Supporters Direct Statement - Hull City AFC Name Change

Interesting principles they want adopted.

As an organisation, Supporters Direct believes that football clubs are
something different, something special.

You don't get your ashes scattered in Tesco, or have it tattooed on your
arm. The relationship between fans and their clubs transcends normal
loyalties.

So, like most of you, we’ve been angry at what is happening at Hull City
AFC.

The cases of Coventry City, Cardiff City and as far back as Wimbledon in
2002, to name but a few, have offered stark enough warnings of what happens
when you leave the stewardship of important social, cultural and historical
institutions (for that is what football clubs are) in the hands of a
wealthy elite with short-term interests and a short-term outlook.

The very identity of football clubs, and their fans and communities, is
simply too important to be entrusted to temporary owners, who are generally
more interested in what they can take out of a club rather than what they
can put back in, and whose decision-making does not take account of the
wider interests of those who count their loyalty in tens of years and
generations.

The most frustrating aspect is that these issues can be so easily avoided
by the adoption of some simple principles, and there is no reason why they
can't be acted upon right now.

*- Firstly certain matters regarding the intrinsic identity of a club
(colours, name, badge home ground) should only be changed with the
agreement of a club's supporters (through a simple and open democratic
process);*
*- Secondly that this requirement be included within FA rules so that it is
mandatory for all clubs.*

This simple change would have a significant effect. It was exactly this
type of reform that was contemplated by the CMS Select Committee as part of
its Inquiry into Football Governance in 2011 and 2012.

The recommendations from that Inquiry are still gathering dust and the
deadline of a year that the Select Committee set the football authorities
for meaningful action is nearly up. So whilst they fiddle, the very soul of
some of our country's most important sporting and community assets continue
to go up in smoke.

For more about SD, please head to our website
http://www.supporters-direct.<wbr>org/homepage/what-we-do/faqs