Nominations for the SD Board

Nominations for the Board have closed, with four nominations for the four available places. Under the SD election rules, in the event of there being as many or fewer candidates than places available, a vote will be held as part of the AGM to confirm the nominated candidates.

Should all four be confirmed, lots will be drawn at the first meeting of the new SD Board (held straight after the conference) in order to identify which directros will serve a three-year term and which director will serve the remainder of Stuart Duncan's place until the 2010 AGM in May next year.

The candidates are as follows (click on the link to be taken to their supporting statement):

Brian Burgess

Dame Pauline Green

Neil Le Milliere

Robert Pepper

Brian Burgess

I am standing as a candidate in this year's election for the Supporters Direct Board because I want to share the knowledge and experience that I have gained over the past seven years from my involvement with Bees United Supporters Trust and Brentford FC in order to:

• help other supporters' trusts to benefit from the lessons we have learnt, both positive and negative, so that they can strengthen their role and influence in their clubs and improve their long term stability

• play a part in lobbying government, football authorities and those who can influence the development of the game in ways that strengthen good governance, encourage the positive contribution of supporters trusts and foster genuine community links
• contribute to developing Supporters Direct as a centre of expertise and resources to support its member trusts

As a young Brentford supporter at school in the 60's I recall the threat of the club going out of existence when then chairman and owner of the club wanted to sell it into a merger with QPR. The fans protested and raised the idea that the fans should own ‘our' club. In the end a consortium of businessmen bought the club and we continued for 40 years with the familiar boom and bust cycles of being ‘saved' by a succession of wealthy owners.

When Bees United was set up as a supporters trust in 2001 I joined thinking this could be the vehicle to give the fans a say. I was an elected member of the Bees United board from 2002 to December 2007 and Chairman from April 2003 to November 2007. During this time I led the Bees United team that in January 2006 acquired the 60% majority shareholding in Brentford FC which involved re-financing the club's £5million overdraft. I was a member of the football club board from January 2006 to December 2007 when I stood down to take up a paid role as an executive director on the new stadium project.

With the crippling level of debts and a 100 year old stadium that does not have facilities to enable the club to generate a profit the trust has not had an easy ride as the majority shareholder and we have learnt some tough lessons but the club is now in better shape than when we took over.

A recent deal to bring in new equity (not debt!) financing from a wealthy supporter will bring stability for the next 5 years with Bees United continuing as majority shareholder for this period. At the end of the 5 years there are three possible outcomes including Bees United continuing as majority shareholder or the new shareholder exercising his option to takeover majority ownership.

Being realistic I don't think Bees United will be in a position to buy him out in 5 years time but if he does take up his option the terms are such that it will dramatically reduce the club's debt and leave the Trust still with a minority shareholding, a shareholders agreement, at least one seat on the board and a golden share to protect against asset stripping. 

The main protections in the shareholders agreement and revised Brentford FC articles are to protect against any future owner or anyone they might sell to. This should be a good model for trusts of clubs with crippling legacies of debt to aim for as long term protection. I'm not sure that Chesterfield, Stockport or Notts County have achieved anything like this.

I would like to share what we have learnt from our experiences and help other trusts to achieve real long term protection rather than short term sticking plaster.

My two current roles at Brentford are:

• executive director of the subsidiary company set up to develop a new 20,000 seat community stadium
• trustee of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, a charity delivering participation in 10 sports to over 30,000 young people each year

Leading the new stadium development builds on my previous business expertise. The vision is to create a vibrant community hub including a new local authority leisure centre, a healthy living centre offering community health services, a social enterprise business centre and education and training facilities. Commercial income would also be generated by incorporating a hotel to make use of the hospitality facilities as a conference centre on non-matchdays.

My growing knowledge of stadium development and community engagement are also areas where I believe I can contribute to the work of Supporters Direct.

Until December 2007 I was Managing Director CAN Health and Sport Ltd, a social enterprise advisory service working with the public, private and third sectors to promote the development of community hubs delivering public services. Under my leadership the CAN Health and Sport team developed its activities in the health, social care and sports sectors, initially under the umbrella of the charity, Community Action Network (CAN) and then as a separate company limited by guarantee from October 2005. CANH&S clients included the NHS, Sport England, Accenture and the Big Lottery Fund.

Prior to joining CAN in February 2002, my 30-year business career spanned the public and private sectors with extensive project and general management experience, principally in the engineering and construction, energy and utility industries, including executive and non-executive directorships in the UK and overseas.

In the past I have also taken on leadership roles in the voluntary sector in an inner city youth project, a community based charity and a drug treatment project.

I am a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

I have a passion for promoting the development of supporters' trusts and football clubs as pioneering examples of how the power of sport can be used as a force for positive changes at the heart of our communities.

In summary, what I am endeavouring to bring to Supporters Direct is a football heart, a business head and a community spirit.

Nominated by:

Bees United (Brentford FC), FC United of Manchester

Dame Pauline Green

I am pleased to accept the nomination for election as a member of the board of directors of Supporters Direct.

I bring the following experience in the management and governance of mutual co-operative organisations: 

Chief Executive, Co-operatives UK 2000-present

President, International Co-operative Alliance Europe 2002-present

Formerly I was a Member of the European Parliament, where I was appointed leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and chair of the Party of European Socialists (a grouping of MEPs from 15 European Union member states). I am also a former president of the Industrial Common Ownership Movement.

I am a life-long co-operator and supporter of mutually owned enterprises. I served on the Co-operative Commission launched in 2000 to study and make recommendations on the future of co-operative enterprise in the UK. As chief executive of the Co-operative Union I worked to merge the work of the Union with the that of the Industrial Common Ownership Movement and other co-operative and mutual development agencies to create Co-operatives UK.

Mutually owned professional sports supporters' trusts have been an exciting development in mutual community ownership. Some of the world's biggest football clubs such as FC Barcelona and CF Real Madrid are mutually owned. Mutual ownership of Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country has ensured that that club has followed a distinctive path in keeping with both the strong co-operative traditions of the Basque Country and its famous Mondragón co-operative manufacturing and service network of mutual companies and the views of club members. In Germany professional football clubs must be majority owned by members' associations, keeping their traditional links with their communities.

Supporters Direct has made much progress in advancing the ideal of mutual supporter ownership here in Britain, not only in football but in rugby league and rugby union too. I look forward to working with colleagues of the board of Supporters Direct and member supporters' trusts to take forward this work.

The cause of mutuality in professional sports has not been without its challenges and set-backs however. We have to aggressively promote the positive advantages of mutual ownership and governance over other models. This is a debate in which we must win over regular match-going supporters. Supporters Direct must focus its resources to the maximum advantage.

I look forward to being able to contribute to the development and growth of Supporters Direct and the ideals and objectives it represents. My varied experience can add to the high standards of internal corporate governance that the organisation has set itself. I hope to be able to open doors for Supporters Direct both here and elsewhere in Europe too. We must create a level playing field for the development of mutual ownership in professional sports. This will not be easy but is an objective we must pursue.

I look forward to the challenge and offer myself for election to you, the member trusts of Supporters Direct.

Nominated by:

The Dons Trust (AFC Wimbledon), Foxes Trust (Leicester City), Ramstrust (Derby County), Seadog Trust (Scarborough Athletic)

Neil Le Milliere

 Background

I'm Neil Le Milliere, 56, married to Julie, and a retired Civil Servant. I worked in Whitehall for 36 years until I was given early retirement in 2005 during some Civil Service cuts.

I've been an Exeter City fan since I can remember, Exeter being my home town.  I left Exeter with my family in 1966, settling in Kent. From about 1980 I, with my brother, became a supporter going to more and more games, home and away.  The fabulous FA cup run of 1981 hooked me for life.

I've played and been involved in football administration for around 40 years. I still play and referee in a league here in London and am the League Chairman.

Supporter Involvement Experience

I originally got involved with the Exiled Exeter City supporters in London seventeen years ago and took over as the travel organiser for travel to home /away matches thirteen years ago. This has proved a sometimes arduous, but rewarding job and brings me sharply in touch with supporters and their feelings/opinions.

I have also been involved with running an internet mail group for Exeter fans for the past nine years.

My involvement with Exeter City took a sharp upturn in 2000 when a group of fans on the internet tried to raise enough money to buy a player from Leyton Orient who'd been on loan to us.

We were unsuccessful due to the player wanting to move up the leagues but from this embryonic group we formed the first supporters trust known as the Exeter City Transfer Trust with the aim of raising money and supporting the club as it was again going through hard times following an earlier period of administration from 1994- 96.

We were, however, successful in investing money in the Exeter Youth Teams and donating money for specific club needs. We got an Associate Director elected to the board in recognition of what we were doing.

This coincided with the growth of Supporters Direct and the idea of getting fans more involved with the owning and running of clubs. We contacted Supporters Direct and with their help converted into an IPS, becoming a fully fledged Trust of which I am a co-opted [but elected by Exiles] member representing the views of exiled members. I'm also the rules ‘expert' and it's a role I have also taken into my position at SD.

Whilst we were becoming an IPS the club got itself into further grave financial difficulties and the Trust was asked to take over the running of the club in May/June 2003. This unfortunately coincided with the relegation of the club out of the League and into the Conference.

After successfully keeping the club going we purchased a majority shareholding and successfully negotiated a CVA with the creditors taking us into administration in October 2003. We then subsequently came out of the CVA in December/January 2005/6 and the club is now running firmly in the black having been promoted twice in consecutive seasons and is now the pride of the City again.

I have therefore seen and been involved first hand in setting up a Trust; the takeover and running of a club by supporters for supporters and for the local community; and have continued to be so right the way from the Conference to League One this season.

I was fortunate enough to be elected to the SD Board in the 2005 elections when SD was looking to appoint temporary Directors to fill vacancies that they had. I was then successful the following year and elected to a ‘permanent' three year position.

With my term coming to an end I have now decided to stand for re-election for the following reasons:

I have found the experience of being a SD Director very rewarding and challenging but I also feel I have made a significant contribution to SD as a Director involved in the top level policy making decisions.

In addition I have increasingly got involved when appropriate and called upon to do so at the ‘coal face'. Firstly as a representative for SD at various member trust meetings or giving advice to those looking to set up trusts and secondly by offering my services for free as a returning officer to various Trusts which has also allowed me to spread the word.

I have managed to attend almost all Board Meetings held during my term of office.

What I Can Offer

Having experienced the setting up of our Trust; the takeover of our club; and now the operation of our club in the football league; I have been able to share and pass on my experiences to fans in similar situations, offering help and advice wherever needed. The most important lesson to pass on is it is never too early to form a supporters Trust and the earlier the better as although a crisis is perhaps needed to motivate the majority, having the infra-structure already in place helps greatly.

It's also worth pointing out that, as with Exeter, Supporters clubs and Trusts are two different things and fulfil two distinct and vital roles and my experience with both is also something I've been able to pass on.

Having spent a lifetime operating in ‘committee' environments and fulfilling the various different roles on a committee I feel these skills and abilities have been well suited to the requirements of the post of SD Director and of benefit to the supporters' direct movement generally.

I invite you to vote for me and promise to continue to work towards getting supporters at every club involved with the running and owning of their clubs wherever possible, combining this with ensuring that clubs are community focussed, fully involving those communities in the life of the football club and visa versa.

Nominated by:

Exeter City Supporters' Trust, Lincoln City Supporters' Trust, Terras Trust (Weymouth)

Robert Pepper  

I am currently the Secretary of Huddersfield Town Supporters Association.  This represents an amalgamation of various independent supporter groups (principally the Supporters Trust and the Supporters Club) and is now the single independent organisation for supporters of Huddersfield Town.  Furthermore, the Supporters Association has a very sound working relationship with the Club-based Patrons Association of supporters.  The amalgamation is now in its second year, having retained the constitution of the former Trust.

The Supporters Association also has a strong and effective partnership with the Football Club, notably the new Chairman, the Chief Executive and the Director of Business Development. The Association forms part of the Development Association (and, as the Trust, was instrumental in its creation), overseeing the administration of the club's Academy.

There is also a major commitment to improving the integration of Club & Community.  We have had the benefit of Co-op funding to help us in projects involving disadvantaged children, first with a series of outdoor activities, providing football coaching in four different areas within the Club's support base, then with a series of indoor coaching sessions, held on Saturday evenings in the Club's new facility close to two council estates.  This had police backing and proved a major success, so much so that the police were instrumental in securing further funding via the local schools.  This has enabled us to continue the indoor coaching sessions during school holidays.

I am also Chair of the Trustees of the Communities United Project, based in Huddersfield and helping to unite communities of all ethnicities and backgrounds, working closely with the Local Authority.  The Project has secured major funding for the next two years and is extending its area of activity.  

My personal background is that I have been a football supporter for over sixty years.  For several years I have been on the committee of the Patrons Association (in addition to my activities with the Trust) and formerly fulfilled a liaison rôle with the club.  This has given me a lot of experience in relating to supporters' needs and of interfacing with a football club's directors and management.

I believe that this experience has been augmented considerably by the circumstances of a Trust, operating firstly in crisis and then in a stable environment, which includes the full gamut of Trust life from fund-raising, through public representation and on to coping with supporter apathy once a club's future is perceived to be secure.  This experience has been further extended in the last two years as I have worked with others to create the single, unified, Supporters Association.

I have been privileged to serve on the Board of Supporters Direct previously and believe that my involvement in the last three years, both with Community work and with supporter unification, will enable me to input further valuable experience for the benefit of Supporters Trusts nationally.

All in all, I believe that I am well equipped for the rôle of a member of the Board of Supporters Direct and I therefore submit my nomination for the forthcoming election.

Nominated by:

Huddersfield Town Supporters' Association, Foxes Trust (Leicester City), RamsTrust (Derby County)

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