Supporters Direct Scotland Publishes Governance Report

© ScottishSupporters.net

Supporters Direct Scotland (SD Scotland) are seeking to empower and educate fans by providing them with more information about and greater access to Scottish football clubs. In June 2017, SD Scotland published their first index on the governance and ownership of the clubs in the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). The findings look to increase transparent reporting within SPFL, while recommendations included in the report are intended to increase fan access and involvement.

One of the key recommendations from the report is the introduction of the Supporter Involvement Award, whose recipient will be chosen based on good practices structured around supporter involvement within the governance and ownership of clubs. The clubs will be independently assessed and chosen on an annual basis.

The report stresses the importance of transparency within the ownership and governance of football clubs. Alan Russell, Chair of the Raith Rovers Supporters Trust and SD Scotland Council member, said, “We often hear soundbites in the media about new investors and takeover deals, and only discover later that the true picture is not as simple as we thought.”

The index, which looks at a range of factors from board structure and club ownership to the existence of Supporters Liaison Officers, will hopefully simplify the overall picture.

View the complete index through the Scottish Supporters website.