Supporters Direct are an umbrella organisation set up originally by the United Kingdom government (with cross-party support) to provide support and assistance for its member trusts to secure a greater level of accountability and deliver democratic representation within football clubs and within football's governing structures. Its first managing director was Brian Lomax, founder of the first supporters' trust at Northampton Town F.C.. Supporters Direct also works in other sports, most notably rugby league, as well as ice hockey. It is also funded by UEFA to work in football across Europe.
Amongst other things, Supporters Direct promotes the value of supporter and community engagement and helps supporters' trusts to secure influence and become a constructive voice in how their club is run. There are now over 180 supporters' trusts in the UK; clubs owned in partnership with supporters' trusts such as Swansea City A.F.C. and over 30 clubs owned by their supporters including AFC Wimbledon, Exeter City F.C., AFC Telford and Wrexham F.C.
Existing as a Community Benefit Society, Supporters Direct is owned by its members and funded by a combination of the Fans Fund of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, the Co-operative Enterprise Hub, UEFA. the Scottish Government, and member trust subscriptions. Its work in rugby league is not formally funded by the Rugby Football League anymore, instead some work is carried out using funds from the Co-operative Enterprise Hub.
Read more about Supporters Direct: See Also
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“The opposition is indispensable. A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, always learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“Pleasure is the rock which most young people split upon; they launch out with crowded sails in quest of it, but without a compass to direct their course, or reason sufficient to steer the vessel; for want of which, pain and shame, instead of pleasure, are the returns of their voyage.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)