Scottish Supporters Network
Hosted by Supporters Direct Scotland
Hosted by Supporters Direct Scotland
Date: 7th December 2022
Firhill has been in a bit of turmoil as of late. The result today has seen seven members of Partick Thistle’s board resign, including chairwoman Jacqui Low.
It seems like a lot of this mess could have been prevented had the club been more transparent and offer a different fan ownership model that the supporters could genuinely get behind. If your intentions are to move to a club sustained by fan ownership and investment then you have to make it with consultation at the heart of the really big business decisions. St Mirren and Motherwell have excellent templates that Partick Thistle could take a look at.
Once you go down a certain road and continue to go down that road despite growing pressure from the terraces, then chances are you won’t succeed. As seems to be the case with The Jags in this scenario. A record low crowd attendance for Thistle’s Scottish Cup tie against Kelty Hearts showed that things couldn’t realistically continue as they were.
Offering up fudge options or a fan ownership light model rarely works. As I say fans just need to look at Motherwell and St Mirren and see that fan representatives can be elected on to the board and they’ll instantly become more invested in that idea.
I don’t think the outgoing board’s statement regarding their departure was particular smart either. Again it kind of showed that they were out of touch with what a fan owned club should look like and how they should deal with issues relating to your main stakeholders.
The club now have a chance to bring everyone back around the table and come up with a better ownership model that reflects what the supporters really want to see at Firhill. It is a time for fresh, innovative ideas. To keep the club inclusive and with the fans at the heart of every major decision. Scotland have had success when it comes to incorporating fan ownership and these clubs are always willing to help out those clubs that want to follow in their footsteps, so ask of their advice.
It is time to listen, be transparent, be ambitious and follow your heart!
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