I'm sure many of you will have seen/heard the news that Supporters Direct, the organisation that promotes and supports fan ownership in sports, is facing losing over £1 million of its funding. The Premier League is taking the money back after a tweets sent by Supporters Direct Dave Boyle following AFC Wimbledon's promotion to League 2.
My concern isn't really about the rights and wrongs of the tweets but about the vindictive nature of the Premier League. Supporters Direct does amazing work with fans looking to get more involved in the running of their clubs and is an essential voice in the money-driven business-focus of modern day football. Moreover, Supporters Direct is an extension of the co-operative movement that we here in Rochdale should be incredibly proud of.
Anyway, there's a campaign running for people to show their support for Supporters Direct and they are asking concerned fans to email their MPs calling on them to sign an Early Day Motion backing Supporters Direct. You can find your MP's email address by clicking http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/
Some suggested text for an email could be:
Dear Mr Dobbin / Mr Danczuk (or whoever your MP is for our exiled friends),
I am a committed Rochdale AFC supporter and I am worried about the future of Supporters Direct.
Supporters Direct has helped set up hundreds of supporters' trusts up and down the country and has helped encourage the ordinary fan to get involved in the governance of their clubs.
I am sure you will be aware of recent media reports of the Premier League's intention to withdraw funding to Supporters Direct.
I was wondering whether you might be able to sign EDM 1909 and show your commitment to fan ownership.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email.
Yours sincerely,
Always include your full name and postal address, otherwise they can ignore you if you don't confirm you are a constituent (I work for an MP outside of Rochdale so I deal with these email campaigns a lot!).
Here is an article from the Guardian about the situation: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jun/13/supporters-direct-funding-labour
Here's a Facebook group you can also join: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_162031167197147
Anyway, if you care about fan ownership or the state of football governance please lend your support to the campaign.
Cheers.
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