Trust statement on football governance
The Fulham Supporters’ Trust believes that the response offered by the Premier League, the Football League and the Football Association today to the parliamentary inquiry into football governance is sadly inadequate. The recognition of the benefits of a club licensing system is a positive step, but the football authorities must put forward detailed measures to ensure the sustainability of the clubs up and down the country. With many of the Premier League clubs now hamstrung by debt – and the spectre of Portsmouth still fresh in everyone’s mind – we had hoped that the governing bodies would have enthusiastically embraced the licensing system put forward by Supporters’ Direct.
The supporters remain the lifeblood of the game, and whilst a commitment to ‘consult with supporters’ on the relevant FA boards represents progress, it falls some way short of the Coalition Agreement’s pledge to ‘to support the co-operative ownership of football clubs by their supporters’. We would strongly urge the Government to consider changes in legislation should the proposed reforms fail to deliver genuine power to the fans.
