Fearchar Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 The Greens have come out with a press statement reproduced below. Perhaps it's not just the exclusion of fans from decision-making but also the suspicion that the joint-stock model of a 19th-century company isn't really the best model for the future of football (or, indeed, other sports) clubs. Administration and even liquidation certainly bear that out, but is the Greens' suggestion preferable? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEDIA RELEASE SCOTTISH GREEN MSPs For immediate release 23 January 2014 GREENS SET OUT PLANS TO PUT FANS IN CHARGE OF FOOTBALL The Green MSPs have today submitted proposals to give football fans the first right to buy their clubs. Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian and sport spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, will bring amendments to the Scottish Government's Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill, which Ministers are consulting on until tomorrow (24 Feb). The party's plans are based on the "right to buy" principle established during the rural land reform process, a principle the Scottish Government's legislation seeks to extend to urban land. The first amendment would extend the scope of the Bill beyond land and physical assets to include clubs' membership shares: important as grounds are, it is these shares which give clubs the right to play in the various leagues. Beyond that, the party proposes a number of additional measures to empower fans' trusts, including the right of first refusal when clubs come up for sale, the right to buy a proportion of the shares where they cannot afford the club's full value, and eligibility for Scottish Government funding support. (1) Alison Johnstone MSP said: "Too many Scottish football fans have gone through painful cycles of boom and bust at their clubs, where irresponsible owners run up unsustainable debts in the pursuit of short-term glory, or even simply fail to pay their taxes. Hearts, Rangers and Dunfermline supporters are just the most recent to have been put through the wringer. Quite simply, enough is enough. "Greens believe fans' trusts are most likely to be the most responsible and successful owners for their clubs in the long term, and they should not be treated just like any other buyer for a club. The international examples such as Bayern Munich and Malmo show how well fan ownership can work, just as it already does at Scottish clubs including Clyde FC and Stirling Albion." Paul Goodwin, Head of Supporters Direct Scotland, said: "Community and fan ownership must not be seen simply as a last resort; but as a viable and sustainable route for clubs to adopt. There are of course recent high profile, and impressive, examples of supporters and communities coming together effectively to save their clubs at a time of extreme difficulty, but those are not the only circumstances when fan ownership is appropriate. "There are many other clubs who have either moved into, or are progressing towards, a model of increased community and fan involvement in their clubs without the spectre of doom staring them in the face. At this time we are working with Annan Athletic, Ayr United and Motherwell which demonstrates what we believe to be a new dawn for Scottish football. As we can see in different parts of the world, this model can bring real and positive change to a club and to the communities they are part of." Alison added: "The Community Empowerment Bill is headed in the right direction, but we believe it should go further. Giving communities across Scotland greater control over the assets they rely on is essential for this country's happiness, economic success, and to boost equality. "For Greens, that doesn't just mean land: it means the full range of services that communities depend upon. Football is as good a place to start as any, given the key role clubs so often play in local economies and for local identity. We know these plans are ambitious, but we hope to secure Scottish Government support for the principle of fan ownership, and we will seek to work with Ministers to ensure the most practical and effective legislation possible." Notes 1. The full proposals from Alison Johnstone are available here: http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/publications/ Jason Rose Head of Media Scottish Green Party The Scottish Parliament 0131 348 6360 07500 792995 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 How can a party or a government dictate to a privately owned company that they need to see to the community, and who is going to pay Take Morton, how much has the sweetie man put in from his own pocket in wages and transfer fees, does he just hand this over or will he get his income back? Or the Ross County or St Johnstone chairmen? Who sets the price for what is effectively their business to be effectively nationalised I am a great believer for fan ownership, but this is not the way to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberteeb Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 How can a party or a government dictate to a privately owned company that they need to see to the community, and who is going to pay Take Morton, how much has the sweetie man put in from his own pocket in wages and transfer fees, does he just hand this over or will he get his income back? Or the Ross County or St Johnstone chairmen? Who sets the price for what is effectively their business to be effectively nationalised I am a great believer for fan ownership, but this is not the way to do it. It's talkng about first refusal not forcing people to sell at a certain price. Football clubs should be run by their supporters/communities for the benefit of the supporters/communities. Hats off to the Greens. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 It's talkng about first refusal not forcing people to sell at a certain price. Football clubs should be run by their supporters/communities for the benefit of the supporters/communities. Hats off to the Greens. Sorry read it wrong , I agree with the fans running and owning the club and honestly think it would be to the better of the game (Especially as Rangers would tear themselves apart under fan ownership) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberteeb Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 Sorry read it wrong , I agree with the fans running and owning the club and honestly think it would be to the better of the game (Especially as Rangers would tear themselves apart under fan ownership) ^^ Voting Yes ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 ^^ Voting Yes ^^ Behave Uber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allyo Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 As far as I know the Greens don't have a great record when it comes to running a club responsibly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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