Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, has today welcomed the warm response to Labour’s plans to give football fans a voice in every boardroom and buy a significant slice of the shares when the ownership of their club changes.

Ed Miliband said:

“Millions of people in our country love their football and love their football clubs. Our national game will only succeed in the long term if the voices of fans are heard in every boardroom and they are given the chance to hold owners to account and play their part.

“The proposals we are setting out today for clubs to share power and responsibility with their fans will help everyone win, strengthening the way clubs are run and rebuilding trust for the long term health of football as a whole.”

The plan, which has been drawn up in consultation with 95 football supporters’ organisations, would require supporters to come together to form a single accredited trust in return for the right to:

• appoint and remove up to a quarter and not less than two of a football club’s board of directors;
• purchase up to 10 per cent of the shares when a club changes ownership, if they so wish.

Supporters have told us that this is the only way to ensure those running clubs share information, power and responsibility with them. Labour’s proposals mean fans could hold the owners of their club to account on all issues on and off the field including ticket prices, shirt sponsorship, ground naming rights, and changing the colour of the strip or the name.

Labour will now consult further on the detail of these proposals with supporters.