By David Gold
June 12 – Supporters Direct, the group which seeks to encourage fan ownership of sports clubs, could be forced to close down within weeks if the impasse over the organisation’s funding from the Premier League is not resolved.
The organisation’s formal funding ran out last year and an extension was delayed, meaning that they are now using their reserves to fund the cashflow crisis.
Supporters Direct was expecting to receive funding from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), who they had submitted a grant application to, and the Premier League had agreed to fund Supporters’ Direct in the interim until a decision had been made, but insideworldfootball has been told that the organisation has not received any of this money since April.
The Premier League were not available to confirm this allegation, but Supporters Direct was last week told that they would not be given funds from the FSIF after its chief executive Dave Boyle tweeted on the social networking site Twitter, criticising the bible and MK Dons chairman Pete Winkleman, after AFC Wimbledon had won promotion to the Football League.
The organisation confirmed in a public statement that Boyle, who has apologised for the offending tweets, has left, with Brian Burgess made their acting chief executive after an emergency Board meeting took place on Saturday.
The Premier League, whose support through its fans’ fund amounts to approximately £500,000 a year, also effectively control the FSIF’s funding of the organisation as they hold two of the three positions on the committee which allocates grants.
The closure of Supporters Direct, which was set up in 1999, would be a major blow to supporters groups around the country, and they are looking to develop emergency plans to deal with the immediate cashflow crisis.
However the likelihood is that unless the dispute can be resolved and funding restored, Supporters Direct will have to serve their staff notice in the coming weeks.
The organisation works with groups looking to influence the running of the clubs they support through acquiring shares in their teams.
They have helped to save approximately 50 sports clubs from bankruptcy, including Exeter City when they were on the brink of bankruptcy in 2003.
Swansea City, who have just been promoted to the Premier League, are also part owned by their supporters group, who have a 19.99 per cent shareholding in the Welsh club.
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