Labour pledges to put football fans on club boards if it wins election

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/23/football-labour-general-election

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Labour has vowed to legislate within the first 100 days of a new government to “change the way football is run”, installing fan representatives in boardrooms and giving supporters the opportunity to buy shares if their club changes hands.

The pledge to take immediate action to legislate on the policies, previously announced in the party’s manifesto, is designed to underline its commitment to making practical changes to give fans a greater voice as soon as it gets into power.

“Fans are not mere customers, they are the heart and soul of their clubs. Too often they are treated as an after-thought as ticket prices are hiked up hugely, grounds relocated and clubs burdened with debt or the threat of bankruptcy,” said the shadow sports minister, Clive Efford. “Labour will change the way football is run in England and Wales. We want to ensure fans are heard by the owners of clubs too.”

The promise to ensure at least two positions on every board are voted for by supporters, first outlined by Efford in November , is an attempt to make clubs more accountable to supporters.

In its manifesto the party said: “Football clubs are an important part of many people’s identity and sense of belonging. They are more than just businesses. But despite their importance in the lives of their members and supporters, too often there are no effective means for fans to have a say in how their clubs are run.

“Labour will provide the means for supporters to be a genuine part of their clubs. We will introduce legislation to enable accredited supporters trusts to appoint and remove at least two of the directors of a football club and to purchase shares when the club changes hands. We will also review the role of fan participation in other sports.”

Efford said that new rules would give fans a say on planning applications related to their club’s ground. “Labour will give fans the right to register as interested parties so that they are consulted on any planning applications related to their club grounds,” he said.

“This will not give them a veto but it will give them a voice when a club could be facing extinction at the hands of a predatory owner seeking to profit from the club’s assets with no care for the future of the club.”

The party said it would begin to consult Supporters Direct and the Football Supporters Federation about implementing the policies immediately if it won a majority.

If, under a scheme to allow supporters trusts to buy a slice of shares, a new buyer attempted to buy more than 30% of a club, then up to 10% of the shares being bought in that transaction would have to be offered to the trust at the average price over the previous year.

Under Labour’s plans the automatic option would be capped once a trust had acquired 10% of a club’s shares, although that would not prevent it buying more on the open market.

Labour also promised in its manifesto to force the Premier League to redistribute 5% of its total television income to the grassroots. But the announcement about the action it would take in the first 100 days made no mention of that policy.

The Premier League argues that an earlier agreement to invest at least 5% of its broadcast revenue in the grassroots applies only to its domestic TV income.

It also points to its recent promise to redistribute at least £1bn of its next contract (likely to be worth at least £8bn) outside the top flight.

All the major political parties promised to advance the cause of fan ownership before the last election, which coincided with the meltdown at Portsmouth, a courtroom battle over Liverpool and the height of the green-and-gold protests at Old Trafford.

Just before the 2010 election, the Guardian revealed that the then prime minister, Gordon Brown, had signed off on an ambitious plan to give fans a stake in their clubs.

The coalition agreement promised to explore ideas that would give fans a greater say in how their clubs were run. But little has happened since despite an exhaustive review conducted by the Culture, Media and Sport select committee.

The sports minister, Helen Grant, convened an expert working group with representatives from supporters’ trusts to examine the practical obstacles to greater fan ownership. It is believed to have delivered its interim report shortly before Parliament was dissolved for the election but it has not been made public.