England/Wales

Cross party support at launch of Supporters Direct club licensing proposals
Supporters Direct

Westminster Hall debate held on Football Governance (includes video link)
Supporters Direct 

Trust frustrated that CSI administrator continues to ignore fans
Pompey Trust 

Appeal to all fans and the wider Kettering community
Poppies Trust

100 days. 10,000 actions. Do something for your football club!
AFC Telford United

Siobhain McDonagh MP backs ‘historic opportunity for change in football’
Supporters Direct 

County Charity Cycle
Stockport County Supporters’ Co-operative 

The FA Cup Third Round: Wrexham 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (4-5 pens)
Twohundredpercent

Chester FC help firefighters promote road safety message
Chester Chronicle 

Aston Villa set to introduce ‘safe standing area’ at Villa Park
Birmingham Mail 

Community Shares Scheme extension and ground update
FC United

HMRC aim to give elite football ‘a good kicking’ on tax after evasion tip-off
Sporting Intelligence

Supporters Direct

London and South East regional meeting – February 16th
Supporters Direct 

Rugby League development day – February 18th
Supporters Direct 

United Nations International Year of Cooperatives launched
Supporters Direct

Model Supporters
Look Left

Comments & Blogs

A place for supporters on the Saddlers board? 
Express & Star

More questions than answers – further thoughts on the potential Reading FC takeover
The Tilehurst End

Interview with Damian Collins MP (audio)
Beyond the Pitch 

Southampton: Saints Alive
The Swiss Ramble

2011: the year in insolvency events
Football Management

Why Wrexham can look forward as well as back
BBC Sport

A fragmented future? English football broadcast rights and the challenge of Google and Apple
Pitch Invasion

Scotland

Co-operatives debate from Scottish Parliament – mentions SD Scotland (9/2)
The Scottish Parliament

Rangers considers stock market de-listing
Soccerex

St Mirren CIC’ing the habit
Peter Geoghegan 

Europe/World

Supporters Direct endorses UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations
Supporters Direct 

European Parliament vote supports the work of Supporters Direct Europe and its member groups
Supporters Direct  

GUST reject link-up with rivals
Galway City Tribune

Spanish cuts demand fairer TV cash split
Reuters

Neuchatel Xamax thrown out of Swiss league
Soccernet 

Juventus: black night, white light
The Swiss Ramble

Aamulehti: football club faces launder charges
YLE.fi 

SD launches Key Principles for Licensing 

This past Wednesday, SD launched our Key Principles for Football Club Licensing in England in an event at the Houses of Parliament, hosted by Jessica Lee, Conservative MP for Erewash. As well as Ms Lee, there were speeches from Tom Greatrex (Labour, Rutherglen & Hamilton West), the Rt. Hon. Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrats, Old Southwark and Bermondsey) and William Gaillard, Advisor to the President of UEFA, Michel Platini. To read more about the event, click here. 

On a day where the Government’s Health and Social Care Bill was receiving another reading in Parliament, and the voting bells were sounding at regular intervals, the attendance (39 MPs and over 30 representatives from the Trust movement) is a testament to the outstanding efforts from our members to ensure that their local MP was made aware of the event. Our sincere thanks go to all those who gave up their time to attend, or to spread the word about the event. 

Westminster Hall Debate on the CMS Select Committee Report on Football Governance – February 9th

Following Wednesday, it is vital that we maintain the current momentum surrounding our proposals (which have been received warmly by both DCMS and the football authorities) ahead of the Government-imposed deadline for the FA and Premier League to deliver their proposals for reform, on February 29th. 

The Westminster Hall debate scheduled for February 9th, with the CMS Committee Report on Football Governance as the subject, represents the ideal opportunity for the benefits of our proposals to be re-emphasised. We are therefore asking that you urge your local MP to attend the debate, which will begin at 2.30pm. If you have any questions, contact Ben Shave on 020 7273 1937 / 07985 628 215 or via email.

Parliamentary Coverage for the Trust movement
Recent weeks have seen a number of Parliamentarians use their status as Members to highlight issues of relevance to the Trust movement. Richard Burden (Labour, Birmingham Northfield),Andrew Bridgen (Conservative, North West Leicestershire), and Tom Blenkinsop (Labour, Middlesborough South & East Cleveland) all posed questions to Hugh Robertson last week, whilst Siobhain McDonagh (Labour, Mitcham & Morden) tabled an Adjournment Debate on Thursday 26th January, entitled ‘Government Policy on Football Governance and the case of AFC Wimbledon’, the entire transcript of which can be viewed here. 

In addition to this, Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions saw Penny Mordaunt MP (Conservative, Portsmouth North) raised the current plight of Portsmouth FC to David Cameron.

This coverage, combined with the cross-party attendance of Wednesday’s event, reflects the high levels of engagement and support that the Trust movement has secured within Parliament and Government. 

Trust News

Hunslet Independent Supporters’ Trust officially take over their club! 
As of February 1st, the Hunslet Independent Supporters’ Trust has taken over the day-to-day running of Hunslet Hawks RLFC, following the departure of Grahame Liles and Sean Cluderay. The takeover of the Championship One club by the Trust is a deserved reward for the efforts of all those involved, and great credit must go to HIST. Congratulations from everyone at SD! To find out more, visit the club’s website. 

Darlington Supporters’ Trust working with SD 
With Darlington FC now in its fourth insolvency since 1997, the Darlington Supporters’ Trust are working closely with Supporters Direct, investigating whether a community-controlled vehicle can both secure the club’s survival in the short term, and also provide a long-term, sustainable future. Clearly accomplishing such a task will not be easy, and to do so will require buy-in from the club’s supporters and local community alike, but the supporters via their supporters’ trust are seeking a workable solution. 

A relatively substantial amount of financing will be required both for working capital and to bring the club out of its CVA. DST are currently seeking pledges from fans and other possible investors alike. If you feel you or your Trust can help, please contact Tony Taylor. 

Pompey Trust campaigning on all fronts 
In the light of the crisis currently affecting their club, the Pompey Trust are redoubling their efforts in a number of areas. A series of Q & A briefings surrounding Fratton Park and ‘Plan B’ have been published this week, whilst the Pompeys 12th Man initiative has been launched. SD is continuing to work closely with the Trust in this crucial time for their club. For more information, visit the Pompey Trust website. 

HTSA continues Lime Green Campaign 
Following the recent petition of former Chairman Ken Davy to “do the right thing” and return his shares in the Galpharm Stadium for the £2 they were sold for, the Huddersfield Town Supporters’ Association are planning to maintain momentum and resolve the issue which continues to affect their club. To find out more, click here. 

News from Europe

First Supporter Liaison Officer training courses underway 
Having introduced SLOs for clubs in the top two divisions back in 2005, the Swiss Football League have recently launched a brand-new training course, aimed at SLOs from both football and ice hockey. Those involved are required to complete the various components, and from the 2013/14 season, a certificate in the course will be compulsory for all SLOs. To find out more about the SLO project, visit the Supporters Direct website. 

SD Europe handed a boost by European Parliament vote
This past week saw the ‘Fisas’ Report, which sets out the European Dimension in Sport, was ratified by the European Parliament. The report covers a range of issues, and provides strong backing for the work being undertaken by Supporters Direct in Europe, and our members across the contintent. To find out more, click here. 

SD present at SFSU Annual Meeting
SD Head of European Development Antonia Hagemann was among the speakers at the Annual Meeting of the Svenska Fotbollssupporterunionen (SFSU) in Helsingborg on January 28th. SFSU are one of nine partners in the upcoming EC Project being coordinated by Supporters Direct, Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership; and it was this project that was the main topic of discussion. For more information about the project, which is due to begin on March 30th, click here. 

Conference on fan ownership in Italy planned for late February
Scheduled for late February, and sponsored by Supporters Direct, SD affiliate members Venezia United (the supporters’ trust for FBC Unione Venezia), and other local institutions, an upcoming conference on Fan Ownership in Italy is taking shape. Developed with the aim of publicising the progress of the Trust movement in Italy to date, and bringing together both supporters and the football authorities; the event will discuss issues surrounding good governance and supporter involvement at Italian clubs. 

Hapoel Petah-Tikva Trust hold tournament against racism and violence
With the support of Let’s Kick Racism and Violence out of Israeli Football (an initiative founded by the New Israel Fund) and the city council, the Hapoel Petah-Tikva Supporters’ Trust and SD Affilliate members Israfans coordinated a tournament during Hanukkah 2011. Players from the Hapoel Petah-Tikva youth teams joined forces with children from local community centres to form mixed teams. The overall aim was to highlight values of solidarity, tolerance and fair play to the children involved. To find out more about Israfans, visit their website.

We have contacted the club to express these concerns and have been informed that the club are meeting the Police to discuss matters. This initial meeting is between the club and the Police, however we are pressing the club to include fan input into any future meetings as fans’ experiences of being treated in such an inappropriate manner need to be discussed. We have been assured that the club are taking the matter seriously and they wish to be as transparent as possible with fans on the situation.

The Trust has also been in contact with FSF to raise its concerns.

We will of course keep fans updated as and when there are any developments.

The case of Darlington has been well documented, with the club going into administration for the third time as owner Raj Singh felt he could no longer sustain the club – a situation made worse by the fact they are playing in a huge stadium with low crowds. After seeing all of the playing staff being made redundant at the beginning of the week, fans have clubbed together to find enough money to finance the club until the end of the month. Beyond that the situation is unclear. Read more about their siutaiton on the Darlo Trust website here: http://www.darlotrust.co.uk/

Kettering Town have been struggling financially for a while and their plight is as serious as Darlington’s with little clarity on wheteher they will even be able to field a team on Saturday against Wrexham. You can see more details here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16617069.stm

Northwich Victoria have found themselves potentially homeless after their ground was purchased by a chemical manufacturing company, and the club were served notice and told they would no longer be allowed to play at the Victoria Ground with immediate effect. You can read more at the Trust’s website here: http://www.nvfc.co.uk/.

CPST wishes to express its support and backing for all the Trusts involved in helping save their clubs in this difficult time.

Next Tuesday can certainly be called a key game! Richard Wilsher is organising the purchase of some 4,000 balloons for the semi-final scond leg at Cardiff and would welcome any contributions Palace fans can make to the cause!

Please click here to see how you can donate:

http://www.cpfc.org/forums/showthread.php?t=230121&page=5

The Trust has just completed the tender for architectural services for the Training Ground project. This was a very long and thorough process in which over twenty firms submitted applications. A working group was set up to go through each application and whittle this down to just five or so firms to present their ideas in person.

From these interviews the list was further reduced to two firms, with both being reinterviewed. The final decision was to award the tender to TP Bennett. This made sense from a financial perspective as fees were substantially reduced from the original fee, and their desire to work with us in this sector and their understanding of the tight budgets and cash-flows that we will be subject to shone through during the process.

We very much look forward to working with TP Bennett in the near future as we embark together on this exciting project.

Action for Impact, which is being organised by local youth charity Business & Education London South (BELS), will showcase the diverse range of activities and support available to young people who are not in education, employment or training. It will focus on the creative work many young people can get involved in through community based activities tailored to enhance young people’s professional and personal development.

Youth service providers such as Croydon Youth Development Trust, Positive Arts and The Crystal Palace Education Centre will be on hand to showcase their services, which give young people the chance to gain practical experience of film, music, sport, communication and art activities.

Michael Manning Prior, BELS’ chief executive, said:  ”The aftermath of the riots has seen a general negativity towards young people and BELS wants to counter this by highlighting the enthusiasm with which the young people of Croydon embrace the support services provided to help them.

“Most of the young people we work with have disapproved of the riots. Their main concern is to secure their futures through gainful employment,” he added.
Action for Impact will take place on 2 February 2012 at 2.00pm in The Players’ Lounge, Selhurst Park, South Norwood. The event is open to all those interested in or working with young people aged 16-19 and each attendee is encouraged to bring along three young people to share in the enjoyment.

http://www.bels.org.uk/media_bels/BELS_action-for-impact_flyer-A5_print(3).pdf

You can read more about it here:: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15381652.stm

Register your opposition to EPPP by signing the petition which can be found by clicking on this link:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/21314

100,000 signatures means it will need to be debated by MPs in Parliament, and get more of the coverage and debate that it deserves.

Sign up now!

Everyone who completed the CPST survey online or at the most recent Family Day was entered into the draw, and we are delighted to announce the winner is Dave Donnelly. Congratulations! The shirt will be on its way to you soon.

Thanks to everyone that entered, your feedback and thoughts were much appreicated.