1. SUPPORTERS DIRECT
FANS’ WEEKEND
CHESTER 15TH–16TH JULY 2011
sponsored by
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2. WELCOmE TO THE SD
FANS’ WEEKEND
the past year has been
the launch of two well
received briefing papers
at westminster and our
contribution to the work
of the house of commons The Co-operative and a network of experienced
select committee. this is Supporters Direct are united co-operative development
part of the continued drive in their shared passion and advisers to offer support
to embed our philosophy ambitions for co-operation. to enterprises that are
of a more sustainable For The Co-operative, this seeking to become co-
game with greater fan and means a business model that operatives, or co-operatives
community involvement, puts members at the heart that are at critical points
It is my pleasure to something that both the of our governance, rewards in their development. We
welcome you to the 12th coalition and them with a share in our were delighted to recently
Annual conference of Labour have committed profits and has, at its core, welcome Supporters Direct
supporters direct. to. we also continue to a steadfast commitment to into our network of experts,
grow our reputation across social responsibility. For where their expertise can
despite the challenging Europe as experts on Supporters Direct, this be drawn on to promote a
times, I believe the engaging supporters in their means promoting a model more sustainable future
movement itself is in good clubs. for sports clubs that builds for the next generation of
health. I am delighted on the unique sense of community-owned clubs.
that we are receiving this is only made possible solidarity borne of loyalty to
sponsorship from the because of the work that a team, to give fans a greater In all sorts of areas, people
co-operative for today’s you all carry out at your voice in the running of their are coming together to
conference and the fans own supporters’ trusts and clubs. For both, there is an create mutual solutions to
day on saturday. In addition football clubs. explicit recognition that the ensure that they have a say
to providing us with Over the last 11 years we long-term sustainability of in the running of services
resources, the co-operative have grown and developed their concerns is best served and enterprises that they
also helps us to tap into the supporters’ trust by involving in decision- hold dear. In sport, we find
a far wider and growing movement together. Yes, making the very people communities of passionate
support for mutualism and sd may be living through on whom their long-term people who are united by
co-operation that covers so a difficult moment, but the success is dependent. a bond that will tie them
many sectors of business support and encouragement together throughout their
and society. this is critical we have received from so At The Co-operative, we are lives. It is a ripe area for
for the success of an many of you has given us investing £7.5m over the community ownership
organisation like sd, and I great heart over recent next three years to build and Supporters Direct have
hope to continue building weeks. I believe, working a stronger co-operative our full support in their
on those relationships. together, we can continue economy in the UK through efforts to support fans to
to build the number and the provision of free, tailored take control.
we have wide support strength of our supporters’ advice and training to new
across the political trusts in the coming and trading co-operatives. Michael Fairclough, Head of
spectrum, and one of the decades. The Co-operative Enterprise Community and Campaigns,
notable successes of -chair dame Pauline Green Hub has brought together The Co-operative Group
co-operative for their business case for supporter I’d like to thank all those
sponsorship of the weekend. ownership and how that can who have given up their time
be financed. to lead sessions or be part
I have clearly taken this of the day.
position at a difficult time In the closing plenary,
for sd. fortunately we have the emphasis will be on whilst today’s conference is
an extremely committed the direction and relevance intended to be very much a
and hard working team all of sd and the wider trust formal event, including our
dedicated to maintaining movement in a game which Annual General meeting,
the excellent work for which looks quite different from tomorrow is a little more
w
elcome to today’s sd is known. that of eleven years ago free-form and fun.
annual conference when sd was created. I am
of supporters the focus of today’s grateful to william Gaillard, I hope you enjoy both days.
direct, and my first as conference, with the launch special Advisor to michel
Acting chief Executive. of our two briefing papers, Platini, for agreeing to
my sincere thanks to the is on strengthening the join us. -Acting CEO Brian Burgess
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3. OPENING PLENARY COLONNADES SUITE
(12.00-13.00)
LAuNch Of thE bRIEfING PAPERs ‘fINANcING suPPORtER cOmmuNItY OwNERshIP’
ANd ‘busINEss AdvANtAGEs Of suPPORtER cOmmuNItY OwNERshIP’
We’re launching the last two of our four briefing papers for 2011; ‘Financing Supporter Community Ownership’ and
‘business Advantages of supporter community Ownership’.
these papers should both inspire and inform supporters’ trusts and the fans alike as to why and how they should have
more influence in the ownership of their clubs.
the session will be introduced by brian burgess, Acting chief Executive of supporters direct with tom hall,
head of Policy and development at supporters direct, Jim brown of baker brown Associates and Adam brown
of substance presenting.
Brian Burgess Brian is a business advisor specialising in the development of sports stadia,multi-purpose
community hubs and social enterprise models for linking sport, health, education, and
social inclusion. He is currently leading the development of a new 20,000 seat Brentford
Community Stadium for Brentford Football Club and trustee of Brentford FC Community
Sports Trust. From 2003 to 2007 he chaired the supporters’ trust, Bees United.
Following a 30-year career in industry, Brian joined Community Action Network (CAN)
in 2002, and until 2007 was Managing Director CAN Health and Sport Ltd, a social
enterprise advisory service working with the public, private and third sectors to promote
the development of community hubs delivering public services
Tom Hall Tom Hall is Head of Policy and Development at Supporters Direct, whom he joined
in 2007 as a Development Manager.
His background is in sports and community development having worked for Sport England
for a number of years and previous to that in regeneration for local government. He has a
Masters in Business Strategy, Politics and the Environment from Birkbeck College and is a
qualified project manager
Jim Brown Jim Brown is the principal consultant at Baker Brown Associates, a policy research and
development co-operative. Jim has worked with co-operatives over 30 years. His main
areas of interest are equity investment, community engagement, innovation, business
strategy and training. He was the lead consultant for Community Shares, a two year action
research programme funded by the Cabinet Office and the Department of Communities
and Local Government, which was completed earlier this year, and the author of The
Practitioners Guide to Community Shares, published in July 2011.
Adam Brown Adam Brown is a founder and Director of Substance, helping organisations delivering
personal, community and social development.
He led the Social Value of Football research for SD, and also its four recent briefing papers.
He was Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Manchester Institute for
Popular Culture at Manchester Metropolitan University from 1996 to 2006.
He was also a leading member of the Government Football Task Force and is a board
member of both FC United of Manchester and Cornerhouse arts centre.
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4. WORKSHOPS
stRANd ONE: INsPIRING ANd ENAbLING suPPORtER OwNERshIP COLONNADES SUITE
These workshops will take a closer and practical look at the two papers launched at the
Conference including case studies and presentations from some clubs.
sEssION 1 BUSINESS ADvANTAgES OF SUPPORTER COmmUNITY OWNERSHIP IN FOOTBALL
14:00 to 15:00
Led by: James Mathie (SD) with Fiona McGee (Substance) and Mark Howells (Chester FC)
The session will hopefully inspire and give confidence to supporters’ trusts and individuals alike as to the
advantages and positive stories from supporter owned clubs. It will provide further detail from the opening
plenary on advantages our research has identified on being supporter owned.
sEssION 2 FINANCINg SUPPORTER COmmUNITY OWNERSHIP IN FOOTBALL
15:15 to 16:15
Led by: Tom Hall (SD), with Adam Brown (Substance), Kevin Jaquiss (Cobbetts) and Andy Walsh (FC United)
One of the major obstacles to extending current supporter community ownership – whether for wholly
owned, majority or minority ownership – is the ability of trusts to raise capital finance. This briefing paper
outlines the various methods of raising finance to enable supporter ownership.
stRANd twO: POLIcY ANd REGuLAtION (ONE sEssION ONLY) DISRAELI ROOm
sEssION 1 BRIEFINg PAPERS 1 & 2
14:00 to 15:00 (‘Developing Public Policy to Encourage Supporter Community Ownership in Football’ and ‘Developing
Football Regulation to Encourage Supporters Community Ownership in Football’)
Led by: Adam Brown (Substance)
The workshop will major on the two Policy and Regulation papers launched in May and will also consider
both the current DCMS inquiry plus touch upon the relevant elements of the Localism Bill. It will both
review the current landscape, consider current opportunities and outline what anyone interested can do in
these areas to help create the political will for change.
stRANd thREE: tRAINING fOR suPPORtERs’ tRusts EDWARD ROOm
sEssION 1 mODEL RULES
14:00 to 15:00
Led by: Jacqui Forster (SD) with Tom Wainwright (Cobbetts)
This session will focus on the introduction of the revised set of model rules which we have been working on
with the help of Co-operatives UK and Cobbetts. It will give participants a better understanding of the
changes that have been made, new powers that they enable and the process to implementing them.
sEssION 2 WORKINg WITH OTHER FAN gROUPS
15:15 to 16:15
Led by: Jacqui Forster (SD)
The second session will take a look at the role of supporters’ trusts and how they can work effectively
with other supporters groups on a local level. It will include case studies from different approaches from
supporters’ trusts that have been successful in developing strong working relationships with other groups or
working towards their aims.
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5. All workshop strands except the AFC Telford Peer review and the European Supporters’ Groups session can be
attended by delegates.
A comfort break of 15 minutes will be provided between the first and second sessions
stRANd fOuR: EuROPE PRINCE ALBERT ROOm
sEssION 1 UEFA FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY
14:00 to 15:00
Led by: Antonia Hagemann
The first session will explain the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulation which is due to be adopted
from the start of the 2011/12 season for clubs seeking to play in UEFA competitions and in particular the
introduction of the Supporter Liaison Officers - something SD has worked closely with UEFA on.
sEssION 1 CLOSED SESSION: EUROPEAN SUPPORTER gROUPS ONLY
15:15 to 16:15
Led by: Antonia Hagemann
The second session will be a closed session for supporters groups from mainland Europe to discuss the work
of SD Europe and how groups can work better together.
stRANd fIvE: suPPORtER ANd cOmmuNItY-OwNEd cLubs vICTORIA ROOm
This strand will be for supporter owned clubs to share good ideas and identify ways SD
can provide more support to these clubs.
sEssION 1 mARKETINg YOUR CLUB TO YOUR FAN BASE
14:00 to 15:00
Led by: James Proctor (SD) with Mark Bradley (Mark Bradley Projects)
The first session will feature Mark Bradley, an industry expert on the fans experience of games. The session
will focus on how supporter owned clubs can market themselves better, with particular focus on how to
engage their fanbase.
vICTORIA ROOm
sEssION 2 AFC TELFORD PEER REvIEW/COmmUNITY OWNED CLUBS
15:15 to 16:15
Led by: James Proctor (SD) with Peter Jackson (Consultant)
The club recently undertook a comprehensive review of the club with key stakeholders including fans’, local
business and the local authority to understand what these groups thought of the club, and how they can
improve these relationships. This interactive session will provide a brief summary of the review, its key
findings and how it can apply at other clubs.
This session will also provide an opportunity for our supporter owned clubs to discuss how they can provide
mutual support and where SD can assist.
Start time End time Session
11.00 12.00 Registration
12.00 13.00 Opening Plenary
13.00 14.00 Lunch (Kings’ Quarter)
14.00 15.00 Workshop Strands
15.15 16.15 Workshop Strands
16.15 16.45 Break (Palazzo Suite)
16.45 17.45 Closing Plenary
18.00 Agm
20.00 23.00 Comedy Night
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6. cLOsING PLENARY COLONNADES SUITE
(16.45-17.45)
thE tRust mOvEmENt: sEIzING thE OPPORtuNItY
Since its inception in 2000, SD has been at the forefront of arguing for better regulation of football, and we’re now in an age
where the argument about regulation is not about ‘if’ but ‘what’ and ‘how’.
Leagues are gradually adopting more stringent controls on finances and the ownership of clubs. UEFA’s new licensing
criteria is becoming a reality with the eventual aim that debt be more-or-less eradicated from clubs. Within UEFA’s licence
– and as a consequence, most Premier League clubs – the new Supporter Liaison Officer requirement means that fans will
have more of a formal channel to be listened to and their views acted upon.
So what does that mean for SD? What will be the impact on fan ownership? And how will the Culture media and Sport
Select Committee report, due to be published shortly, affect this climate?
This plenary will feature a discussion and speeches from SD Acting Chief Executive Brian Burgess, and two special guests:
William gaillard and mark Bradley.
WILLIAm gAILLARD
William gaillard is currently the Director of Communications & Public Affairs for UEFA, and Senior Adviser to UEFA
President michel Platini.
He has recently appeared before the DCmS Select Committee’ football governance enquiry.
mARK BRADLEY
The author of Inconvenience Stores (2004) and Retails of the Unexpected (2008), Mark uses ‘real fan experiences’ to
encourage Clubs, Leagues and Associations to think differently about growth.
The Football League has credited The Fan Experience Company with increasing family attendance at fixtures by over
12% (more than 2 million people) in the 4 years since the Family Excellence Awards were established to let Clubs see
themselves through new fans’ eyes.
Mark also works with the SPL (Scottish Premier League), the FAI (Airtricity League) and the Football Association
(Non-League / ‘grass roots’ levels and the new FA WSL). He also works for a number of individual Clubs, at all levels of
the game, helping them to develop a much deeper understanding of the potential, existing and lapsed supporter and to
renew fan consultation, increase engagement and grow attendances.
Mark can be contacted via mark@thefanexperiencecompany.com
Twitter @FanExperienceCo
AGm vICTORIA ROOm
(18.00)
supporters direct is a democratically owned organisation. members are entitled to elect the board,
and make decisions at General meetings.
If you want to know more about renewing or joining as a full or associate member, please contact
enquiries@supporters-direct.org or call 0044 (0)20 7273 1576
cOmEdY NIGht COLONNADES SUITE
from 20.00 to 23.00 there will be a comedy night, with canapés served in the palazzo suite from 19:00,
for people with a comedy night ticket who have attended the conference.
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7. FANS’ DAY
saturday 16th July, Exacta stadium, chester fc, bumpers Lane, ch1 4Lt
The Fans’ Day begins at 12pm in the marquee at Chester FC. There will be a BBQ, stalls, fans’ penalty shoot-out and
keynote speeches.
Following this will be The SD Cup: Chester FC vs. FC United of manchester. 3.00pm kick-off
SPEAKERS AT THE FANS’ DAY INCLUDE:
TOm gREATREX mP
Tom is the Labour/Co-Operative member of Parliament for Rutherglen and Hamilton West. Prior to his election in 2010, he
worked at gmB, East Dunbartonshire Council, NHS 24, and as a Policy Adviser to three Secretaries of State for Scotland.
Outside of politics, his interests include family, films and football - he is a former Chair of Fulham Supporters’ Trust! Tom
was kind enough to host the May launch of two Supporters Direct briefing papers at Portcullis House.
DAvID CONN
David Conn is an award-winning writer for the guardian newspaper and author of two acclaimed books chronicling English
football’s commercial transformation: ‘The Football Business’ and ‘The Beautiful game? Searching for the Soul of Football’.
He has earned a reputation as the foremost journalist critically investigating football’s structure and governance, as well as
ownership and takeover sagas at individual clubs. He has always been a strong advocate of supporter representation
at clubs, and continues to argue, that clubs should ideally be mutually owned by their supporters, and be primarily
community organisations.
David qualified first as a lawyer before embarking on a career in journalism. He has written for all England’s broadsheet
newspapers on a range of issues including football, and made documentaries for BBC television and radio. He wrote a
weekly investigative column for the Independent for six years before moving to the guardian in 2005. He was last year
voted UK sports news reporter of the year by the Sports Journalists Association, an award he also won in 2005. He has
been named football writer of the year by the Football Supporters Federation three times, in 2002, 2005 and 2009.
CHRIS PILSBURY
Chris Pilsbury has spent his career in teaching, retiring early four years ago. In October 2009 he was elected to the board of
City Fans United, subsequently becoming chairman.
The early months of work with his colleagues on the board of CFU were concerned with preparing for the inevitable collapse
of the club, which finally occurred in March 2010. He cites as critical the dedication of the fans and the help and advice of
many, at the forefront of which was Supporters’ Direct.
Following the Club’s collapse, he became the first Chairman of the reborn Chester F.C., something he describes as “a huge
honour, an enormous responsibility and, most particularly, a great joy”.
ANDY WALSH
Andy Walsh is a seasoned community activist and a fervent campaigner for fan involvement in football clubs. As Chair
of the Independent manchester United Supporters’ Association he led the successful campaign to stop the takeover of
manchester United by Rupert murdoch’s BSkyB. Andy was one of the prime movers in uniting the football supporters’
movement through the establishment of the Football Supporters’ Federation bringing together the National Federation of
Football Supporters and the Football Supporters Association.
As the general manager of fan-owned FC United of manchester he is leading the club’s project to build a new 5,000
capacity community football ground and sports complex in manchester.
Start Time End Time Session Venue
12.00 14.00 Activities begin including: bar, stalls and bbQ marquee
13.00 14.00 Keynote speakers marquee
14.45 14.55 fans’ penalty shoot-out: chester fc v fc united Pitch
15.00 17.00 sd cup Pitch
17.00 18.00 man of the match presentation marquee
SD FANS’ WEEKEND | 7
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8. 3rd Floor Victoria House,
Bloomsbury Square
London
WC1B 4SE
t. 020 7273 1592
w. supporters-direct.coop
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