Football Supporters’ Association
The FSA is a democratic organisation representing the rights of football fans in England and Wales.
Formed from the merger of the Football Supporters’ Federation and Supporters Direct, the FSA is the democratic, representative body for supporters in England and Wales. FSA is the leading advocate for supporter ownership, better fan engagement, cheaper ticket prices, the choice to stand at the match, protecting fan rights, good governance, diversity, and all types of fan empowerment. FSA can also offer legal advice to any supporter who believes they have been unfairly treated by stewards or the police. Full details of the FSA’s work can be found at www.thefsa.org.uk
The Supporters’ Club is an Affiliate Member of the Football Supporters’ Association.
Although the FSA no longer holds regional meetings, regular attendees at the old FSF Southern Division voted to continue holding meetings. The FSA Southern Region meetings are held three or four times a year, usually in the London area and are attended by supporters of clubs in a large area from Bristol City in the West, Norwich in the East, Watford in the North and Pompey and Brighton in the South. The Supporters’ Club is represented at these meetings by SC committee member Pam Wilkins.

During lockdown and the absence of supporters from grounds, the FSA has continued to work on behalf of supporters. There has been a lot of talk recently about the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently making its way through Parliament. On the FSA website, FSA Caseworker Amanda Jacks discusses the Bill’s potential impact on match going football supporters. www.thefsa.org.uk/news/

FSA hopes to be part of the Government’s Football Governance review, led by the DCMS. The FSA hopes it will be a meaningful review. The main point should be for football to be sustainable across the whole pyramid. Sustainability needs to be controlled so that we do not loose any more of our historic clubs or grounds.

Sustain the Game

FSA News: Fan groups, politicians and pundits call for urgent action to protect the “very existence” of clubs.

Supporters’ groups from across the country have joined forces with politicians and pundits to launch “Sustain The Game!” – a new campaign which calls for urgent action from the authorities to protect the existence of clubs throughout the game.

The financial strains caused by Covid-19 have threatened many clubs and fans say urgent action is needed from the football authorities to help them survive.

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) is coordinating Sustain The Game! and says that while the current pandemic has brought many issues to an immediate head, these are long standing finance and governance matters which need to be fixed.

The Government’s 2019 manifesto committed to a “fan led” review of football governance and the FSA says it wants to demonstrate the support within football for that to happen.

The campaign is backed by fans’ organisations from almost all of the 92 Premier League and EFL clubs alongside those in the women’s game, non-league and high profile ex-pros and pundits such as Jamie Carragher, Henry Winter, Colin Murray, Amy Lawrence, Guy Mowbray, and FSA Commentator of the Year Peter Drury.

Political support comes in the shape of ex-sports minister Tracey Crouch, Labour’s shadow sports minister Alison McGovern and Liberal Democrats’ Daisy Cooper MP, the party’s sports spokesperson.

The campaign is also backed by the cross-party All-Party Parliamentary Group for Football Supporters and many community-owned clubs including the newly-formed Bury AFC.

Campaign backers say the football authorities and government cannot sit back and watch as dozens of historic clubs are under immediate threat and could disappear altogether.

FSA chief executive Kevin Miles said:

“Football occupies a special space in our society as clubs carry huge cultural and local economic importance. Sustain The Game! will demonstrate the need for urgent action as the very existence of many clubs is under threat. If we don’t act now we might lose some forever.

“We call on everyone with an interest in the game, from clubs and leagues to players and managers, to come together and work in partnership to support Sustain The Game! The time for action isn’t next week, next month, or next year – it’s now.”

Ex-Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said:

“The FSA’s Sustain The Game! campaign can play a massive role in protecting clubs throughout the game. This is a difficult time for the game but it’s also a chance to make real changes. Supporters’ have to be involved in that as well.”

Sustain The Game! is built around five key principles and aims to protect clubs, increase transparency, implement strong independent financial controls, strengthen the football pyramid, and increase supporter engagement.

Sustain The Game! Principles:

1. Protect our clubs – football clubs are community assets and an important expression of individual and local identity, they deserve legal protection and urgent support to secure their future;
2. Transparency – everyone has a right to know who owns their club, and how clubs and the authorities operate. Owners are custodians of clubs on behalf of all of us;
3. Financial controls – fans want rules with real teeth which are independently enforced, clubs and leagues can’t be left to regulate themselves;
4. Strengthen the pyramid – football as a whole is wealthy, but we need a smarter and fairer use of the money in the game to encourage sustainability;
5. Supporter engagement – fans are the lifeblood of the game, they need a voice in their clubs and on all issues that affect them and their communities.

To find out more about Sustain The Game! and see all signatories visit: www.thefsa.org.uk

Man Utd to see rail seats

Manchester club given go-ahead to install 1,500 rail seats at Old Trafford

Manchester United fans say they are delighted that the club has been given the green light to create a dedicated standing area at Old Trafford in another important development for the standing campaign – becoming the third such area to be installed in the Premier League after Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur.

The club’s managing director Richard Arnold said: “It may seem strange to talk about stadium plans at this time, but football and our fans will return when it is safe, and our preparations for that must continue in the background.”