Club ownership: football belongs to the fans, say Greens
The Scottish Greens are launching the latest stage in their campaign to deliver a fans’ right to buy football clubs in Scotland.
The campaign was first started by Lothian MSP and former athlete Alison Johnstone as a response to recent crises in Scottish football, which have seen a dozen clubs go into administration since 2000.
In the spring of 2015, the Greens won cross-party support at Holyrood to give the Scottish Government powers to establish a fans’ legal right to buy. Now, the Scottish Government is consulting on whether or not to use that new power.
Fan ownership is a well-established model for sports clubs, and is the norm in Scandinavia and Germany. In Scotland, fans should have the same opportunity to run and own their clubs.
Fans can now respond to the consultation online through Scottish Greens website. The consultation ends on 15 January 2016.
Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, said: “Football is a fundamental part of Scottish culture, but many clubs have gone through a vicious cycle of boom and bust, with owners changing fast and teams struggling with finance.
“Fan ownership is the norm in Scandinavia and Germany, and we know it can give football clubs a more secure future and bring stability to the sport.
“A majority of Scottish politicians already support more powers for fans. I urge the Scottish Government to do the right thing for our national sport, and give fans the support they need, and deserve, to own and run the clubs they love.”
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