforts in football.
Enfield Town to launch Enfield Football Tales
Enfield Town have announced that they are to work in partnership with The Beth Johnson Foundation on Enfield Football Tales, a project aimed at capturing and recording stories and memories people have of the clubs and football in Enfield. The project will be launched on November 25th – to find out more, click here.
News from Scotland
Scottish Football Fans gain new voice with launch of Fans’ Parliament
A new initiative to gain a wider view of Scottish football fans’ opinions on issues of national importance throughout Scotland has been launched by Supporters Direct Scotland, as has the new website Scottish Fans. The ‘Fans Parliament’ initiative will allow a two way communication with all fans of all clubs, from senior to amateur and in every community in the country, to help Supporters Direct Scotland gather fans’ views on issues of national importance. To find out more, click here, and follow Scottish Fans on Twitter.
Scottish Fans on the road
As part of the drive to ensure that as many Scottish football supporters have their say on the future of the game as possible, Scottish Fans have announced a series of roadshows. These will be held over the next month in Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Falkirk and Glasgow. For more details, visit the Scottish Fans website.
Welcome Mark Reid!
SD Scotland has gained a new member of staff this month, with Mark Reid joining the team as Project Manager. Mark most recently worked at Celtic FC as a Senior Football Development Officer where he oversaw Celtic’s UK wide grassroots football programmes. He has also worked on a range of programmes tackling issues such as Health and Well Being, Youth Engagement and the Old Firm Alliance Programme. Welcome Mark!
Tackling Sectarianism: Sharing Good Practice conference
Head of SD Scotland Paul Goodwin will be attending this event on November 27th, at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow. The conference offers the chance to draw upon good practice in schools and communities in dealing with prejudice.
Council Election Results
Congratulations to Elaine Millar, Allan Wilson and Craig Wilson, who have been elected to the SD Scottish Council for terms of three years, three years and one year respectively.
News from Europe
SD Europe to launch position paper at the European Parliament
On November 7th, SD Europe will launch its first position paper at an event held at the European Parliament in Brussels. We have produced this paper in order to set out evidence of how supporter involvement and ownership can improve the game across Europe.
The paper covers a range of issues, including improving governance, improving financial sustainability, and reducing violence/discrimination.
As well as launching the paper on November 7th, we will host a roundtable moderated by Raphael Honigstein, a journalist at The Guardian and Süddeutsche Zeuting, and featuring David Lampitt, William Gaillard (Senior Adviser to the President, UEFA), Emanuel Medeiros (CEO, European Professional Football Leagues), and Christian Müller (CEO, Dynamo Dresden).
To find out more about SD Europe, please contact Ben Shave, or visit the Europe section of our website.
Irish Workshop on the horizon
On November 10-11th, the first workshop of the European Commission-funded project, Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership, will be held in Ireland. Coordinated by project partners Friends of the Rebel Army Society (the supporters’ trust who own Cork City FC), the workshop will see a number of groups from across the country come together and discuss the best way forward for the supporter ownership movement in Ireland.
To find out more about the EC project, visit our website.
Fondazione Taras celebrate Election Day
SD Europe recently visit Taranto in Italy, to participate in the ‘Election Day’ weekend organised by Fondazione Taras, the supporters’ trust at Taranto FC 1927. Formed in April, the Trust are now a key part of the club, with two directors on the board, a ‘golden shareholding’ with rights attached to it, and a range of day-to-day responsibilities. They have also just become affiliated members of SD. To find out more click here, and follow Fondazione Taras on Twitter.
TamU-K promoted!
Earlier this month, TamU-K, a club set up and wholly owned by supporters following the demise of Tampere United, secured promotion from the Finnish seventh division in dramatic fashion. To find out more about their story, visit their website.
News from Europe
SD Europe to launch position paper at the European Parliament
On November 7th, SD Europe will launch its first position paper at an event held at the European Parliament in Brussels. We have produced this paper in order to set out evidence of how supporter involvement and ownership can improve the game across Europe.
The paper covers a range of issues, including improving governance, improving financial sustainability, and reducing violence/discrimination.
As well as launching the paper on November 7th, we will host a roundtable moderated by Raphael Honigstein, a journalist at The Guardian and Süddeutsche Zeuting, and featuring David Lampitt, William Gaillard (Senior Adviser to the President, UEFA), Emanuel Medeiros (CEO, European Professional Football Leagues), and Christian Müller (CEO, Dynamo Dresden).
To find out more about SD Europe, please contact Ben Shave, or visit the Europe section of our website.
Irish Workshop on the horizon
On November 10-11th, the first workshop of the European Commission-funded project, Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership, will be held in Ireland. Coordinated by project partners Friends of the Rebel Army Society (the supporters’ trust who own Cork City FC), the workshop will see a number of groups from across the country come together and discuss the best way forward for the supporter ownership movement in Ireland.
To find out more about the EC project, visit our website.
Fondazione Taras celebrate Election Day
SD Europe recently visit Taranto in Italy, to participate in the ‘Election Day’ weekend organised by Fondazione Taras, the supporters’ trust at Taranto FC 1927. Formed in April, the Trust are now a key part of the club, with two directors on the board, a ‘golden shareholding’ with rights attached to it, and a range of day-to-day responsibilities. They have also just become affiliated members of SD. To find out more click here, and follow Fondazione Taras on Twitter.
TamU-K promoted!
Earlier this month, TamU-K, a club set up and wholly owned by supporters following the demise of Tampere United, secured promotion from the Finnish seventh division in dramatic fashion. To find out more about their story, visit their website.
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