THIS ARTICLE BY BEES UNITED CHAIR, BRIAN BURGESS, APPEARED IN THE HOUNSLOW CHRONICLE, DATED 11 NOVEMBER 2004
Changing the football industry
All over the country at football clubs large and small Supporters’ trusts, backed by the national organisation Supporters Direct, are becoming more and more influential.
At Manchester United their supporters trust, Shareholders United, is at the forefront of the fight against a takeover by the American tycoon, Malcolm Glazer. The recent television documentary about Luton Town demonstrated the vulnerability of the clubs in the Football League to takeovers by businessmen whose style of management is not necessarily seen by supporters as being in the best long term interests of the club and its fans.
Brentford’s next visitors to Griffin Park are Bradford City who came close to extinction when their previous owners pulled out during the summer. Again the Bradford City supporters trust played a crucial part in keeping their club alive. In their hour of crisis they turned among others to Bees United for some advice. Nationally Bees United is recognised as one of the leading examples of a supporters trust in action.
The recent annual general meeting of Supporters Direct illustrated the growing recognition by the powers in the industry of the valuable role of trusts. The meeting was addressed by Sir Brian Mawhinney, Chairman of The Football League and, via video, by Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Both of these and other speakers were highly complimentary about the approach of supporters’ trusts to bring sanity to football club management.
Bees United board member, Joe Bourke, has been re-elected as a member of the Supporters Direct board, and continues as their Treasurer.
The ballot papers are now coming in for this year’s election for three places on the Bees United board. Members have four candidates to choose from in this latest demonstration of fan democracy. The result will be announced at the Bees United annual general meeting on Saturday 20 November, starting at 11.00am in Stripes bar before the game against Bradford City.
All Bees United members are encouraged to come along to hear how things are going, to question the Bees United board and to hold us to account.
The trends are clear: supporters are becoming more powerful nationally, Brentford supporters are having more say at the Club and Bees United is a key part of this both locally and nationally.
Brian Burgess, Bees United Chair