Supporters Direct - National Conference & Annual General Meeting, 19th October 2007

Earlier this month representatives from Notts County Supporters' Trust attended the eighth National Conference and AGM of Supporters Direct in Manchester.

Board members Keri Usherwood, Nigel King and Dave Hindley made the trip to Manchester Central (formerly known as Gmex) to hear from speakers on the future direction of the supporters' trust movement, take part in training sessions and workshops, and network with fellow Board members from up and down the country.

Supporters Direct was set-up in 2000 following a report by the Government-appointed Football Task Force, which recommended fans having a `stake' in their clubs. Supporters Direct have now assisted in setting up over 150 supporters' trusts in England, Wales and Scotland, and are branching out into other sports such as Rugby Union and Rugby League. With a combined membership of around 120,000 people, supporters' trusts have now invested over £11 million into our national game, and own or control a number of clubs.

The conference started on a positive note, with a heartening message from the Government for greater supporter representation. The opening address, delivered by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Rt Hon James Purnell MP, called for more fans to be elected on their club boards through their supporters' trusts.

In his keynote speech to delegates he highlighted the achievements of the supporters' trust movement, stating "I want to see a supporter representative, a voice for fans, on the board – on the main Board – of all professional Clubs. This would be a crucial step in securing a greater balance between the commercial and sporting aspects of the Game and ensure greater accountability of sports clubs to their local community."

The Minister went on to call on the football authorities to work in partnership with SD to build on the over 40 existing club directors in place through their trusts to secure representation at clubs throughout the Leagues.

This headline announcement highlights a year of substantial progress for SD, and the trust movement as a whole. With an 80% increase in funding from the Football Foundation to deliver new services, the organisation has also expanded its work into Rugby League and Rugby Union and launched a new feasibility study for an SD Europe.

The other keynote speech came from Gordon Taylor, the PFA Chief Executive, who also added his support and encouragement to Supporters Direct.

Following the morning plenary, the conference provided opportunities for delegates to engage in a range of workshops covering such aspects as: how to read club accounts, training sessions for secretaries and treasurers, media training, community projects, and a non-league forum to name but a few.

Notts County Supporters' Trust's Dave Hindley was asked to present at the community workshop, to showcase two current projects (Storytellers of Nottingham, and the Kick Racism out of Football comic) and to support other trusts in developing community initiatives.

Aside from the workshops, there was also time to network with fellow Board members from other supporters' trusts. In many ways this part of the conference is the most valuable, and from sharing experiences, you gain a rich insight into the challenges facing other trusts and how they are dealing with such issues.

The conference ended with the Supporters Direct AGM, where a new best practice policy document on Trust general meetings was adopted and that there was a vote to reduce the size of the SD board, largely on the grounds of effectiveness. Sadly there weren't enough candidates for the SD Board to force an election and therefore NCST's nominee Elaine Dean from RamsTrust (Derby County) was elected onto the Board.

Notts County Supporters' Trust was highly acknowledged by various delegates throughout the day, including Phil French (Supporters Direct's Chief Executive) regarding the progress we have made at Meadow Lane. Brian Lomax (Chair, Supporters Direct) and James Purnell MP also mentioned NCST in their talks, highlighting our work as an example of what fans can achieve.

All in all, it was yet another excellent SD conference, which was well organised and highly focused around the key issues facing the supporters' trust movement. Whilst it was a long day (especially as it was our AGM the night before) it was a valuable experience from which the Board members have returned with fresh inspiration and renewed vigor.