AST makes full submission to the Government's fan led review into Football

Further to our meeting with Tracey Crouch MP and the Government's review panel on 25 May 2021 the AST has now submitted detailed written evidence to the Government's fan led review of football, which includes the results of our membership survey and all member's individual comments. 

You can read the full submission here: Fan_led_review_ASTwrittenevidence_June2021.pdf

The executive summary of the key changes we would like to see implemented following the Government’s fan-led review are set out below:

1. Supporters should be empowered to become shareholders in their clubs, an outcome which would immediately improve governance arrangements by making owners answerable to supporters.  

2. Supporters should be given a greater say in how clubs are run through a ‘golden share’ on major decisions that affect the future of the club or threaten its heritage.

3. The Owners’ and Directors’ Test needs amending to include the following requirements:

      a. All football clubs should have two truly independent Non-Executive Directors (iNEDs). These iNEDs should meet the standards set out in the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code

      b. The owners and directors should have to endorse, and be regularly assessed on their compliance with, a football custodianship duty which would include effective engagement with supporters

4. Arrangements need to be put in place for meaningful and direct engagement between supporters and the owners, directors and executives of their clubs. This engagement must be conducted with openness, honesty and transparency. To help achieve this objective, each club should have an elected supporters’ representative on its board and a formally constituted Supporter Advisory Board with an open agenda and remit.

5. Effective regulation of football’s rulebooks and licensing arrangements needs to be introduced. The substantive change required is that the organisations and personnel undertaking the regulatory function should be wholly independent of the owners, directors and clubs they are regulating.

6. A thorough review of football’s finances needs to take place. Its focus should be on making football clubs more sustainable and ensuring a fair distribution of revenue to keep the Premier League competitive and maintain a flourishing football pyramid, including at the grassroots.