Scottish Supporters Network
Hosted by Supporters Direct Scotland
Hosted by Supporters Direct Scotland
Date: 6th May 2014
Glasgow City Council has today launched their ‘Football Action Plan’ Task Force Report.
The football Task Force is comprised of twenty individuals from across football’s various stakeholders, including the Head of Supporters Direct Scotland, Paul Goodwin.
Below is a summary of the report’s background and it’s objectives. For the full report, click the link at the bottom of the page.
Background
Football and Glasgow
Glasgow City Council and its partners recognise the importance of football and football supporters to Glasgow’s economy and identity. We acknowledge the huge pride which supporters have for their clubs. And we recognise the vital role of football in the lives of people of all ages who play and coach. Our city is rightly home to the national stadium and at the heart of the national game.
Glasgow has become a significant sporting city on a world scale and football is a key part of this development. Indeed, the experience gained in hosting major national and UEFA finals in football has contributed to the city’s successful bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. And in the last few weeks we submitted a bid to be one of 13 host cities for the 2020 European Championships.
We believe that football can contribute even more to Glasgow’s people and economy. Correspondingly, we think there is more that the city’s partners can do to support the game at all levels. That is why we consulted with supporters, players and clubs on this action plan for Glasgow.
The plan looks to build on the huge and positive contribution which football makes to Glasgow and Scotland. It sets out the city’s own offer to the game over the coming years.
How this report was drafted
This action plan has been drawn together by a football task force. It had a broad representation, from those involved in the direct administration of the game to those with an interest in how football contributes to the city’s economy. It also included a voice for supporters. Appendix 1 provides a full list of the task force membership.
The group was chaired by Councillor Archie Graham, the Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council. It took views from its members on a range of issues relating to the state of the game in Glasgow. They have informed the contents of this report and shaped the recommendations which it states.
This report naturally reflects consideration of some significant issues – such as facilities and fostering the grassroots of the game. However, where it is different from other reports is in the addition of discussion around the wishes of supporters and broader links to the city’s economy.
The policy context
The group agreed that Glasgow’s local approach to football had to be situated within the broader national development of the game. In particular, the SFA has produced a report called Scotland United, which sets out an ambitious agenda for the development of football across the country. This in turn reflected many of the recommendations made by Henry McLeish in his inquiry into the game. The SFA has subsequently issued a national football plan, which follows up on the vision set out in Scotland United.
Glasgow already has a football development plan which contains considerable detail on facilities, activities and clubs. This new action plan aims both to respond to the local challenge of supporting the SFA’s approach and also to build on our own distinct contribution. It does not seek to duplicate existing local and national arrangements. It does, however, aim to add some value to them and to help draw things together.
The city’s offer
The recommendations below have emerged from the discussions of the task force. They are grouped under five key themes, which are:
• Access and affordability
• Supporting the supporters
• Club/hub development
• Performance
• Growing the game
Each theme contains a short introduction to explain why the task force thinks it is significant and then a set of recommendations.
Debate about matters such as league reconstruction and financing of the game will always require national resolution and their outcome is not within the gift of the city. Nevertheless, there are a lot of things which we can do locally to help the game. The recommendations which follow below indicate where we think that partners can best support the game in Glasgow. We think they will also help the city to be resilient and flexible enough to accommodate changes at a national level.
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