We have formally sent our submission on the reform of Club governance to the Government review being led by Tracey Crouch MP. The document sets out the context of the relationship between supporters and THFC, details how that has developed, and suggests how supporter representation could be improved without compromising the Club's ability to operate in the modern football business.
The proposals in the submissions draw on years of work in the supporter movement, consultation with our members and discussion with supporters who have experience and expertise in the field of governance. We have also worked closely with the Football Supporters' Association and other supporter groups. This has been important because reform is needed not just at Club level, but throughout the game.
We believe the proposals are realistic, workable and achievable. Most importantly, we believe they are in line with what supporters want to see happen in the game that means so much to us all. The findings of our soon-to-be-published annual survey support that belief.
The submission comes after THST was invited to submit oral evidence to the review panel, and did so in mid-June. The discussion with panel members was encouraging, and gave us confidence the issues facing the game were understood. We were also pleased to be questioned closely on the detail of our proposals, as this gave us the chance to explain context.
Our written submission contains a full version of the proposals we sent to THFC and published on this site on 22 June. The Club's initial response was to acknowledge receipt and say it would be considering all submissions alongside the findings of the Government review. We replied asking for greater clarity on what this meant. We pointed out that the absence of any plan for continued consultation did not fit with the Club's intention to liaise in order to set the standard for putting genuine representation at the heart of Club decision-making.
A further reply from the Club indicated that the original plans to put something in place before the fan-led review reported had been shelved, and that the Club would wait to see what the final recommendations from the Chair of the review were. It was suggested that we should have further conversation after Tracey Crouch issued her interim report in late July. Our door remains open to that suggestion.
The full submission is attached below. We believe the best interests of supporters and the Club will be served through proper discussion and development of these ideas, and by aiming to achieve more than any minimum standard the review sets.
THST Board
13 July 2021
We believe the proposals are realistic, workable and achievable. Most importantly, we believe they are in line with what supporters want to see happen in the game that means so much to us all. The findings of our soon-to-be-published annual survey support that belief.
The submission comes after THST was invited to submit oral evidence to the review panel, and did so in mid-June. The discussion with panel members was encouraging, and gave us confidence the issues facing the game were understood. We were also pleased to be questioned closely on the detail of our proposals, as this gave us the chance to explain context.
Our written submission contains a full version of the proposals we sent to THFC and published on this site on 22 June. The Club's initial response was to acknowledge receipt and say it would be considering all submissions alongside the findings of the Government review. We replied asking for greater clarity on what this meant. We pointed out that the absence of any plan for continued consultation did not fit with the Club's intention to liaise in order to set the standard for putting genuine representation at the heart of Club decision-making.
A further reply from the Club indicated that the original plans to put something in place before the fan-led review reported had been shelved, and that the Club would wait to see what the final recommendations from the Chair of the review were. It was suggested that we should have further conversation after Tracey Crouch issued her interim report in late July. Our door remains open to that suggestion.
The full submission is attached below. We believe the best interests of supporters and the Club will be served through proper discussion and development of these ideas, and by aiming to achieve more than any minimum standard the review sets.
THST Board
13 July 2021
| thst_dcms_submission_2021.pdf |
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