The future of Supporters Direct is under threat. Leading football journalist David Conn has researched the story and it appears that some indiscreet tweets (here we go again) seem likely to lead to the withdrawal of Premier League funding just as it was about to be granted.
The future of Supporters Direct is under threat. Leading football journalist David Conn has researched the story and it appears that some indiscreet tweets (here we go again) seem likely to lead to the withdrawal of Premier League funding just as it was about to be granted.
The remarks which related to MK Dons were made by chief executive Dave Boyle who is an AFC Wimbledon fan after they won promotion to the Football League. He has since resigned, but this may be too late to repair the damage. Conn hints in the article at a suggestion that some people in the Premier League may be unhappy with what they see as criticism by Supporters Direct of its commercial orientation.
I can’t comment on the facts of the particular story or the reaction to it, but I do know that the organisation was very helpful in connection with the non-league club that I am involved with. There is clearly a role for organisations of this kind if there is going to be advice available for community oriented football clubs and a structured dialogue between the football authorities and fans, admittedly a group with widely different views.
The supporters trust movement has developed as a way of getting fans involved in a more systematic and organised way with their clubs and Supporters Direct is effectively its peak organisation. The Coalition Agreement referred to forms of involvement for fans in their clubs on a mutual basis and it is thought that prime minister David Cameron may see it as a manifestation of the ‘Big Society’, not that the movement itself has any partisan political orientation.