12/10/2011
Media release: MUST comments on DCMS response to Football Governance report
MUST - the Manchester United Supporters Trust today welcomed the response from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to the select committee report on Football Governance. The DCMS response is covered in the NOTES below and the full response can be read here
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8493.aspx
A spokesperson for MUST said:
"We are delighted to see the Government’s report refer to effective consultation with fans and the specific proposal that supporters trusts should be consulted and communicated with regularly as part of a new compulsory licensing regime. Manchester United has had no official contact with MUST since 2005 so, surely, it can only be a matter of time now before this changes so that the views of our growing membership (currently 173.907) are heard by the club. We'd encourage all Manchester United supporters who haven't yet done so to go online to
www.joinMUST.org and join their supporters trust to further strengthen its voice so that the views of all fans are properly represented."
"Furthermore, we note the Government’s criticism of highly leveraged takeovers, of which there has been no better, or perhaps worse, example than the Glazers’ purchase of Manchester United. Change is long overdue in both the governance and ownership of football and we hope the Government will now also demonstrate their determination to see through the commitments they made on supporter ownership in the Coalition Agreement to 'Encourage reform of football governance rules to support the cooperative ownership of football clubs by supporters'."
NOTES:
DCMS responds to select committee on football governance
Sports Minister wants football family to improve governance to benefit the game long-term.
DCMS has today published its response to the Culture, Media and Sport’s (CMS) select committee report into football governance. http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8493.aspx
The CMS inquiry, which began in February, heard from a wide range of witnesses from the world of football and published its findings on 29 July.
The Government’s response to the select committee’s report sets out a number of recommendations for football. These include looking at the creation of a modern, accountable and representative Football Association (FA) Board, the implementation of a licensing framework administered by the FA in close cooperation with the professional game and changes to the decision-making structures within the FA.
The Government will now look for the football authorities to work together, agree and publish a joint response by the end of February 2012 on how they plan to take these recommendations forward.
The Government has also welcomed the select committee’s attention on supporter involvement and would like to see football authorities encourage clubs to have open dialogue with supporters’ groups and trusts about how the club is run and for fans to be placed at the heart of the club.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said: “This country is hugely passionate about our national game and there are many reasons we should be pleased with how it has progressed over the last two decades. However, I believe that there are improvements that can be made in the governance arrangements, which have failed to keep up with the changing pace of the modern game. I do not want Government to run football, so this is an opportunity for the football family to work together to benefit the game in the long-term.”
Further information
Football Governance: Response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee