Supporters Direct Scotland August E-Magazine Issue

In Supporters We Trust NEYMAR

“ I am Playing With Freedom ”

August Issue

32

National Team

Full of tactics & Strategy !

Who Champion ?

Inside: Pars Stay Alive Hearts Lift the SDS Fans Cup Brasil everyteam analysed

Our mission statement, “to promote sustainable spectator sports clubs based on supporters’ involvement and community ownership” has been our guiding principle since we were established in Scotland in 2002.

Paul Goodwin

For further information on Supporters Direct Scotland, please contact us at: Room 4, Beta House, Innovation Park, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4NF or get in touch via 01786 845 606 sdsinfo@supporters-direct.org facebook.com/scottishfans @scottishfans linkedin.com/groups/Scottish-Football-Fans-4574404 pinterest.com/scottishfans youtube.com/scottishfans

Head of Supporters Direct Scotland

A new dawn August traditionally is the month where football fans across the country come back to the game full of enthusiasm and optimism for the season ahead. This year we had the added ingredient of a fantastic summer of sunshine to help us get ready for the new season. It’s amazing what a long period sunshine can do to lift the spirits and it makes you forget that in February you will have a 7.45pm kick off at the back of beyond when you will have to suffer Arctic wind chills for 90 minutes, just to support your team!

I don’t know if it was the sunny weather or the establishment of one body to run our domestic leagues; but most of the fans I have spoken too are so much more enthused than they have been for a long time.

I really do hope that the doom and gloom that for so long held us back is confined to history and that we can all embrace the changes that the Scottish Professional Football League propose. We all know it is not perfect; but it is a huge step in the right direction and we hope that our relationship as fans is much improved in the coming years with both the SPFL and the SFA as part of that

process. Likewise the national team now seem to moving in the right direction and under the leadership of Gordon Strachan and are combining passion with a fluid attacking passing game that we have not seen for many a year, so there seems grounds for optimism for the Tartan Army.

Over the Summer we at Supporters Direct Scotland have been busy and have been working hard with a number of fans groups and clubs during the close season. We continue to see the changes in thinking that community ownership is now a real possibility for clubs as an alternative to the existing structures that is in place at so many clubs. We were delighted that after several turbulent years Pars United’s bid to buy Dunfermline Athletic was successful and hopefully the news that the Foundation of Hearts has preferred bidder status will lead to them having the opportunity to buy the club for their community. Of course both of these opportunities for the fans came out of their club being in crisis; but community ownership is not just for when a club is in trouble as we have clubs such as Ayr United and Motherwell working on plans to change over to

this model. Unfortunately at Dundee FC community ownership did not deliver and I think it is essential that we all learn from the mistakes that were made there as the model needs to continue to evolve. As we know every club and every circumstance is different; but the encouraging thing is the amount of help that ordinary fans have given each other in the past year.

I really do believe that a new dawn is emerging for Scottish football fans and we all have a role to play in shaping its future. So please be part of our network, follow us online, through our social media channels and through our Scottish Fans web site and make sure we know your views.

Good luck in the new season

Paul Goodwin Head of Supporters Direct Scotland

supporters direct news in brief

in this issue Dunfermline Pars stay alive thanks to the great work by the Pars Supporters Trust & Pars United

Rangers Rangers Supporters Trust describe their last 12 months.

Head of supporters direct scotland Paul Goodwin @PaulGoodwin3

Project manager Mark Reid

network manager Andrew Jenkin @AndrewJenkin

Right to Bid The Green Party propose fans are given first option to buy clubs listed for sale.

Kilmarnock The Kilmarnock Supporters Trust update us at ongoings at Rugby Park

Council members

Neil Bone - Chair Brian Guthrie - Vice-Chair Richard Atkinson Fraser MacDonald Morag McHaffie Elaine Millar Allan Wilson

SD Annual Reports Published

SD Praised

SDS Fan Ownership Summit

SD Hold Supporters Summit

SD’s annual report and accounts have been published, and they are now available online. They have been prepared for the period year-ending December 2012.

Supporters Direct received support for its work, this time in a House of Lords

Supporters Direct Scotland held a summit on the 29th of June for all Supporters Trusts interested or involved in fan and community ownership.

The Supporters Summit, held jointly with the Football Supporters Federation, was a massive success numberswise.

The event, held at Forthbank Stadium was well attended and those giving presentations included representatives of fan owned Dundee FC and Clyde FC.

Representatives of over 110 organisations pushed the attendance number to around the 300 mark.

David Lampitt noted these achievements and the role that SD continues to play in football and spectator sports clubs across Europe:

In a debate led by Lord Bates on the Premier League, Baroness Young of Hornsey, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Lord Stevenson of Balmacara and Lord Watson of Invergowrie, all paid tribute to the achievements of the organisation.

“We continue to receive unrivalled political support for our work as well as delivering an ever-growing body of support from ordinary fans”.

Equity Officer We speak to Atta Yaqub about the introduction of Equity Officers

Hearts Hearts Supporters Trust bring us up to speed with their activities.

Season Preview Stephen Bark takes a look at each team’s chances in the new campaign

Ayr United News from Sometset Park as the Honest Men Trust eye community ownership

Have your voice heard on key issues within the game by joining our Fans Parliament.

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He said: “What I hope for at my own club, is to see a Scottish Football club move into Community Ownership, without an insolvency event, and I’m grateful to Mr. Cameron for giving the wider Ayr United Support the opportunity to put a proposal together, which I hope can be used as a template for others to follow. The lessons learned by SDS in the last year will be of great benefit to the Community Model Working Group, but as at Pars United and Foundation of Hearts it will have its own vernacular identity.”

Trust NEWS

So no pressure on Neil for the next year!

Honest Men Eye Ownership Ayr United are the latest club to be taking steps towards possible community ownership, with current club chairman, Lachlan Cameron, telling the press how the move could safeguard the future of the club, a move which may be in place for the start of the 2014/15 season.

Mr Cameron told how the benefits of a football club being a communityinterest company (CIC) are of benefit to not only the football club, but to the community as a whole.

He said: “History shows that clubs who have been funded by one person run into the most trouble.

“One of the positive things about a CIC is that the club can’t sell any assets without agreement of the entire membership.”

Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) will be working with both the football club itself and The Honest Men Trust (THMT), the Member Trust associated with Ayr United which has been in existence since October 2003.

Working together Neil Bone has supported Ayr United all his life, and has been a member of THMT society board since its inception. A qualified architect, he has served as Secretary for the majority of its existence. As well as holding the role of Interim Trust Chairman, Neil is also the current SDS Chairman, a position which he has held since February 2012, and will do so until the next round of elections in 2014.

Upon his election to the position of Chair at SDS, Neil said: “I am delighted to accept this position at this important time for the game in Scotland and believe that no proper solution to the problems the game faces in Scotland can be found unless the voice of the supporters is heard. Individually, there is only so much each of us can do to assist our clubs and virtually nothing we can do regarding the governance issues at the heart of our national sport. However, when we pool our strengths, locally and nationally, supporters can make themselves heard.”

Using his unique position within both organisations, Neil can finally let the voices of his fellow football supporters be heard, something which is one of his main aims.

Being involved with both organisations has benefits and disadvantages, however. Neil states: “Serving on the Council of SDS while two major clubs in Hearts and Dunfermline have gone through their Insolvency events has been an education. It was fairly obvious, to me, that those particular clubs running huge wage to turnover ratios were playing a very precarious, short and dangerous game.

“What has been most interesting is how with the spectre of potential insolvency becoming more likely, the fans forums turned from ‘how can the fans save the club?’ to a realisation that indeed it was down to them, all the way up to the events at East End Park on 30 July 2013.”

Since its inception in 2002, SDS has helped facilitate change in ownership at the likes of Dunfermline Athletic, Dundee, Stirling Albion and Clyde in Scotland, as well as working with the club trusts at Heart of Midlothian, Kilmarnock and Rangers and many others this side of the border.

In England, Supporters Direct has had just as much success, helping club trusts get a bigger say at their club at Swansea City and Portsmouth to name two of several clubs.

SCOTTISH FANS Supporters Direct Scotland launch new deal to benefit all supporters and help generate funds for Supporters Trusts and Groups Supporters Direct Scotland has launched two affinity partnerships with InsureDirect.co.uk & Create and Prosper which will see a potential financial boost from the pay back scheme to Football Supporters Trusts in Scotland and members of the ScottishFans.org network.

Supporters Direct Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and is are committed to being the voice of fans of all clubs, senior and junior, all groups and all individuals and to make those voices heard.

Their affinity partnerships include discounted product offers for members of the Supporters Direct football Trust network within Scotland and “Scottish Fans” network partners. In additional the partner company themselves

Create and Prosper Financial Services Ltd

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Visit scottishfans.org to find out more about how you can have your voice heard in Scottish football. will give an additional proportion directly back to the trust or network member.

“I think anything that can help us raise money and also help our supporters save money in the process is ideal”.

Whatever your financial needs, we’re here to help When you use Create and Prosper as your financial adviser you will receive a 10% discount and we will donate 10% of our fees to your football club or supporters trust

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- Margaret Ross, Dunfermline Supporters Trust Mark Reid project manager at Supporters Direct Scotland, said: “We’re pleased to put these two affinity partnerships in place that benefit Trust members and provide welcome new income into the Supporters Trusts. We hope to add more of these arrangements in the future to benefit all of our members.”.

Pensions

Investments

SDS is now hoping that through continued work with both The Honest Men Trust and the current board at Ayr United, community ownership will be in place for the start of the next season and the club can once again begin the process of moving forward, rather than stalling in its current league position.

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- Chris Hodgson, Create and Prosper Create and Prosper is a firm of Independent Financial Advisers (IFA’s) based in Scotland. The firm was founded with client service and independence at the heart of its proposition. They are one of only around 600 firms in the UK to have been awarded and to currently hold the title of Chartered Financial Planner which is the highest accolade awarded in the industry and a reflection of their high standards of professionalism.

Visit insuredirect.co.uk to find out how you can save money for yourself, and make money for your Supporters Trust

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“We would like to offer the members of supporters Trusts and football fans the opportunity to benefit from our services whilst helping supporters Trusts or football clubs.

In the event of proceeding with advice through Create and Prosper we will discount advice fees by 10% and also provide a 10% cash-back to the client’s nominated Trust, Club or network partner.”

The Government backed programme, has influenced progress with fan ownership at over 30 clubs in Scotland and continues to make great inroads at several clubs in the country when it comes to community ownership.

Protection

InsureDirect.co.uk in its current form is an online insurance portal which allows our customers to

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“Insuredirect.co.uk is happy to enter into partnership with Supporters Direct, ScottishFans. org and the Supporters Trusts because we believe in what they, collectively, are trying to achieve – to keep the fans at the core of Scottish football is essential in ensuring the future of the game here in Scotland.”

- David Nicholson, Insuredirect.co.uk insurance products and purchase these products in an easy and hassle-free process. InsureDirect. co.uk puts the customer in direct contact with the best deals for our products and allows insurers to manage policies directly, including claims management, therefore keeping this pollution of the system to a minimum.

If you reference the Tartan Army when using either of these services, both you and they can benefit from it. Please use the reference code “SF15” when enquiring.

the scottish Fans’ Season preview Aberdeen Last season: SPL-8th 48pts, Scottish Cup-5th Round, League Cup-Quarter Finals

By Stephen Bark Since the 26th of May and the last day of the old season a lot has happened.

Tahiti impressed at the Confederations Cup, Andy Murray became the first Scot to win Wimbledon, Britain witnessed its hottest summer since 2006 and the royal baby was born.

It’s now time to ditch the distractions and get back to the football as in a few short days the inaugural SPFL season gets underway.

Celtic are expected to complete 3-ina-row without too much competition.

New-boys Partick Thistle will be hoping to emulate Ross County’s superb debut season in the SPL as they return to top flight action. The Highlanders have a hard task in front of them as the fans will expect a repeat of last season. Hibs are likely to remain the top Edinburgh club as Hearts will struggle to avoid relegation, or at very least a playoff, with a hefty 15-point deduction but after that Malmo fiasco Hibs could find themselves in trouble. St Johnstone will look to build on their Europa League heroics against Rosenborg by securing another top six finish. Allan “Magic” Johnston returns to Rugby Park to replace the controversial Kenny Sheils. It will be

a difficult job with the off-field turmoil the club finds itself in. Derek McInnes starts his first full season in charge at Aberdeen aiming to improve on last season after the Dons missed out on a top six place in the 90th minute of their match against Dundee United who themselves will also be targeting a return to the top half. Inverness will be aiming to go one better than last season and bring European football to the Highlands after being pipped at the post by St Johnstone. Stuart McColl showed his loyalty to Motherwell be snubbing a move to Sheffield to take on the task of retaining the best of the rest status at Fir Park. St Mirren have the League Cup to defend and will hope to improve on last year’s 11th place finish.

The Differences The top flight will remain as was with the inclusion of a relegation play-off for the team that finishes 11th. The play-offs will take a similar guise to the play-offs between the former SFL divisions. The only other change being the name, from the SPL to the Scottish Premiership.

It’s 18 years since the once mighty Aberdeen lifted any silverware and last season was “very disappointing” according to Aberdeen fan Graeme Findlater. “Despite a promising start, things just flitted away and we went into mid table obscurity.” However, they did find a goal-scoring gem in Niall McGinn. The former Celtic player was the Dons top scorer last season but “the wins just didn’t come and coupled with a poor run in both cups, it was another dull trophy-less season.”

Derek McInnes will be looking to do well in his first full season in charge at Pittodrie. “He injecting a better, more pleasing and faster style to our game” so the pre-season optimism may be well placed. “He has brought in some good players in a mix of youth and experience that I feel other clubs don’t have. This season I feel that if we do not finish in at least top 6 it will be a huge failure.” The pre-season has gone well for Aberdeen and includes a victory of Dutch side FC Twente and for this to continue the Dons will need the experience of Russell Anderson and Barry Robson. This will be helped greatly if the youngsters, like Gregg Wylde and Peter Pawlett can step up to the plate and if McGinn can continue where he left off. “If McGinn is in the mood as he was last season, we should win games with more ease.”

Dates to Remember: 17th September- 19th October- 26th October- 1st January- 18th February- 5th April- 10th and 11th May-

The European group stages kicks off, will Scotland be represented?

The New Firm meet at Pittodrie Ross County host Inverness in the first Highland derby Full card including the reverse New Firm, Edinburgh and Highland derbies Champions League knock out phase begins, can Celtic better last season?

Last set of fixtures before the split Last set of fixtures, who will occupy the European and relegation spots?

Cup Dates Scottish Cup 1st Round-Saturday 14th September 2nd Round-Saturday 5th October 3rd Round-Saturday 2nd November 4th Round-Saturday 30th November (Premiership clubs enter) 5th Round-Saturday 8th February Quarter Finals-Saturday 8th March Semi Finals-Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April Final-Saturday 18th May League Cup 1st Round-Saturday 3rd and Tuesday 6th August (Partick Thistle enter) 2nd Round- Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th August (Premiership clubs enter) 3rd Round-Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th September (Premiership clubs in Europe enter) Quarter Finals-Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th October Semi Finals-Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February Final-Sunday 16th March

Celtic Last season: SPL-1st 79pts, Scottish Cup-Winners, League Cup-Semi Finals, Champions League Last 16 “Last season was actually really great, Europe especially” says Celtic supporter Sean Murphy. The disappointing thing for most Celtic fans was the lack of a treble and the lowest points tally achieved by the SPL winners.

The transfer saga of last season stop scorer Gary Hooper is now over with the Englishman away to Norwich and Celtic will need to find a replacement for the new season. “I’d like to see one or two more signings, especially a striker and a playmaker,” along with a better domestic season could finally see Celtic grab the elusive League Cup which has evaded their grasp for the last 4 years, twice being beaten in the final. They should again comfortably ease to the Premiership title so it is in Europe where the difficulties lie.

“Getting to the group stages is essential. It’ll be important for the co-efficient.” Amido Balde will have the task of filling Hooper’s boots and firing Celtic to more European success. “As the replacement striker for the departing Gary Hooper it’s important that he proves himself as a prolific striker and gets the goals we need.”

up, Europa League Play-off Round What a difference a year can make, after winning the Scottish Cup in 2012 last season “was a bit of a letdown” says Hearts fan Colin. This season maybe an even bigger struggle after the Jambos were hit with a harsh 15-point deduction for entering administration. This isn’t helped by the greedy Lithuanians wanting more money than those with cash to buy the club can bring to the table. Hearts best chance of success may again have to come in the cup. “This season hopefully we can have a good cup run. I hope we pull back the 15 points deducted and stay up as well.” In order to achieve this Hearts will need all their players at their best including the like of Danny Wilson. “His experience from his time with Rangers and Liverpool and he can show good guidance for the youngsters.” He will also be key in Hearts keeping the goals against column down and if they are to avoid the drop this is a must.

Dundee United Last season: SPL-6th 47pts Scottish Cup-Semi Finals, League Cup-Quarter Finals, Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round Home form was not Dundee United’s strong point last season, a massive four wins at Tannadice including the last minute win against Aberdeen to pip Kilmarnock to a top six place. With Scotland international David Goodwillie back in their ranks another top 6 place is certainly within their grasp.

Keeping hold of Gary Mackay-Steven, Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Gauld to ensure that Goodwillie gets service will be key to their ambitions. The score didn’t really tell the full story at Firhill in an entertaining encounter between Partick Thistle and the Arabs.

0-0 wasn’t a bad result to start the season but it could have been worse as both sides threatened but couldn’t find the net.

Hearts Last season: SPL-10th 44pts Scottish Cup-4th Round, League Cup-Runners

Hibernian Last season: SPL-7th 51pts Scottish Cup-Runners up, League Cup-2nd Round Hibs were another team who failed to hold on to their top scorer as Wolves are desperate to avoid a third successive relegation. Replacing Leigh Griffiths will be a tough challenge for Pat Fenlon who is already under fire after an embarrassing European display.

They have a lot of hard work ahead of them if they want to break their Scottish Cup duck after two successive finals and an aggregate loss of 1-8.

New signings James Collins and Liam Craig have been given the almighty task of trying to replicate Griffiths 28 goal tally from last season. It looks like Hibs have a long season ahead of them after failing to score in their first four competitive games and conceding 11 in the process.

Inverness Last season: SPL-4th 54pts Scottish Cup-5th Round, League Cup-Semi Finals “Last season was a great success as we had our first ever top six finish and out highest ever league finish in 4th place.” Says Fraser Morrison of Caley Jags Together. “We played some very nice football over the course of the season and scored a lot of goals.”

Inverness will look to go one better than last season after just being beaten to a Europa League spot by St Johnstone and losing to Hearts in the Semi Finals of the League Cup on penalties. “Whereas just a couple of seasons ago many supporters would be happy with just SPL survival now it would seem that almost all fans are now confident that we will achieve this. Many fans are looking for us to build on last season and finish top six once again.” Key to Invernesses fortunes this season will be Billy McKay, his goals fed Caley Thistle success, including a rare away victory at Celtic Park even though they didn’t go ballistic. With Andrew Shinnie leaving there may be a question about who will serve McKay. “It could be a very important season for Aaron Doran and hopefully he can take his game up a level and he’ll be a very exciting player to watch. Given our squad size players being injury free will be important to us.”

Kilmarnock Last season: SPL-9th 45pts Scottish Cup-Quarter Finals, League Cup-2nd Round “Last season looked like being quite memorable but ended up a disappointment for many fans,” says James Morrison, vice chairman of the Kilmarnock FC Supporters Association. “The defeat by Hibs in the cup, where we gave away a number of cheap goals,

was the pivotal point in the season as afterwards we went downwards.

Finishing ninth might have been acceptable at the start of the season but was considered poor by fans who felt the top 6 had been within touching distance.” The best part of the season for Kilmarnock was notching a rare away win at Celtic Park and a 100% record in Glasgow for the whole of 2012 without conceding a single goal.

The squad is looking weaker than last seasons and Kilmarnock will be looking to Kris Boyd. Along with strike partner Paul Heffernan, their goals could be key to keeping Kilmarnock in the Premiership. “The fans will also hope that our youngsters continue to progress and our new award winning manager Alan Johnston can work some “Magic” along with his assistant Sandy Clark. It would also be good to see the off-field issues at the Club resolved and the much needed regime change taking place.”

Motherwell Last season: SPL-2nd 63pts Scottish Cup-4th Round, League Cup-3rd Round, Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round, Europa League Play-off Round Season 2012-13 was “overall another great season” according to Christopher Hutton of the Motherwell Supporters Club central branch, “but it was tinged with the knowledge that the team was about to be broken up pretty dramatically.” Well benefitted from the goal-machine that is Michael Higdon, top scorer in the SPL with 29 goals, and will have to do without him this season after his move to NEC Nijmegen. They will also be without the consistent performances of Henrik Ojamaa, Chris Humphrey and Nicky Law as well as goal keeper Darren Randolph. But there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of James McFadden. “He showed in the last few games last season he still has it and at only 30 he can easily be the difference between us and most other sides we’ll meet in the next few months.” They can also boast add-

ing the experience of former Celtic and Scotland defender Stephen McManus as well as Ross County stars Iain Vigurs and Paul Lawson. “It is hoped that once Vigurs, Lawson and McManus bed in we will have another strong spine to the side that can see us at least finish in the top 6 again as well as make a better fist of the knock-out tournaments. There is a quiet optimism with the new recruits on board with the retention of Faddy obviously the cherry on top.”

about a move to St Johnstone has kept some well needed experience in the squad. New forward Kevin Luckasson has shown an eye for goal preseason and with loan signing Orhan Mustafi there is potential for goals. A brilliant opening display against Celtic was crushed by a last minute winner from Anthony Stokes was less than County deserved. If they can continue with the high standards they set themselves last season and against Celtic Europe could be on the cards.

Partick Thistle Last season: Div 1-1st 78pts Scottish Cup-4th Round, League Cup-2nd Round, Ramsdens Cup-Runners up

St Johnstone Last season: SPL-3rd 56pts Scottish Cup-5th Round, League Cup-Quarter Finals, Europa League Second Qualifying Round

It may have taken nine years but Thistle have finally ended their top flight exile and with Hearts 15-point deduction it shouldn’t be that difficult for them to retain Premiership status for next season. Congolese striker Henoc Mukendi has signed on loan from Liverpool along with the experience former Dundee midfielder Mark Kerr adds will be key to staying up. The fans will be hoping to emulate Ross County’s incredible debut season by earning a top six place but must would be happy with a respectable points tally in the bottom half. After an entertaining scoreless draw with Dundee United a top six place is not out with Particks grasp.

Saint’s snuck into Europe on the last day of the season and haven’t looked back since. With Steve Lomas away to Millwall, Tommy Wright was thrown in at the deep end. Several players were out of contract at the end of the season and a daunting tie against Rosenborg aren’t usually the best conditions to start your new job but Wright has thrived under the pressure. Steven MacLean and Stevie May have produced in the Europa League Qualifiers and David Wotherspoon has been looking good in preseason. This could be the start of another good season for Saint’s especially having remained unbeaten in their opening 4 games.

They are within touching distance of a playoff for a Europa League group stage place having upset one of the best Norwegian sides. A 1-0 win over Hearts was the ideal start to their Premiership campaign and McDiarmid Park is sure to be full of confident supporters.

Ross County Last season: SPL-5th 53pts Scottish Cup-4th Round, League Cup-2nd Round One of the best debut performances in the top flight saw Ross County rocket to fifth and a repeat performance will not be easy. Having lost some of their better players, including Iain Vigurs to Motherwell won’t help but being able to keep Richard Brittain after the midfielder changed his mind

St Mirren Last season: SPL-11th 41pts Scottish Cup-Quarter Finals, League Cup-Winners Last season was “overall a success”

says St Mirren fan Scott McPhee.

Saints enjoyed League Cup success despite a disappointing league campaign. Their top flight safety was guaranteed after a controversial Aberdeen penalty denied Dundee the victory needed to keep them up. “The league campaign was a little disappointing, having been dragged into a somewhat relegation battle with a team that where all but down but the positivity of the cup win far surpasses the negative league performance.” Despite the inconsistent results Saints played some good football and they “were very entertaining to watch”. The aim this year is to avoid another relegation scrap which will be helped by Hearts 15 point deduction. 10th place must be the minimum expectation as it will save them the joy of a relegation playoff. Saints will be looking to influential midfielder Paul McGowan as well as the likes of Gary Harkins, Steven Thompson and Gary Teale to retain Premiership status. McGowan is one of the best midfielders in league “because the team is just far better and far more together when he is in the line-up”. His absence was noted whilst he was injured last season and “the moment he was back everything just seemed to click into place”.

You can read a full preview of every SPFL club in each division on the Scottish Fans website.

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Changes to company law in the UK have made it legal to allow the board of Kilmarnock Football Club to dwindle to just one member.

Trust NEWS

killie supporters trust Kilmarnock Supporters Trust update us with recent ongoings at Rugby Park and tell us about a decade in the sun as a Trust.

How did it come to this?

The Killie Trust was initiated, as many were, after a group of fans attended the launch of Supporters Direct Scotland at Tynecastle in 2002. The Killie Trust was started a year later in 2003. Kilmarnock were in a period of relative success and everything appeared on the surface to be going in the right direction. The club had gained promotion to the Premier League in 1993 under Tommy Burns. The redevelopment of Rugby Park was completed in 1994 making it an all seated stadium with a capacity of just over 18,000. The club won the Scottish Cup in 1997 and was then involved in European competitions in four of the next five years. In order to diversify income streams the club board decided to build a four star hotel on the site of the training pitch at Rugby Park.

Most fans could see the logic of this decision when there was a success-

ful hotelier on the club board. The Park Hotel opened in June 2002.

So things appeared to be going well, but fans were already aware of being marginalised and were concerned by the amount of borrowing required to build the hotel.

A change of leadership at the club in 1997 had seen the charismatic Bobby Fleeting leave the club. With him went the sense that fans would be listened to and in its place came a view from the board that fans should be seen and not heard. New income streams and the rise and rise of TV money appeared to fool a lot of clubs into believing that the need to engage with their supporters was no longer important. Kilmarnock was as guilty of this as any other club in Scotland.

In 2005, Jamie Moffat resigned as chairman and sold the club and his 86% shareholding in it to solicitor Michael Johnston for one pound.

Part of this deal was that there would be no more money to bolster the club from the Moffat family.

Where are we now?

Over recent years the chairman of Kilmarnock Football Club and sole board member Michael Johnston has made a number of deeply unpopular decisions, which appeared to have been taken with little or no regard for supporters’ views or wishes. With no sign of new investment or ownership on the horizon the Trust launched the Community Ownership Group (COG) in June 2012. The principle behind COG is to develop ownership of the club as a partnership between the supporters and the local business community, putting the club at the very heart of the community in every way possible. The long term goal is 51% ownership by the supporters and 49% owned by a range of local businesses.

result a grassroots campaign sprang up to oust the chairman. Supporters’ protests have taken many forms: some have not purchased season tickets and will not attend any home games; some have cancelled gym membership; others will not spend a penny at KFC, the Park Hotel or the club shop until the club is in new ownership (#notapennymore).

These are drastic and painful decisions that are being taken by lifelong Killie supporters. The protest has been symbolised by Blue and Yellow scarfs and T-shirts with a variety of polite slogans asking Mr Johnston to move on.

The sacking of Kenny Sheils, the popular but controversial manager, who had delivered the League Cup for the first time in the club’s history and broke a 57 year spell without a win at Celtic Park was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many.

Short and long term objectives The Killie Trust, The KFCSA and supporters’ short term aims are to persuade Mr Johnston to do what is best for the club before it is too late.

Offers have been made but they have been rejected for reasons that are not entirely clear. In the longer term the Trust aims to initiate and develop a process that will take the club into a genuinely democratic form of community ownership.

This model will ultimately lead to a stronger more sustainable club that considers the community in everything it does. Without the community the club is nothing.

Kenny had publicly stated that he had a vision for youth development at the club and a five year plan to make that vision a reality. In contrast the chairman stated at the club AGM in January 2013 that he “did not have a business plan as the environment was too dynamic”. Most football supporters understand the importance of youth develop to their clubs and the loss of someone with a long term strategic view was very hard to take.

However it is unlikely that this event alone could have caused the reaction it has with the majority of supporters. It is the cumulative effect of the chairman’s poor decisions over the years that has generated it. As a

Where do we go from here?

The Trust has had representatives at a number of events in recent weeks: the Supporters’ Summit 2013 held at St Georges Park; the Scottish Fans’ Summit on Club Ownership and the Supporters Direct Scotland Cup at East End Park. At all of these events we discovered that you will never get all the supporters to agree (football is all about opinions after all). You can only hope to work with the active supporters that are able to put their shoulder to the wheel to help save their club. However when the crisis strikes the vast majority of fans will give what they can to help save their club and that is what makes the difference. Despite what

they have been told, fans hold all the power at any football club.

The Killie Trust’s greatest hope is that Kilmarnock Football Club can avoid the same fate as Dunfermline and Hearts and transition to a new ownership model that will bring community ownership without the need for administration, as this is a messy, expensive and uncertain business.

What’s going on?

It is expected that Killie supporters will make their feelings felt about the chairman peacefully but loudly at away games across the country, and protest outside (and inside)

Rugby Park. Hopefully the Killie support will become a sea of Blue and Yellow at every game this season.

The other big event coming up on the 7th of September is the Killie Trust Charity Ball to celebrate the first decade of the Killie Trust. We have been working on this event for some time. It was decided many months ago that the profits from this event should be split between the Retts Foundation and the Ayrshire Hospice. Later in the year we will no doubt hold another of our very successful comedy nights.

a decade of trust

The last ten years have been quietly dramatic for the Killie Trust. We started as a way of working with the club to promote the views of supporters. Over the years we developed a number of community based projects to help promote the Club and Trust. Now the Trust finds itself standing side by side with the other supporters’ organisations working to bring a change of regime to Rugby Park and start the journey into Community ownership. The next ten years should be just as interesting as the first ten.

You can keep up to date with our journey with the Killie Trust on Facebook, Twitter and our Blog site.

Trust NEWS

This initiative was and continues to be helped along by working hand in hand with Supporters Direct as stated. Supporters Direct is the government backed body designed to help football supporters achieve effective fan ownership in their respective football clubs.

RANGERS supporters trust The events of 2012 at Rangers Football Club have affected every member of the Rangers Community around the world and their trust describe here the last 12 months and where they’re currently at.

We all watched intently as news broadcasts, internet sites, and newspapers indeed every type of media, filed reports about Rangers on a daily basis. As harmless spectators, we could only look in from the outside and guess at what the final outcome would be as our beloved club was subjected to trial by media during those dark days.

A sense of frustration and being powerless to help were the overriding emotions which engulfed all of us as Rangers fans as we scanned every news report on ‘who would come to the rescue of our club’.

There are numerous lessons to be learned from this tempestuous period in our clubs history but the answer to the question posed ‘who would come to the rescue of our club’ without doubt is, it lies in our own hands.

The Rangers Supporters Trust was formed in April, 2003 in Partick Burgh Halls.

In its ten years of existence, The RST has recorded many fine achievements such as the continual active monitoring of media comment on and about the club and issuing media statements in response. Maintaining a healthy dialogue

aims of the rst

This was introduced with the excellent help and advice from Supporters Direct in Scotland and by Paul Goodwin who heads up SD in Scotland in particular.

This initiative was linked to the IPO share issue from Rangers FC and was designed to promote active fan involvement in the running of the club. This can be done by achieving substantial fan ownership with board representation and subsequent influence in the day to day business of Rangers FC.

with the board of directors of Rangers FC. The Trust also introduced a Sharesave scheme savings schemes investing money in the club for unissued shares.

This allowed access to the clubs AGM and annual accounts.

However, as the events of which we are now all aware, steadily started to unfold during 2012, the Trust board in office during this period, recognised that stronger, more decisive and effective long term action was required. They subsequently decided that a more dynamic style of supporter organisation was now paramount and invited fresh blood in to the organisation in the shape of a number of new board members who joined the board in October 2012 at the AGM held at Ibrox Stadium.

The main purpose was to introduce fresh ideas and procedures offered by the skill set of the new members to combine with the considerable experience already available among the existing board to help reshape the Trust. The idea being to establish a more proactive approach to supporters concerns surrounding the club. Also, in addition, to develop a structure and philosophy which would facilitate the formation of a stronger effective voice for the global Rangers Community?

One of the main initial results arising from the introduction of this change was the formation of the BuyRangers Community Share Scheme initiative which was launched at Ibrox Stadium in early November 2012.

The positive decision to introduce change taken by the Trust board has led to a choice for all of us. By investing in the club using BuyRangers and the Rangers Supporters Society scheme we have presented ourselves, the whole Rangers Community, with the opportunity to take matters in to our own hands. This was a unique, opportunity, a once in a life time chance for Rangers fans and creating a new era of proactive fan involvement in our beloved club. The answer truly lay in our own hands.

What followed the announcement of the IPO by the club at the end of 2012 was extremely encouraging for us all and for the future.

During four intensely busy days in December 2012 for the BuyRangers Team within the RST, an investment of £250,000 was achieved and subsequently invested in the club.

This is equivalent to 0.54% of the total share value of the club. It is seen as the first step in a series of stepping stones towards achieving our goal of significant fan involvement in the affairs of the club.

Beyond 2012 – The road ahead.

Taking this positive ‘first step’ with BuyRangers, will, we hope, allow us eventually to build a complete supporters organisation that we can all be proud of and once again be the envy of every other club in the country. It will be the stepping stone in the development of a fan - club relationship which, with vision, can aspire to that currently in place in German football.

The German system is seen as the best in the world; it is not beyond a club of our size and international renown, to create an organisation based along similar lines.

The RST also took another hugely important step recently. The decision was made to invest in a totally new software system designed to handle increased

Our future aims for the Trust are clear.

Head of Supporters Direct Scotland Paul Goodwin helps launch Rangers Supporters Trusts’ share offer. member numbers and facilitate interactive communication with investors and our growing membership. This was also linked to the introduction of our new web site which is still as I write, not fully functional and at a ‘beta’ stage. It is however, scheduled to be stepped up in the very near future.

The aim with this new system is to follow on from the BuyRangers and The Rangers Supporters Society scheme created

by The Rangers Supporters Trust and build on this first step.

The long term plan is to create an organisation which can communicate effectively and professionally with our fan base.

We can involve the whole Rangers community in our activities and future plans.

We can create and build a new strong efficient body together. We can prevent anyone or any organisation from ever causing harm to Rangers again.

We have to embrace the twenty first century and change the way we think and work for the sake of those who will follow on after us. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to establish a Trust and Society for all Rangers fans. None of us who have experienced 2012 and what has transpired during the year with our club wishes to see anyone who follows on behind us, go through a similar situation ever again.

cussed.

More importantly, they will be offered a fully democratic on-line voting system which every paid up RST member can use and take part in. As far as we are aware, this has never been available for Rangers fans before and we think it will help allay fears that everything around the RST is only controlled by a few people on the board.

At an annual cost of for membership of £10, it represents less than £0.84 per month. This we feel is not too much to ask for the opportunity to actually take part in the implementation of change and the chance to be a ‘part’ of things and have a say in what goes on.

After registration and choosing the preferred payment option, you gain full access to the site. Access is also possible for non-members but only up to a degree as a free follower of the site. It is possible then for example to go to the BuyRangers tab and have a look at what the investing with our Community Share Scheme has to offer. Ask us your questions about our BuyRangers there; we will get back to you as soon as possible with an answer.

We are asking fans to think long and hard about what we collectively as the Rangers community, have to offer. Fans can join the RST and invest whatever they can afford in our society and by doing so, invest in the club and have a voice.

We want everyone with Rangers FC at heart, to learn from what happened to us and our club. We want our fans to help develop our vision for the future.

TO JOIN THE RST OR INVEST IN BUYRANGERS COMMUNITY SHARES VISIT

We are asking people to log on to therst. co.uk and have a look at what we are trying to offer our members.

therst.co.uk or email info@therst.co.uk

When fully operational, members will be able to raise questions on any number of matters affecting the club and the support. They will be able to submit issues which they would like to be openly dis-

• To make the future secure and create a new stronger global effective proactive supporters organisation for everyone in the Rangers community to become and feel part of and take pride in. An active organisation they can be a part of and take part in, from voting on important issues within the Trust to receiving regular communications and updates from the organisation via email and regular printed material. Contribute to the function of the Trust and influence how it is run to best suit the members and the Rangers support.

• To secure through BuyRangers and the Society, fan representation at board level and substantial fan ownership in Rangers FC. • To have a Rangers that is sustainable, secure and that has the success of the club as its priority.

• To have a Rangers that is credible and accountable to its supporters.

• We want Rangers to live up to the best of our past.

Feel a part of the RST and a part of Rangers.

“We now need to ensure that the new management team is ready for the considerable challenges that all clubs in Scotland face in the current economic climate.”

Trust NEWS

Hearts captain for the day Jamie Hamill lifts the SDS Cup after beating Dunfermline 2-1.

Hearts lift supporters direct scotland cup DUNFERMLINE 1 Ryan Thomson HEARTS 2 Brad McKay, Jamie Hamill East End Park - 13th July, 2013 Saturday 13th of July saw two of Scotland’s most troubled clubs take a respite from their financial woes to challenge for the Supporters Direct Scotland Fans’ Cup, a competition to celebrate fan involvement and desires for community ownership.

Dunfermline hosted Hearts at East End Park for the fixture, which the clubs agreed to split the gate money for.

The game was well attended with 4,538 fans turning out for the occassion, bringing in some much needed revenue in the process.

Hearts took the spoils after two first half goals and managed to hold off a second half come back from the

Pars, eventually victoring 1-2.

Goals by Brad McKay and a Hamill penalty put Hearts 2-0 ahead early on, and Ryan Thomson reduced the deficit during a much-improved

second half by the hosts. At full-time, Hamill was presented the cup

by Supporters Direct Scotland head Paul Goodwin. Hamill held the cup aloft to tumultuous cheers and admitted the occasion provided some light relief for all connected with Tynecastle.

“It was good for the fans and I think it lifted their spirits given it’s only our second pre-season game. They stayed right to the end and that was magnificent. It was a massive turnout and it was good to see the Dunfermline supporters there as well. Obviously, it was more important our fans came out and it was a magnificent support.

The Cup was sponsored by QTS with the sponsorship money going to each club’s respective Fans Groups for their takeover efforts.

Supporters Direct Scotland have worked with both clubs since their recent crisises and were happy to help support the fans of each club with the Cup fixture.

The Pars United group are comprised of a cross section of the local community with individual investors or “patrons” as they are known working hand in hand with the Pars Supporters Trust to provide a safe and secure long term future for the football club. Many challenges both on and off the field still lie ahead however it must be regarded as a positive step that a 128 year old historic club will, in the near future have a democratically elected supporters body in the heart of the football club business .

pars alive Since the last edition of the Supporters Direct Scotland E-mag the landscape of Fife football has somewhat shifted. Dunfermline Athletic FC has been saved from liquidation pending a 28 day appeal period, after the Pars United group successfully logged a bid and in turn the administrators successfully navigated through the perilous process of a Creditors Voluntary Arrangement.

It was with great relief that the Scottish League One club managed to avoid the substantial punishment of a £150,000 bond which would have been placed upon the football club and left the Pars United groups bid in an even more precarious and dangerous position.

With the CVA now in place, and on the back of gaining the support of 75 per cent of creditors, Bryan Jackson of joint administrators BDO LLP, explained it was “a great result for the club and for the supporters which sees Dunfermline fans given genuine power and consultation about how the club develops with a long term strategy and short term support”.

“I would also like to thank the creditors who, it should not be forgotten, have lost money as a result of this decision.

“Their forbearance in allowing this CVA to be approved is to be welcomed and they should be recognised for their generosity.

“I have to thank the fans, the manager, team and staff at the club as well as the wider Dunfermline community who have

made this day happen.

“Without their faith in the club and their desire to keep football alive in Dunfermline we would not be where we are.

They should be proud of what they have achieved over the last few months.”

Trouble initially arose regarding the finances of the club due to an unpaid tax bill and the administrator Mr Jackson explained there will remain difficult challenges that require addressing for the club’s new owners.

“There is still a lot of work to be done but the decision is clearly an important step toward the ultimate goal of the club coming out of administration,” he said.

“A great result for the club and for the supporters which sees Dunfermline fans given genuine power and consultation about how the club develops with a long term strategy and short term support”.

- Bryan Jackson, BDO

Speaking only two weeks after that decision, The Pars United club board member and Pars Supporters Trust chairperson Margaret Ross said “The Pars Supporters Trust are delighted that after all their hard work we have managed to get to this point. We have gone through some terrible times, but with the support of all the fans we were able to set up a Staff Support Fund which helped both playing and non-playing staff when no salaries were being paid. Our attendances increased and fundraising ensured that BDO was able to manage the club through to the end of the season and throughout the closed season.

In addition to all the months of support we are currently working with Pars United during the ‘Buy the Pars’ campaign. Our initial target for raising £100, 000 has been well exceeded; our current total of £120k proves that the fans are determined to keep this club alive. Now that we know there is a lot of hard work still to come for us, but we are all positive about the future of our club now that the fans will have their voice heard in the boardroom”.

Supporters Direct Scotland have been delighted to assist the efforts thus far and will continue to offer help and assistance in any way possible in what will be a challenging and exciting future for Dunfermline Athletic FC. Around the country Scottish football continues to deal with the tough financial times, but there is now at least the very real possibility that another senior club and its local community will be embracing shared supporter ownership in their local football club with sustainability and supporter consultation as its cornerstone securing the long-term future of Dunfermline Athletic FC.

Trust NEWS

HEARTS trust UPdate Hearts Supporters Trust provide an update from their work and involvement with the Foundation of Hearts.

We’d like to take the opportunity to congratulate FOH on the news they’ve attained ‘Preferred Bidder Status’.

Changes that have taken place within the Trust in the last 12 months April 2013 saw some changes to the Heart of Midlothian Trust Board with three new members elected, two who now occupy key positions. I was elected as the new Chair of the Trust.

I was co-opted onto the Board initially back in October 2012 to help the Trust with some fundraising ideas and organising events. My “day job” is a projects and events manager for a UK wide company based in Edinburgh.

Derek Watson remains on the Board in the position of Vice Chair, offering me some helpful and informative background to the Trust. Jane Lewis continues as Secretary, a role she has carried out for a number of years, although she refuses to admit how many and David Campbell continues on as Treasurer for the 2013/2014 period.

I, along with the other Board members, are taking this opportunity to look at re-launching our website as well introducing some social media as tools to get the message out about the Trust and the work they are doing. This begins with our forthcoming re-launch of the website (www.homst. com) week commencing 12 August and our Facebook page launching 19 August 2013. Twitter will follow in due course.

What our current on-going issues are The key issue for the Trust at present is the survival of the club, in the current climate all those associated with Heart of Midlothian Football Club are

concentrating on how it is managing day-to-day as well as its long term position, with the aim of becoming supporter owned. The Trust must support the efforts of our club to secure its survival and future success. The Trust is currently working alongside the other supporter’s organisations, with a common thread, as part of the Foundation of Hearts in order to try to acquire the club on behalf of the supporters. Jane Lewis represents us on the board of the Foundation thus giving us an opportunity to have a major input into the direction and decisions the Foundation takes.

What role the trust is playing within the FOH The Trust currently (along with a representative of each of the other supporters’ groups) holds a director’s position on the board of the Foundation of Hearts. With the appointment of Ian Murray MP as independent chair of the FoH, we were persuaded that this would be the best option for both the club and members of the Trust. With the parlous state the club is in, we felt we had to look forward to what would be best for the survival of Heart of Midlothian rather than looking back on what had gone before.

This was more evident than ever when our club entered administration and we needed everybody pulling in the same direction.

Hearts has had a bit of a roller coaster history where we have relied on the benevolence and finance of one wealthy individual. We have had good times and suffered bad but never, in recent times, have we been so close to the precipice. Each time it’s us, the supporters, who have been asked to come to the rescue and we do it because it’s OUR club. As at every club, the supporters are the only constant and we felt that this was an opportunity that may never arise again and so we had to grasp it with both hands.

We appreciate that even if we are successful in acquiring the club, there is a long tough road ahead but survival of our club is the overriding desire.

What plans we have in place and where the Trust hopes to takes things going forward.

Membership recruitment is a critical aspect of the Trust and we hope to bring membership numbers back up to the 1200 which the trust had back in 2004/2005. We are currently preparing a strategy going forward having now identified the Trust Remit and responsibilities.

I am pleased to report that we have recruited several new members and these included loyal Hearts supporters who travel regularly from beyond Edinburgh to support our team, which is brilliant. We have to, however continue to recruit more and retain those we have, so my Board colleagues and I would urge everyone to keep spreading the word and circulating the membership form to fellow Jambos!

Trust Remit The Trust aims to unite all who have an abiding passion for our Club and is a platform for all Hearts supporters to have a say on the issues that affect the Club, Supporters and the Communities that it serves.

We are a body that is completely independent of the Club and is nonprofit making. Regardless of who the custodians of HMFC may be, the fans are the lifeblood and only constant.

A strong, vibrant Trust will ensure that loyal supporters have a strong voice and can continue to provide that strength and depth of constancy which makes a major contribution to the survival and future success of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

Anyone interested in joining can do so by visiting our website: homst.com or by contacting Fiona, our Membership Officer, membership@homst. com and watch this space for some new “members!!!”

Gail Hume, Chair Hearts Supporters Trust

Your teks here growing the game Germany golden era

With Scotland becoming a more diverse country and the makeup of the population becoming even more disparate we take a look at the on-going work being done by the SFA and its Equity Officers in addressing the challenges that exist within Scotland National Game. The SFA’s Equality programme was formed and is guided by the principles of promoting Fairness, Justice, Inclusion and Respect.

The SFA currently receive funding generated through the Scottish Government “Cash Back” scheme that enables them to employ 5 Equity officers throughout Scotland who are tasked with making football more accessible to all sections of society particularly those that are underrepresented with the goal of make football a truly national game open to all.

SFA Equity officer Atta Yaqub explained that the issue are being addressed in two main ways through using football a vehicle.

The aim is to develop the opportunities to participate by actively engaging with a variety of well established groups within the local communities

1) Supporting, developing and assisting the on-going work currently being done by local ethnic minority groups 2) By creating sporting opportunities for local ethnic groups where none presently exists or are perceived not to exist The aim is to develop the opportunities to participate by actively engaging with a variety of well established groups within the local communities across Scotland such as Mosques, Churches, football clubs, youth groups and other ethnic minor-

The SFA have employed 5 Equity Officers

ity groups. The focus is to break down barriers and create environments that are welcoming and comfortable for the participants.

Atta explained that the plan was established on the back of the research undertaken by BEMIS (Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure Scotland) and

the Scottish FA. Atta highlighted the excellent work of Glasgow Ansar FC who is a wellestablished amateur football club who now run two football teams, with another younger team starting soon. As well providing multi sports opportunities, they have been supported by West region Football Equity Officers .

The Equity officers work in partnership with BEMIS who are a national umbrella organisation, supporting and promoting the interest of minority ethnic groups.

On a day to day basis the work falls into two main categories. Assisting the development of currently running organisations such as Ansar FC and the other through SFA coach education courses and the creation and delivery of new football programmes where no preexisting opportunities are available.

In those areas where there is no existing vehicles or no perceived opportunity, the officers work hard to engage with Mosques, churches and voluntary groups to increase participation opportunities through the delivery of coaching sessions. Atta highlighted a recent programme created and run in association with Motherwell FC charitable trust that runs a Sunday evening session for the Pakistani and Congolese communities in North Lanarkshire. Over 20 adults from the North Lanarkshire Mosque and Motherwell African Refugee Communities Association attend.

The focus has been to offer opportunity, integrate groups, allowing for coaching development and potentially promote 7 aside league format, and pathways into 11 aside structured football, Another example given was the part-

nership work done between Newmains United Juniors and the Participation Centre in North Lanarkshire.. Newmains United JFC recognised the potentially benefit in a untapped resource of Asian and Black footballers and recently conducted a trial programme for to encourage recruitment for their club.

Although Atta and his colleagues recognise that integration is a key element to the long term development of the Scottish game he also respects the rights of football clubs and organisations to retain the ideology and sense of community within their local area.

If Scotland is to fulfil its potential in recruiting, training and educating young footballers while tackling social issues more programmes like this need to be introduced and maintained over the longer term. If you wish to find out more about these programmes or get involved you can contact Atta Yaqub by emailing atta.yaqub@scottishfa. co.uk.

right to buy

An exciting proposal from the Green Party should be considered a positive move in acknowledging the role of supporters within the game.

If approved, the law would give Scottish football fans the right to buy their respective club should it be put up for sale and give football supporters groups the same rights as rural groups who want to buy their land, as enshrined in Scotland’s right- to-buy laws.

With the recent crisis at Hearts, Rangers and Dunfermline, the topic of fan ownership has never been higher on the agenda and The Greens say the recent buyout of Dunfermline Athletic by supporters group “Pars United” provides an example for other clubs in Scotland. It comes with the Foundation of Hearts having also gained preferred bidder status for the Edinburgh club.

We at Supporters Direct back any proposal that assists fans who want to get involved in the ownership of their clubs. Chief executive David Lampitt said: “Fans are more and more involved in bidding for clubs, but too often they are the last resort when a club hits rock bottom and is insolvent. Fans should have the right to buy their club before the wheels come off.”

Scottish Government officials have said the plan would be considered as part of a new bill going

through Holyrood later this year.

Alison Johnstone MSP said: “Scottish football continues to be beset by financial and organisational problems. Just since the last election, three iconic Scottish teams have found themselves in trouble: Rangers, Dunfermline and Hearts.

Long-suffering fans deserve responsible owners, and it’s increasingly understood that fans themselves are the best stewards of their own clubs.”

She added: “It won’t be easy to find the money, especially for bigger clubs, but just knowing they’ll be first in line would make supporters’ trusts much more important in the eyes of the ordinary fans.”

“Fans are more and more involved in bidding for clubs, but too often they are the last resort when a club hits rock bottom and is insolvent. Fans should have the right to buy their club before the wheels come off.”

- David Lampitt, Supporters Direct Chief Executive

The reform will be proposed by the party as an amendment to the Scottish Government’s Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill, which is being tabled this autumn. As part of the bill, ministers are already proposing to extend the right to buy from rural communities to urban land.

European clubs such as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, owned by fans, have been lauded as examples for British clubs to follow.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman added that it intended to “consult on proposals for the Community Empowerment and Renewal bill later this year. We expect to hear the views of people from across the country and the parliament. We want to enhance the role of supporters’ trusts in football and already fund Supporters Direct Scotland.”

Earlier this month, Pars United were given the green light to proceed with purchasing Dunfermline Athletic after it was forced to enter administration. A creditors’ voluntary agreement has been secured to write off debts, with the supporters’ group to take control.

Have a view? Join the conversation on our Pie and Bovril Forum (pieandbovril.com).

SD EUROPE The ‘Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership’ project came to a close on June 22nd, Supporters Direct Europe launched the final report of the ‘Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership’ project, which was financed by the European Commission and involved nine partners from eight different countries.

trusts.

During the project, national workshops were held for supporters in Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Belgium and France; whilst eight partners produced handbooks in their native languages. These cover a range of issues, but particularly focus on how to establish a democratic supporters’ organisation, and what can be done to improve football for fans in the partner countries.

For more on Supporters in Campo, visit www.supporters-in-campo.org

The final report is available to download from the Supporters Direct website (www.supporters-direct.org).

Italian fans unite to launch Supporters in Campo Supporters Direct Europe has been active in Italy since 2009, and during that time the network of supporters’ trusts has gradually grown at all levels of the Italian pyramid. In June, eleven groups (representing fans of clubs from Serie A all the way down to the amateur Terza Categoria) joined together to officially launch Supporters in Campo, a new umbrella organisation for Italian supporters’

The organisation is the first of its kind in Italy, and it unites groups who are working towards playing a greater role in the day-to-day lives of their clubs. Currently there are three Italian trusts represented on their club’s board, and a growing number have secured so-called ‘golden shareholdings’, with specific rights attached to them.

Fondazione Taras to manage club’s youth system Formed just over a year ago after their club entered liquidation, Fondazione Taras have achieved a remarkable amount in a short space of time. Having re-formed their club, brought local partners into co-ownership, secured a place on the board and a range of guaranteed veto rights for supporters regardless of future fluctuations in their shareholding; their latest initiative is something of a landmark in Italy.

Together with FC Taranto 1927, the democratic Fondazione have agreed a deal to establish, finance and manage a new youth system for the club, who next season will compete in Serie D. In a time of economic crisis for Italian football, the development of an academy system will not only continue to bring the club closer to its community, but also help ensure its long-term sustainability.

To read a case study about Fondazione Taras, visit the Supporters Direct website.

50+1 rule to remain in Sweden Supporter ownership in Sweden had its D-Day recently, with a decisive vote on the 50+1 rule in the country’s Sports Confederation. All Swedish sports clubs were established as democratic members’ associations, and although some have separated their football teams into limited companies, these must still be majority owned by the ‘parent’ members’ association – i.e. the supporters.

In recent times this rule has come under pressure, but a campaign, led by the Svenska Fotbollssupporterunionen (SFSU – a national organisation representing democratic supporters’ groups) saw the vote fall overwhelmingly in favour of member ownership. As well as winning the argument in the media, SFSU also lobbied other sports federations to support their position when it came to the vote.

From football’s perspective, the campaign’s key moment was earlier this year, when groups from eight major clubs coordinated the passing of motions at their club AGM’s, which stated unequivocally that 50+1 should be retained; and that moves at national level to remove the rule should not be supported by those running the clubs on the members’ behalf. This in turn led to the Swedish FA altering its position, and set in motion the chain of events that has led to the preservation of member ownership in Sweden.

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growing but not yet equal

By Darren Carrigan, This article contribution from Youth Football Scotland (youthfootballscotland.co.uk)

In the West of Scotland football has been a large part of Scottish culture for decades. Children have played football and looked up to icons like Kenny Dalglish, Andy Goram and more recently players like Barry Ferguson and Darren Fletcher.

Football in Scotland has created a wonderful community at all age groups.

Children from 8 years old all the way to 21 have football leagues that attract anywhere from dozens to hundreds of fans.

But why is it that only the boys’ efforts make headlines?

Female football is the fastest growing sport in the world, with professional leagues established in the USA, Russia and other countries worldwide. But closer to home there is no professional league for teams, such as Glasgow City and Forfar Farmington, despite the fact that Glasgow City have made pushes into the Champions League last 16. Whenever one of the male Scottish teams such as Celtic or Rangers have managed to reach the last 16 of their Champions League they are hailed as heroes, with back pages screaming about it nationwide.

Clearly this divide in public attention is of serious concern to the female players in Scotland. After all these girls devote themselves completely to the sport and when a momentous occasion such as progressing in the Champions League comes their way they must play second fiddle to the men. This archaic attitude is something many assume to be abolished, but evidence proves that it is alive and well –but does the problem lie with the football community or with the sporting media?

Glasgow City manager Laura Montgomery said: “A lot of people say well ‘the me-

dia aren’t going to cover a sport where an awful lot of people don’t go to watch it’ In my opinion if you don’t let people know the sport’s out there: where the games are, what time the games are, what day they are and who’s playing then it’s very hard to attract an audience to do so. When there has been media coverage of certain games, we have seen a massive rise in the number of spectators who have attended.”

Montgomery thinks the perception of women in football has changed, She said; “I think it has: Don’t get me wrong, there are still people out there who have a very old perception of women playing football which probably coincides with their thoughts on women in general not just them playing what they deem to be a male sport. The thing is football isn’t a male sport, football is a sport played by men and women. To me they are two separate games, there’s largely no point in comparing the two of them. Not a lot of people compare men’s and women’s tennis or men’s and women’s golf. They are two different sports and men and women are two different species on the planet with different strengths and weakness-

es. But I think that women’s football has an awful lot to give and in my opinion it should get a lot more coverage.”

The idea of separate but equal is one that the majority of women’s football’s followers support. Laura also shed some light on her experiences with the differences in male and female football. She said, “Well yeah, I think it is. It is completely different, the game is played differently. I would probably say the women’s game is at times probably more technical. For example my own team, very often in pre-season it’s hard for us to challenge ourselves playing other Scottish teams because to improve you need to play teams that are better than you. So not playing teams from the English Women’s professional league we’ll often play some guys’ teams.

That could be under eighteens it could be men’s teams it could be whatever and very often, you know because we are the best team, we will completely outplay the other team. You know we’ll pass the ball a lot more; we’ll have 60-70% possession. But if it comes to it, their centre half pumps the ball 80 yards forward then our centre half isn’t going to keep up with a spritely eighteen year old who is just naturally faster than her and sometimes it just comes down to that – it comes down to brute speed and strength which is obviously an advantage that men have over women.”

Celtic FC vs Rangers FC - 15s GirlsScottish women have proved that they aren’t exactly second rate. Scotland has produced players like Julie Fleeting who currently holds the Scottish International goal scoring record with 116 goals to her name with 111 caps - a fact that is commonly overlooked in favour of one of Scotland’s most famous footballer’s record. Kenny Dalglish leads the Scottish male goal scorers with his record of 30 goals. Why should a player like Julie’s record not be broadcast as widely as Kenny’s? Surely a player who scored almost four times as many goals as Dalglish should be recognised as Scotland’s top scorer? The fact that Dalglish is the one who is held up as the example of greatness that strikers should envy is disrespectful to the female game.

Montgomery empathized with the female players whose accolades are less valued than their male counterparts. She said: “You know I think for a lot of girls in the game that’s a frustration, I think especially just now when the male end of the game has gone very extreme – The salaries that the top end players earn is absolutely massive. I’m not saying that they don’t deserve that; because obviously football has become a massive spectator sport – but it does make it difficult for a lot of the girls that do play football and are achieving just as much as their male counterparts, sometimes more in terms of caps, in number of goals scored or medals achieved.

But they don’t get anywhere near the level of recognition and sadly especially for girls in this country they don’t get any recompense for it at all.”

This is beginning to change however, as evidenced by Kim Little becoming the first women’s player of the year to collect her award at the PFA ceremony. Laura recognised the need for women’s football to gain more media exposure in the future. “I think the future is definitely looking bright. When you look at the quality coming through you know it’s a natural progression as well. The more women’s football gets publicity the more girls will think ‘that’s something I want to do’ and take up. Everything’s all about role models now - girls actually need sporting role models that show dedication, ability, and talent: that is the kind of role model we want to instill into young girls and if they can see these people in the press, in the papers or go to a game and watch them, then they’ll want to be like them and they might take up the sport. There’s been a greater influx of players at the bottom end of the game. At Glasgow City we’ve only started a youth setup properly in the past couple of years and we turn girls away because we’re at capacity. For our club there just aren’t any more facilities in Glasgow for us to be able to take on any more teams. It’s not because young girls don’t want to play.”

The women’s game in Scotland may be eclipsed and hampered by professional leagues abroad; but that can’t stop the passionate young girls who want to play football. The more that the media realises that women’s football is an untapped market the quicker institutions such as the Scottish Women’s Football can make the first steps towards bringing the female game in line with the male game. SWF executive administrator Maureen McGonigle thinks that Scottish women’s football is in the best place it ever has been (click here to listen to interview in full). She said that “It’s very positive, I think if you look at the results of our national team and just this week on Friday they’ve moved up the rankings to 21, and if you look at the domestic Premier League that we’ve got you have Glasgow City that have made quite an impression in the Champions’ League and with regards to development we’ve got new clubs opening up in several new age groups, I’d say women’s football is looking pretty positive.”

GirlsMcGonigle said the Scottish female team has been climbing the rankings steadily culminating in reaching the Euro 2013, but the majority of the media ignored this when the Scottish male friendlies were played. She said “I think that’s a disappointment but I think it’s fair to say that happens to probably all women’s sports. It’s a society thing rather than a football thing and given the success of the Olympics recently. I’ve noticed a huge

difference in attitudes in England. But I haven’t noticed the same difference in Scotland. It’s something we have to look at and I think it’s very disappointing when you’ve got success because the country loves to read about success. The people making the decisions not to put this in (the papers) are the ones who are stopping the country having a little bit of a lift.”

She continued “I think anything that we can do that gets people interested raises the profile and I think everybody individually can do that. The fact that the girls played in Hampden for the first time, meant there was a lot of work behind it from the staff of the SFA to promote that resulting in 4500+ spectators there which is a testament to the work that they’ve done. The problem is, it’s a one off game.

We would like to have the recognition week in-week out for the Premier League.

We would like to have players be known throughout Scotland. We’re still a long way from that, but that’s what we’ll work towards.”

Maureen McGonigle has been stating the case of women’s football throughout her career and her passion for the game is evident in the work she does for the SWF. When asked if she thought the lack of coverage was due to a lack of demand she disagreed saying: “I think people in the position to make the change are making assumptions. They don’t know for cer-

tain unless they put it on (TV) and it isn’t going to be an overnight success. They’ve got to invest, they’ve got to take a leap of faith and when you think of the population out there, more than half are females. You know that these girls playing have: brothers, sisters, uncles, dads and all these people want to hear about female football. We are not here in isolation we’re here as part of the community and I think they should be looking at a bit more equality in the events that they cover. “ McGonigle raises points that are difficult to dispute, every woman footballer’s family will turn out to support them – everyone in their inner circle would turn up and be counted. It seems like the media just doesn’t want to take the risk it needs to in order for women’s football attain that next step towards recognition; but should one broadcaster or newspaper begin to cover the female game regularly they would be tapping into a market that nobody has been able to count. Female football in Scotland is an untapped well for both the media and the SFA, we are beginning to fall behind the rest of the world due to our lack of a professional league and lack of media coverage, but all it would take is these two little changes to put Scottish women in the spotlight.

Fans must take more responsibility in ensuring their club’s long-term welfare

By Michael Wood.

As controversial as it may seem during an era of increasing supporter empowerment throughout Scottish football, there is a reasonable and valid argument to be made that the fans themselves are guilty of a lack of action and of missing the most incredible opportunity to force change and reform within the nation’s favourite sport. In the past three years, Scottish football has seen several of its clubs suffer from the extreme consequences of financial mismanagement, lack of direction and poor on-field results, with the results ranging from consecutive relegations and cost-cutting measures through to complete liquidation and reformation of entire clubs. The Scottish Football Association and Scottish Premier League – now merged with the Scottish Football League to create the Scottish Professional Football League - have approached such a traumatic and delicate time in the game’s history with half-hearted and unimaginative attempts at league restructuring and widespread reform of how the sport is governed.

The deterioration of Scottish football however does not appear to have been halted by these recent measures. Rangers FC notwithstanding, several Scottish football clubs are finding themselves in perilous positions. Hearts of Midlothian, Dunfermline, Stirling Albion and Dundee FC are either currently facing or in recent years faced the prospect of going out of business. Whether it be the result of wild financial mismanagement on the part of the club’s ownership (Hearts), or the slow and painful process of ownership change (Stirling Albion), it is clear that at least one key stakeholder in football has not in any way contributed to these unfortunate circumstances. Football supporters can spend significant amounts of money in following their respective sides through

a multitude of environments, covering hundreds, if not thousands of miles in the name of allegiance and a sense of belonging. Supporter groups’ campaigns representing these aforementioned clubs have varying degrees of success in their bids to gain an increased level of influence and control within their organisations. The Stirling Albion Supporters Trust was able to successfully assume control of the club in the summer of 2010, while Pars United – a network of fans groups – have recently been selected as the preferred bidder to buy Dunfermline Athletic out of administration; both terrific achievements and testament of the effort and commitment shown by all involved.

However, there is a case to be made that supporters are not as committed to their club’s causes as they should be if they truly aspire to fulfil the dream of 100% fan-ownership. Now this is in no way a criticism of those involved at clubs like Dunfermline Athletic, who have put in an immense amount of effort in achieving what they have so far, but more an observation at the incredible opportunity that is currently on offer to supporters of any club throughout Scotland. With the sport at arguably an all-time low in terms of reputation and quality of governance, what better environment to really increase the momentum and effort behind the supporter trust movement? I’m not going to buy into the mantra that football ‘belongs to the supporters’, because that is far too simplistic and short-sighted, but for such a sizeable and vocal stakeholder, fans of all clubs should really be doing more to exert their influence on their own organisation’s governance and ultimately the way Scottish football is run. Modesty is in criminally short supply in our nation’s game – there are many in high powered positions that still believe Scotland are a credible footballing nation. We are not not even close. Scotland are a very small

footballing nation, with few quality players and a domestic league that lies in taters, governed by an extremely unprofessional and chaotic duo of governing bodies.

Instead of viewing this current climate as an embarrassment and a mess to be fixed, all of those involved in football should see a wonderful opportunity. Scottish football has a rare opportunity to reinvent itself. To shun tradition in order to redefine it; with supporters trusts and fan groups taking a key role. More responsibility is required and a greater deal of effort from an increased number. Thousands watch football matches across Scotland every week during the season, but how many of them would be willing to join campaigns at their clubs, to work hard at advocating the strengths of increased supporter involvement and to commit themselves to the bigger picture of a much brighter and stronger future for football across Scotland as a whole? This is the real problem for the supporter movement.

The future of Scottish football may not be a 100% fan-led utopia of unbridled democracy and transparency, but supporters now have the most incredible opportunity to thrust themselves into the very core of the game’s current restructuring debate and to become a key player in the direction that the sport takes over the coming years. The way in which football has been run over the past few decades has led us to this fragile state, why would anyone in their right mind suggest a traditional governance structure within both clubs and the main bodies themselves? A wonderful opportunity for Scottish football awaits, whether supporters – untainted by years of due process and tradition – have the drive and hunger to seize this opportunity remains to be seen.