Business Advantages of Supporter Community ... - Supporters Direct

community club can be an advantage and it can take years to buildrelationships. Indeed, although local authorities are generally morereceptive to supporter ownership, in their case it took three or fouryears to create the current positive relationship with the CountyCouncil. Having such a large strategic partner also then gives otherpeople and businesses confidence – ‘people think that if the CountyCouncil works in partnership with the club, then why shouldn’t they?’Brentford – BITC Community Mark AwardBrentford have been able to profit from their supporter communityowned status by becoming the first club in the Football League towin the Business in the Community ‘Community Mark’ – a Britishstandard of community engagement. Donald Kerr thinks this islinked to them being a supporter-owned club, because it is anacknowledgement of the work they do within the community andhow they interact with it. Only 40 companies in the country have thismark, most of which are large blue chip companies. The only otherfootball clubs to have achieved this status are significantly betterresourced than Brentford, namely Blackburn, Liverpool, Rangersand Hearts.Business Advantages of Supporter Community Ownership 29