Possible new powers for fans owning part of their club

[Old Gunner]

Where does the transparancy come from. Any supporter who sits on the board may well get to find out the ins and outs of the club's finances but surely it would still be in the interst of the business that the detail of such information should remain confidential.

Will the rest of the fansbase accept from their representative that "things are okay financially" if that was the extent of the information being offered? Will we have faith in "our man on the board" if he adopts the policy of those who currently own and run our clubs?

The financial accounts of all limited companies are in the public domain--and yes of course there will be certain information which might be commercially sensitive, but it is the duty of every director to understand the financial situation of their particular company and ask awkward questions when necessary. If we had someone on the Board you wouldn't expect them to disagree with every decision would you?---some of them might actually make sense and could align with what the supporters want. I think the key would be good communication i.e 'I've supported this decision because---' 'I can't tell you the full financial details because--'. People aren't daft, they work in businesses and run their own businesses, but they do expect regular constructive communication.

 

[IJN]

Again, fine in theory and I would agree within 99% of most sections of industry. Football? Forget it. Won't happen.

 

[esmer]

Where does the transparancy come from. Any supporter who sits on the board may well get to find out the ins and outs of the club's finances but surely it would still be in the interst of the business that the detail of such information should remain confidential.

Will the rest of the fansbase accept from their representative that "things are okay financially" if that was the extent of the information being offered? Will we have faith in "our man on the board" if he adopts the policy of those who currently own and run our clubs?

A supporter on the board is only part of the proposal, fans having access to financial and commercial information is another. We wouldn't have to rely on what one fan could glean from a board meeting for that.

 

[Miles Bidgood]

Jon B whilst I agree that members of PASB were subject to abuse they didn't deserve I find the fact that you are saying that the fans don't have a person able to interact at board level offensive. I'm no rocket scientist but I do this everyday with a major UK industry as a National Trade Union Representative. It's about skills not education ....and maybe this has all fallen a little flat because someone who appealed to people that need the issues argued and discussed as a fan and not a board member. Of course we have fans with the correct tools.....Only wish I had the time.....I quote .....second issue is who would this person / these people be? My (admittedly pretty poor & scarring) experience on the PASB leaves me very doubtful that we could ever find who could represent the fan base at large AND who is suitably skilled to perform at Board level. In my view, there was only one or two of my ex-PASB colleagues who could possibly do this & they were subject to some pretty foul behaviour.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Everyone knows that I am a Palace fan and my club is owned for four life long supporters. They are pretty good at keeping us fellow supporters informed but still they only tell us what they want to tell us.

 

[Ed_Blackburn]

Instead of waiting for legislation that may or may not happen. I would rather the AFT have the finances in place to buy normal shares in the club. It only needs to be enough to peer in, not to necessarily disrupt the board room. A fully qualified and discreet consultant could inform the AFT and wider fan base if they have access to the full accounts.

Question being, would Akkeron ever release enough shares to make this feasible? Could the AFT raise the required capital. Surely theres a difference between board representation and full disclosure / access to the accounts?

 

[Old Gunner]

Instead of waiting for legislation that may or may not happen. I would rather the AFT have the finances in place to buy normal shares in the club. It only needs to be enough to peer in, not to necessarily disrupt the board room. A fully qualified and discreet consultant could inform the AFT and wider fan base if they have access to the full accounts.

Question being, would Akkeron ever release enough shares to make this feasible? Could the AFT raise the required capital. Surely theres a difference between board representation and full disclosure / access to the accounts?

Yes would like to see AFT build up a significant war chest of money and I am pretty sure this would have been discussed. Any Director needs to ensure they have full access to the accounts (and other key documentation--strategic plans etc.) and is in a position to ask awkward questions if necessary--saying that you 'didn't know' is no defence if your company goes t*ts up.