Blues Trust Meeting Review Panel

31 May 2021 | 13 comments

ownership tests

independent regulation

engagement with supporters

scrutiny of club finances

distribution of revenues

governance models in other countries

protection of club identities

relationships within the football pyramid

Blues Trust has been invited to meet the Panel appointed to lead the Government’s fan-led review of football. We will be influencing the review through discussions (organised by the Football Supporters Association) with Tracey Crouch MP and the other panel members, starting next week, to support the evidence gathering phase of the review.

We will be submitting a full written report with our proposals to the Panel towards the end of June, and to help us do that we would very much welcome thoughts and ideas from Trust members and other BCFC supporters (individuals and groups).

The review, which has just been launched, will focus on eight key strands of football governance:

  1. ownership tests
  2. independent regulation
  3. engagement with supporters
  4. scrutiny of club finances
  5. distribution of revenues
  6. governance models in other countries
  7. protection of club identities
  8. relationships within the football pyramid

It is expected that an interim report will be produced in July, with the final report being published by Tracey Crouch in October.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be publishing brief articles on each of the eight key strands of the review and inviting comments to help shape the Trust’s response. The review is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address some of the many concerns that football supporters have identified, and the Trust wants to play its part in driving forward a programme for change.

Your views are important and we want to capture them. Please share them with us.

Blues Trust

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13 Comments

  1. Glyn Rees

    Please remember that if the present owners leave that they will demand their £100+million loans back straight away and this would finish us off as a club totally. Slowly, slowly catchy monkey Kro

    • Graham

      Surely that would be included in the sale price( unless administration)

      • Richard Peach

        Owners should never be allowed to sell club assets apart from players. It’s not healthy for any club to be divided into slices to raise funds it destroys football and clubs.

  2. Brian King

    I think the most important thing to me is transparency. Transparency in who actually owns the club how they paid for the club and how they will continue to fund the club if needed. If owners and directors cannot provide the transparency needed they should not be allowed to own or become a director. Transparency in wages to players and I’ll staff including Owners and board members.

  3. Mr Tim Austin

    In your point 5, “distribution of revenues”, emphasis should be put on the ludicrous distortions caused in the Championship by the parachute payments for clubs relegated from the Premiership. This is leading to an increasing group of “yo-yo” clubs to the detriment of those, like Blues, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City, who have spent some years now in the second tier. Fair competition it ain’t!

  4. Jones Eric

    One comment only about ownership. An owner of a football club must be known in order to be assessed. At this point we have no idea who our owner is. A stricter review of owners is essential.

  5. Mitchell

    Scrutiny of all clubs is paramount. Only buy what you can afford etc. Simple statement but true. How clubs survive in the eternal lower reaches of the Championship amaze me. Even more the League One and Two. Breakaway from Sky and the Premier League will be the only solution but it will never happen unless Sky wish it to be. Problem is we all crave and yearn to be promoted to the promised land. Will change happen? well it probably will and arrive very quick, but when is the vital question.

    • John P

      Mitchell you (as do others) make a very good point on the subject you discuss but it really does indirectly ask a very important question, who does actually run English football, the FA or Sky?

      • Richard Walker

        “Over the next couple of weeks we will be publishing brief articles on each of the eight key strands of the review and inviting comments to help shape the Trust’s response.”

        I look forward to giving comments on the eight key strands.

        Lots to talk about

        One thing is for certain we need to push this as hard as possible so we get as much change as possible for the survival of football.

        KRO

  6. John P

    I agree with every comment made above; however, I would like to congratulate The Blues Trust for being nominated to represent us and other teams throughout this consultation period. It’s surely a mark of respect to the stirling work being done by The trust and it’s members that they have been recognised and invited to join in these talks. We as supporters of Birmingham City along with such clubs as Sunderland, Portsmouth, Bury, Bolton and others know the insecurities of bad senior management and financial difficulties and this needs to be addressed for all clubs. These talks are important so go there to represent the club, represent the fans, but most of all represent football. We all need a level playing field particularly where finances are concerned, all any team asks for is a chance to compete fairly with every other team playing at the same level.

    Well done Blues Trust, I salute you.

  7. Mitchell Bray

    Before Sky we had a moderate system of football. Add every other major sport including golf, cricket and Formula one and you see the overwhelming problem for change.Distribution and fairness throughout our EFL is not happening as it is never flavour of the month. Sadly this refusal of helping the lower leagues until it is too late is typical of our society in general. We take everything for granted and it will take a mighty force and bravery to stop and rethink. Football throughout with FIFA not exactly setting an example, needs to moderate and take a tighter grip and treat the game as it was intended- without the ego, and the crazy seeking so-called celebs.

    • John P

      I’m 100% behind you with that Mitchell. The truth is that while people are willing to pay the companies won’t stop selling. FIFA and UEFA as well as The Premier League/F.A all have to be held accountable for taking a working man’s sport away from the working classes.

  8. Martin Hall

    This is a great move by the Trust. I urge all of those Blues fans that are not part of the Trust, in whatever form, to join up and participate, not only in the “8 points” but also to support the Trust in what they do to further the fans input to the club.

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