Labour aim to put fans at the heart of football

RADICAL plans to give football fans a voice in every boardroom and buy a significant slice of the shares when the ownership of their club changes, have been unveiled by the Labour Party and welcomed by Warrington South parliamentary candidate Nick Bent.
Launched at the National Football Museum in Manchester, Labour’s plans represent the biggest legislative shake-up in the governance of English football clubs since the advent of the game. The reforms are just one part of Labour’s ambitious plan to change our country by devolving power to our cities, towns and communities.
The radical plans have been welcomed by Mr Bent, (pictured right) a third-generation Manchester United fan and a Vice-President of Warrington Town FC.
The plan, which has been drawn up in consultation with 95 football supporters’ organisations, would require supporters to come together to form a single accredited trust in return for the right to:
•appoint and remove up to a quarter and not less than two of a football club’s board of directors;
•purchase up to 10 per cent of the shares when a club changes ownership, if they so wish.
Supporters have told ther Labour Party that this is the only way to ensure those running clubs share information, power and responsibility with them. Labour’s proposals mean fans could hold the owners of their club to account on all issues on and off the field including ticket prices, shirt sponsorship, ground naming rights, and changing the colour of the strip or the name.
Mr Bent said: “This is a rugby town with a great local football club, and many of us support a premier league club as well – the big football clubs have a lot to learn from rugby about staying true to their roots and Labour’s plan would give every football fan a voice in the boardroom.”
The Premier League is a hugely successful product, both in footballing terms, but also commercially. But football is more than a business and despite their importance in the lives and communities of their supporters there are currently no effective means for fans to have a say in how their clubs are run or to safeguard their long term interests.
This lack of accountability has led to:
• Supporters’ interests and identity being ignored: from clubs being relocated away from fan-bases (Coventry) to team colours and names being changed to satisfy traditions on the other side of the globe (Cardiff, Hull);
• Debt and insolvency: which have seen some of our oldest football clubs (Portsmouth, Leeds, Birmingham) forced into administration. 36 football league clubs (exactly half the total number of members) have gone into administration since 1992;
• Unsustainably high ticket prices: despite record turnover, average ticket prices in England and Wales remain amongst the highest in Europe – only this week, the BBC’s Price of football survey showed how average prices have risen at almost twice the rate of the cost of living since 2011.
Clive Efford MP, Labour’s Shadow Sports Minister, said: “Only this week, the BBC’s Price of football survey showed how average ticket prices have risen at almost twice the rate of the cost of living since 2011. Football clubs are part of people’s identity and sense of belonging and so it’s right to give fans a real stake in their clubs because Labour believes in sharing power and responsibility with people.”