Dundee FC’s fall into administration must serve as “a wake-up call”, the Labour Party says.
Speaking at the party’s Scotland conference in Oban on Friday and before the club’s punishment from the SFL had been announced its Scottish sports spokesman Bill Butler said the chaos surrounding the club showed changes needed to be made to the game.
He announced that Labour would back fans’ body Supporters Direct in Scotland, who campaign for community ownership of teams, and bring forward proposals to give fans a bigger voice in the game.
“The recent turmoil at Dundee should serve as a wake-up call for anyone who wants to see a vibrant and successful football scene in Scotland,” he said. “Football clubs are at the very heart of our communities and in government Labour will ensure that the voices of supporters are heard in boardrooms across the country by backing Supporters Direct.
“In Scotland, both Clydebank and Stirling Albion have proved that it is possible for fans to own and manage a club in the interests of the supporters and the local community. I want to see changes in the Scottish game so that supporters have a meaningful stake in their clubs and a much greater say in the way that the game is run.”
Dundee’s woes followed a report by accountants PKF that warned some clubs are paying out over 100% of their turnover on player wages.
Mr Butler told a fringe meeting of the conference that greater fan control over clubs would bring huge benefits to the national game.
He was joined by James Proctor, development manager of Supporters Direct in Scotland.
“From the meeting it is clear the Scottish Labour Party are fully behind community ownership of football clubs,” Mr Proctor told The Courier. “I think it is clear that the current arrangements lead to clubs spending beyond their means and that needs to be addressed.
“The Dundee situation has shown that the benefactor model just does not lead to sustainable football clubs. We believe community ownership is sustainable and a model that should be looked at.”
Mr Butler is planning to call on Scotland’s sports minister and Dundee East MSP Shona Robison to support community ownership of sports teams by submitting a parliamentary question at Holyrood this week.