22 October – A new initiative which aims to help supporters have a greater say in the running of their club is being set up by the British government in conjunction with the football authorities.
Representatives from supporter-owned clubs such as Portsmouth, AFC Wimbledon and Wrexham will sit on a new panel of experts to find ways of increasing fan involvement.
Portsmouth is the starkest example of a club being driven to extinction after continuous mismanagement by largely foreign owners. The club is now run by a Supporters Trust who took over earlier this year, ending a saga that threatened at one point to send the 115-year-old club out of existence after being plunged in administration twice in three years and suffering back-to-back relegations.
Only 14 English league clubs currently have fan representatives on their board, including Premier League Swansea City, and the new panel will be named the Supporter Ownership and Engagement Expert Group.
“Football fans are the lifeblood of the club they support. Owners, executives and managers may come and go but it is the fans that are the constant, loyally following their clubs through thick and thin,” said British Sports minister Helen Grant.
“We want to see what more we can do to give fans a stronger voice in how their club is run as well as looking at ways in which we can help remove some of the barriers to supporter ownership.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734856080labto1734856080ofdlr1734856080owedi1734856080sni@w1734856080ahsra1734856080w.wer1734856080dna1734856080