Conferences
The England & Wales conference and UK AGM was held in London last weekend so look out for news of that in the next couple of weeks. Lots of interesting speakers and some good quality discussions too. If you happen to use Twitter you can see the live comments made from the day by searching on the term #sdvision. There was also the launch of the Social & Community Value of Football Report which although researched using English clubs has lots of relvance for those of us in Scotland too.
We're just about catching up with everything post-Scottish conference. The day went really well and Andy Walsh from FC United of Manchester was an inspiring speaker, outlining what can be done when you are able to make decisions from a fan and community point of view. Keith Ferguson from CAFE also did a great job of  discussing football from another angle, giving the view that disabled fans have of following their team in Scotland and across Europe. If you'd like more info about either organisation just follow the links above or get in touch with us and we'll help you make the connection.

Scottish Football Reform
Summaries of the sessions will be circulated in the next couple of weeks but we did want to inform you of the discussions that were had around the reform of Scottish football. The two sessions provided a lot of interesting and diverse views but there was unanimous agreement that supporters' trusts and Supporters Direct should be more confident at putting their views forward. The final session added lots of ideas and feedback as to how this might be executed and which groups of people need to be the focus of any campaign.

In order to keep the momentum going through the close season we are looking for people with the following skills and experience to contact us (email or phone) and become part of the initial voluntary campaign planning group:
Campaigning - setting strategy, targets, influencing people.
Traditional Media - working with the press, radio and using traditional communications routes.
New Media - working with digital and electronic media to communicate directly to people.
Political/Advocacy - designing and executing lobbying campaigns.
Negotiation - experience in negotiating and strategy.
It perhaps goes without saying but the ideal candidates should have a belief that football fans should have a greater say in the running of football. Also if a campaign goes ahead it is likely to run over the next six to eight months so a reasonable level of availability during that time is important.
If you would like any more information about this or just to find out more please get in touch.

Other News
As an enthusiatic part of the cooperative and mutual organisations sector Supporters Direct are supporting the upcoming Cooperatives Fortnight (19 June to 3 July). We have two events that we are involved with that we hope some of you will be interested in attending, particularly if you are in or around the central belt.
This coming Saturday 19 June (10am to 3.30pm) the Coop Group are hosting "Looking Back, Going Forward", to celebrate the start of Coops Fortnight. It takes place at the wonderfully named Institute for the Formation of Character, New Lanark Mills ML11 9DB and features speakers, stalls, information and demonstrations on coop solutions for Finance, Football and Fashion! Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Wednesday 16 June to book a place. The event is free but space is limited, hence the booking.
On the following Wednesday Cooperation and Mutuality Scotland host a reception in the Scottish Parliament (6.30pm to 8pm) also to celebrate the contribution of Scottish cooperatives. The event is a great opportunity to network with others in cooperatives businesses and organisations as well as see around the parliament itself. And as if that wasn't already enough to tempt you along the Coop Group are providing fairtrade wine. Again the event is free but due to the requirements of the parliament you need to book your place:
Co-operation and Mutuality Scotland
tel. 0141 304 5465 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or get in touch with us at the SD Scotland office.

Scottish Conference
This year's Scottish Conference takes place on Saturday 29 May at the University of Stirling's Management Centre. As the first stage of the SFA review has now been published and the nominations to the board of Supporters Direct are closed we can now decide how the closing sessions of the event will operate.
Following the afternoon sessions we will return to a joint session where we will discuss the supporters' response to the proposed changes in Scottish football and the role of Supporters Direct and trusts. The starting point for this final session will be reports from the seminars held during the day and the aim will be to have a clear direction in order to act on these two issues in the coming months with the support of trusts from across the country. It is therefore vital that each trust ensures that they are represented at the event this year.

The four sessions at the conference are:
Building Membership - All trusts need members; they are the source of their legitimacy, their finances and their activists - but how can you increase your numbers? James Mathie from Supporters Direct will tell you what we know has worked across the country and give you cast-iron ways to increase your membership.

Funding community projects - By attending this workshop you will hear about community projects trusts have undertaken, discover how they can be funded and find out more about what funders are looking for.

Scottish Football Reform - This session will discuss the supporters' trust response to the SFA review taking time to discuss the main issues and finding where common ground exists among fans.

Supporters Direct - With almost a decade of development behind it there are significant issues facing Supporters Direct such as how to strengthen its democracy and accountability, and ensuring it has the resources to support the ambitions of fans and trusts. The workshop will discuss these issues in order to guide the development of the organisation in the coming years.

These four sessions will be repeated in the afternoon.
We are also getting in touch with all the Supporter-Directors in Scotland to ask if they would like to meet with their colleagues rather than attending a morning session. If you're appointed to the football club board and we haven't been in contact already please phone or email to tell us what your preference would be.

Places can be booked online, by post or over the phone at £15 per person for member trusts and £30 for non members. 47 places have been booked so far so in principle only around 13 places remain.

SFA Review and Fans' Survey
With part one of Henry McLeish's review of Scottish Football having been published there are now two issues for supporters to consider. Firstly the work has started within the SFA to act on the recommendations in the report, and secondly, work has started on the next stage of the review. Over the next few weeks up to and beyond the conference we hope to report on the authorities progress and create opportunities for supporters to influence the direction and results of each issue.
The SD Fans' Survey report was published a little over a week ago and it contains many more results beyond the headlines on league structure and fan involvement. For instance two-thirds of respondents believed that TV channels should have less influence over the game and 83% of fans want a robust club licensing scheme with 91% believing financial stability should be a key criteria.
We hope that you will help us to pass the survey results on to the widest range of supporters by writing about it on your website and emailing your members. If you previously helped us to get fans to fill the survey in by posting the link on message boards now would be an ideal time to post the results so that those people who responded feel that their time was well spent.
A copy of the report can be found on the Supporters Direct website or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for a copy.

Supporters Direct Board
A reminder of the nominations to the Supporters Direct Board. As there are the same number of candidates as seats available, candidates will be subject to a confirmatory vote at the AGM, and if confirmed all candidates will be elected without the need for a ballot. Terms of office for the Scottish seats will be determined by drawing lots at the first Board meeting immediately following the AGM.

Fans' Survey
Fans are disenchanted and disempowered and 96% of supporters would prefer a league structure that didn't have teams playing four times per season. Those were some of the findings of the SD Fans' Survey published on Friday (23 April). Over 1,300 fans completed the survey which covered four key areas of League Structure, Football Administration, Influence and Improving The Match. A copy can be downloaded from the SD Website and feel free to share this with colleagues, members and fellow fans. There was some good press coverage in the BBC, Scotsman and Daily Record.
For those of you interested in the growing online media the story was also covered by:
Sporting Intelligence
The Scottish Football Blog
Scotzine.com
I should also mention that I've signed up for Twitter (sdscotlandjp) as well so if you're that way inclined then you can add me to your follow list. If this means nothing to you keep reading and pretend it didn't happen and I won't mention our Facebook page either.

McLeish Part 1
The first part of the McLeish Trilogy was launched at Hampden Park today. It'll be my weekend reading but there is plenty of media comment about it already so you won't have to go far for opinions. The Scottish FA website has a copy for you to download and read at your pleasure.

Supporters Direct Board Nominations
Nominations for the board of Supporters Direct must be in the London office by noon this coming Tuesday (27 April). Two places are available specifically for Scottish trust candidates this year.
The Primary Contact for each organisation should have received email information on the nomination process but please get in touch with This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to check any procedures.
More information is also available on the SD website.

Scottish Conference
Online registration for the Scottish Conference on Saturday 29 May at the University of Stirling's Management Centre is live or you can download the registration form and post it to the Glasgow office with a cheque. Places are once again limited so book early to avoid disappointment! Last year we were oversubscribed two weeks before the event. We are also offering an early booking discount this year which is available until 3 May (£10 for member trusts, £20 for non-members)

SD reacts to political football

Please use and distribute this release 

Reports in The Guardian today (more detail from Owen Gibson and commentary from David Conn) suggests that the Government are looking at radical proposals to give fans a right-to-buy their clubs and enabling them to take a 25% stake in the club. They also say that the government wants to see the powers of the football authorities beefed up to give them more power to veto takeovers of clubs which are not in the club's interests nor that of the supporters nor the wider game.

Meanwhile The Guardian and Daily Mail both quote Conservative Shadow Sports Minister Hugh Robertson saying that there are other ways in which supporters can be guaranteed representation without needing ownership stakes, whilst Don Foster for the Liberal Democrats dismisses the idea of supporter-ownership as a ‘pipedream’ (I wonder if he’s bothered to note the Co-operatives UK/You Gov opinion poll saying exactly the opposite) – but does agree with us that ownership is not a panacea, making the point that football “urgently need(s) a radical overhaul of the FA to better represent supporters and act in the interests of the game.”

Supporters Direct Chief Executive Dave Boyle said:

"The two parties - one of which will form the basis of the next government - both agree fans should have a stake in the clubs they support and are pledged to work to make it happen. That's great news for the trust movement and long-overdue recognition that clubs aren't businesses like any other. 

"We look forward to the next government - whoever it is - putting fans at the heart of the game and we will work with them to make it happen" 

Now football's genuinely on the political agenda, maybe you should consider writing or emailing your Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPC's) standing in your constituency, to see if they agree with either Labour, the Conservative or the Liberal Democrats - or if you're in Wales, Plaid Cymru - and their policies on football. You could even get your members to do the same. 

We've included the links to their candidates below: 

Conservative Party
Labour Party
Liberal Democrats
Plaid Cymru

And Michel Platini, UEFA’s President, has now weighed in supporting the proposals, ‘saying that supporters were the only people who had a genuine "identity" with clubs.’ 

North of the Border, the Rangers Supporters Trust are reportedly discussing the possibility of a buyout of the debt ridden Scottish club in partnership with other, wealthy fans. Interesting days indeed.