A message from Brian Lomax, chairman of Supporters Direct |
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The aim of Supporters Direct is to offer support, advice and information to groups of supporters who wish to play a responsible part in the life of the clubs they support. Football supporters are the lifeblood of the game. The vast majority of supporters see their clubs first and foremost as cherished community assets, built on generations of support from local people and families. Where clubs have been in crisis, more often than not they have been saved by their fans - and emerged all the stronger for it. Clubs - particularly in the lower divisions - cannot sustain losses year after year and that the time has come to find new ways to help them onto a firmer financial footing and enlightened clubs know it is in their own commercial interest to value their supporters and involve them in the affairs of the club. That is the simple philosophy behind our work: supporter involvement in clubs is good for clubs as well as fans. To qualify for our help, supporters' groups must be democratic in their structures and in the way they run their affairs, open to all fans to join at an affordable cost and they must be broadly representative of supporters. The early response to and success of Supporters Direct has surpassed all our expectations. At the time of writing, supporters' groups from 117 football clubs are in contact with us, of which 26 are non-league clubs (with 6 others from the Conference) and 73 of the clubs in the four Professional English divisions. Of these, 21 have now fully established Trusts, with another 14 agreed and preparing to form. Nine clubs already have supporters' representatives of one form or another on their Board of Directors and the same number of trusts have a significant shareholding in the football club. We are achieving our twin aims - a stronger voice for fans, sounder finances for clubs - by offering practical help to fans' groups interested in taking a financial stake in their clubs. We are seeing clubs across the country forging a new relationship between themselves, their supporters and the local community - and I sincerely hope that Doncaster Rovers can join that process. Good luck! Brian Lomax If you would like to know more, please contact us by phone on 020 7631 6740, or by email on enquiries@supporters-direct.org |