Greater Supporter Participation Ballot Achieves 99.44% Margin at Spirit of Shankly Vote

Members of the Liverpool Supporters Trust, Spirit of Shankly, have voted by an overwhelming margin of 99.44% in favour of plans for greater supporter participation in decision making at Anfield. The vote saw a record turnout of 68.39% of members, which asked them to vote on proposals agreed between the Trust and representatives of the Liverpool board, including CEO Billy Hogan. The plans included the following:

• The establishment of a Supporters Board, which would be written into the club’s regulations making it a legally binding agreement. SOS will be head of this board.
• A formal recognition agreement between SOS and LFC, which would be written into the club’s constitution so that if / when the ownership changes, this contract will remain in place.
• Collaboration between SOS and FSG on the government’s fan-led review to improve the future of the game.
• Club owners Fenway Sports Group to meet any costs as a result of the European Super League, not the club.
• A representative of the Supporters Board will meet annually with Liverpool’s board of directors to consult on issues pertinent to fans. Outside of this, if an agreed consultation matter is to be discussed at an LFC board meeting, the chair of the Supporters Board will be present.
• Supporters Board representatives to have a term of two years and be chosen as the result of a democratic vote.
• The proposals would constitute the Supporters Board led by SOS as a recognised legal body and ensures that the Liverpool board would be contractually obliged to consult with supporters representatives.

Speaking to This is Anfield, Spirit of Shankly Chair, Joe Blott, said:

“Firstly, I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote in our recent ballot. An incredible 99.44% of our members voted in favour of our proposal and the turnout was 68.39 per cent.”

“Thanks to supporters giving us such a firm mandate, we are now empowered to step up our work with the club’s Board of Directors and our engagement with representatives of other supporters groups,” explained Blott.

“Our vision of improved supporter engagement, enshrined in the Club’s Articles of Association and contractually binding between all parties is now a step closer.”

With supporters representation and rights looking like it’s firmly established at the boardroom level (big thanks to SOS who have been at the forefront of this for a decade now), we can hopefully see the birth of a new era for Liverpool FC - one where the recent mistakes in the last half-decade are easily sidestepped through logical consultation.