Business Advantages of Supporter Community ... - Supporters Direct

At Exeter City, they have been able to forge a strong partnership withDevon County Council because of their supporter community ownership.Frances Farley, Non-Executive Director, ECFC said:‘Devon County Council have been big players and sponsored the back of the awayshirt last season because they found the aims and values of the club were sharedwith theirs. It was a good way for them to use sport, to use Exeter City FootballClub, to get their message out. If the club had been in private ownership, theywouldn’t have been able to do that.’In other cases local authorities have been sponsors of supporter communityowned clubs (such as Prescot Cables FC sponsored by Knowsley), havehelped enable supporter community takeovers (such as Chester FC)and have assisted in stadium development (Enfield Town). This reflectsSupporters Direct’s previous research on the social and community value offootball which highlighted the benefits of close collaboration between localauthorities and supporter community owned football clubs.‘Although generally relationships with localAlthough generally relationships with authorities were described as positive, therelocal authorities were described as was a sense of greater shared agendas andpositive, there was a sense of greater partnerships in the supporter communityshared agendas and partnerships owned clubs than in others…This suggestsin the supporter community owned a role for local authorities to furtherclubs than in others…develop relationships with clubs and, whereopportunities arise, derive value fromassisting or encouraging supporter ownership. There are important advantages here forlocal authorities working with supporter community owned clubs to realise their ownagendas.’ 4AFC Telford United – Local Authority Securing the GroundAFC Telford chairman, Lee Carter, believes that communityownership has really helped the club with the development offacilities. When the former club went into liquidation in 2004, thelocal authority was determined to keep football alive in Telford, evengoing so far as to pass a motion to ‘do all it practically can do tosupport the Directors of Telford United in their endeavours to keepfootball alive at the Bucks Head and promote a united Telford.’4 Brown, A. et al (2010), The Social and Community Value of Football, London: Supporters DirectBusiness Advantages of Supporter Community Ownership 11