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The board of directors of Supporters Direct
(SD) meeting in emergency session
yesterday, Saturday 11th June, expressed
confidence in its past and continuing role in
promoting the supporter trust movement - a model of
football ownership that allows fans to re-engage with their
local clubs, and begin the process of putting the
community back at the heart of the football and other
sports clubs.
The emergency session was called to discuss a possible crisis in
the funding of the organisation (founded in 2000).
On Wednesday 8th June 2011 SD was informed by the Football
Stadia Improvement Fund, administrators of the Premier League
Fans' Fund, that it would not be making an offer to fund SD.
The reason given was the FSIF's concern over a number of
tweets posted by SD chief executive on his personal account
on twitter.com during the evening of Saturday 21 May 2011. SD
has deplored the comments and disassociated itself from them
completely.
The SD board took the following decisions at its emergency
meeting:
1) To accept the resignation from office of chief executive Dave
Boyle;
2) To appoint Brian Burgess as acting chief executive from
Saturday 11 June 2011;
3) To establish an executive committee of the board consisting
of three directors and the acting chief executive to steer the
organisation during the current funding crisis;
4) To begin work on protecting the organisation's activities in
rugby league, Scotland and in the rest of Europe for which it
receives funds from other partners including the Scottish
Government, UEFA and the Rugby Football League;
5) To seek early discussions with the Premier League Fans' Fund
with a view to resubmitting its application which was
acknowledged by the FSIF to have merit that would have
attracted funding, whilst also pursuing other possibilities and
sources of funding.
Commenting on the situation SD chair Dame Pauline Green said:
"The development of Supporters Direct over the past ten years
has seen the trust movement grow and make a substantial
contribution to a significant number of football clubs and their
local communities. We have also made an impact in other sports
such as rugby league.
"As an example the promotion to the Premier League of
Swansea City, in which the supporters' trust is the third largest
equity investor in the club with 19.99% of the shares, makes it
the first club at the top level to have a substantial trust
shareholding. In Scotland, Dundee FC is now under supporter
ownership.
"The trust movement must now take stock and reflect on how it
can most effectively contribute to the development of a
healthy, more sustainable football industry at all levels.
"The Annual General Meeting and conference in Chester on 15th
and 16th July will be an opportunity for us to debate this with
our members and the wider football public."
ENDS
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