Football Governance

Written evidence submitted by the Saints Trust Consumer Cooperative Action Committee (FG 06)

1. All professional league football clubs should have their own
Consumer Cooperative trusts representing the consumer rights
of supporters and progressing the potential economic and social
role football can play in the community.

2. The FA, Premier League and Football League should develop and
implement a standard swipe card payment and identity card system
similar to that of the successful Oyster Card System used by Transport
For London.

3. The swipe card system used as a means for trusts to prevent
fellow travellers from using football as a means to cause social
disorder and progress political agendas - and to negotiate discount
fares with train operating companies - reserve whole carriages on
scheduled services and contract hire special trains. 
 

BACKGROUND Everyone knows how to manage football clubs except the professionals who own and manage them … a similar attitude adopted by consumers in the industry I work as a professional in - the rail and hovercraft transportation sector.

The rail industry has a formal structure within which these attitudes can be channelled - the  common interests of passengers in their role as consumers represented on the board rooms of train operating companies and the Department for Transport - and the government through its community rail development legislation - the means for consumers to own and manage their own local rail networks.  The football industry does not.

What the Saints Trust was all about during the three years I was secretary (August 2007 to August 2010) - was representing the rights of supporters as consumers of the club's services - it was a period when Southampton Football Club was experiencing critical financial and board room instability with factions on the clubs board of directors playing a game of musical chairs in their quest for control of the company  - this situation led to the club going into administration

In a spirit of cooperation not conflict with the different board room decision makers which surfaced during this period - and the auditors who were appointed to take the club out of administration - including the progression of a "Plan B" to seek funding from the private and or public sectors to purchase the club should no credible buyer surface in the administration process.

The same policy of representing consumer rights and cooperation was adopted when the club achieved financial and management stability after it was a  acquired by a new owner - placing the trust in a position to undertake football in the community initiatives necessary to meet its constitutional objectives - a decision being made to create new football related jobs career and business opportunities in the St. Mary’s district of Southampton - the area immediately surrounding Southampton Football Club being designated an economic redevelopment area by the European Union receiving access to redevelopment funding through a local government agency.  The Saint Trust Consumer Group Action Committee being formed to take football supporters rights and its football in the community programme forward.

SUBMISSION - The Football Association in partnership with the Premier Division, The Football League and Supporters Direct (the umbrella organisation of the national movement of football trusts) should develop and implement a National Swipe Card Identity Scheme - with a standard electronic pre payment and self validation system - based upon London Transports successfully Oyster Card system.

The system mean't that regular travellers could take advantage of low bulk price advance bulk purchase of travel units - which they could use if and when they travel - the system replacing the former season ticket system whose condition of issue required consumers to travel on a day to day sequential travel basis in order to obtain discounts - with the consumer bearing the loss if through sickness holidays or other commitments they were unable to travel - a system which effectively excluded access from significant sectors of London public transport's core market base of regular travellers - whose journey patterns were not on a day to day sequential basis.

As well as extending consumer rights in terms of access to bulk advance purchase discount rates - and expanding access to the rates to all sectors of London's  core market base - it provided the back office management information control and communication systems for the introduction of low cost airline style capacity revenue control and market forecasting systems - and the means for the electronic payment of revenue direct to independent participating operators at the time of use. 

The introduction of a similar standard swipe card digital pricing and documentation system for all professional league football clubs as well as providing a win - win situation for supporters and owners of clubs would also provide the logistics for Supporters Direct to introduce a scheme designed to prevent fellow travellers using football as a means to cause social disorder or progress political agendas - and for them to negotiate special match day discount fares with train operating companies - reserve coaches on scheduled services - and contract hire special trains.

The swipe card identity card providing the means for supporters to have automatic free membership of their designated club football trust under the umbrella of Supporters Direct - with a proportion of the clubs revenue from the card used to finance the administrative cost for trusts to regulate their members behaviour with the provision of their own stewards on rail transport access.

Trust membership automatically means that members must conform to European Human Rights Legislation - both travelling to an from grounds and at the grounds themselves - which is contained in the Constitution and Model Rules issued by Supporters Direct - this provides trust with the means to sanction of withdrawal of members swipe card facility - who as "fellow travellers" use football to engage in unsocial behaviour or political motivated activities.

Or engage in excessive behaviour in regard to rival club supporters - over and above that of the natural old English "Chaucerian" banter chants song and body language which has been the historic tradition built into professional league football supporters culture ever since its formation in the nineteenth century.

January 2011