The Oldham Athletic Supporters Foundation (OASF) owns 3% of the football club. That means our members are co-owners of Latics. As well as the right to view more detailed accounts each year, we also have the special right to place an OASF board member on the Club board as a supporter director. This is a right that the Rothwell family and Darren Royle have confirmed they will continue to honour.
Supporter directors are democratically elected fans who sit on club boards. This means fans have a board member representing their interests when the board is making strategic decisions, including on prices, infrastructure and even on-pitch matters. It also allows the Club to give supporters insight into the difficult decisions they face.
Challenges of the Past
While there are lots of potential benefits to having a supporter director, at Latics, we have had challenges with the role in the past:
With the individual being a member of both the OASF and Club board, they have dual responsibilities to both, which can create conflicts in what they can/cannot do and share.
Supporter directors have been blocked by previous owners from sharing information that has been discussed at Club board meetings because it is commercially sensitive, even with the rest of the OASF board.
The role has previously been isolating and challenging personally as a result.
Supporter directors can also be unfairly targeted for criticism when the Club board as a whole makes an unpopular decision.
There are high profile examples of supporter directors who have held the role for a long time, hoarding power and eventually being hired by the Club, reflecting the conflicts of interest the role can create.
These difficulties, particularly the isolation and lack of information-sharing, are why we haven’t put anyone on the Club board since Darren Mills’ short stint in 2023.
However, we know our members and the wider fanbase want to have a supporter director on the Club board. Several people raised it in response to our OASF survey last year.
The Way Forward
We have reviewed case studies from similar clubs in the EFL and guidance provided by the FSA. We’ve learned that other clubs have had very similar issues to us, and the most common and effective solution has been a published agreement between the club and supporters’ trust. This gives the wider fanbase clarity on how the role is intended to work and lets them hold both OASF and the Club board to account if either isn’t doing what the agreement said it would.
We have produced a draft agreement for how the supporter director role should work. We think this agreement with the Club would minimise the issues we’ve had in the past and maximise the potential opportunities, but ensures the Club is sufficiently reassured that we will protect the most sensitive information.
Your Voice
We shared this draft with club CEO Darren Royle on 30 June. We haven’t had any feedback yet.
While we wait, we are sharing the draft with our members and the wider fanbase. We are launching a survey to ensure that our proposed approach to the supporter director role meets our members’ and the wider fanbase’s expectations and draw on your ideas to improve our proposal.
Please complete the survey by Sunday 13 October.
Once we’ve analysed the survey, we’ll publish the results and a revised agreement to be submitted to the Club for review.
Summary of Draft Agreement
To summarise the agreement for those who don’t have time to read it:
The supporter director must be an elected OASF board member. If they stop being an OASF board member, they must stand down from the Club board.
OASF members will vote on whether an OASF board member gets elected to the Club board.
The supporter director must be re-elected every 3 years.
If a simple majority vote of no confidence (by OASF members) is successful, the supporter director must step down. A no confidence vote can be called by a majority vote of the OASF board.
The supporter director will represent the OASF board, OASF members and wider supporter interests on the Club board.
The supporter director must disclose any benefits/gifts received whilst carrying out their duties.
The Club must treat the supporter director as an equal member of the board.
There will be a presumption that information can be shared with the OASF board unless the Club board expressly deems it confidential.
Before sharing information with OASF members or wider supporters, the Club will be able to review the accuracy of the communication.
The Club will provide regular updates on its finances and performance to take pressure off the supporter director to monitor the financial health of the Club.
The Club board will meet representatives of the OASF board every 6 months, in addition to the monthly meetings with the Club CEO.
The supporter director will abide by the majority vote of the Club board and work on the principle of collective responsibility.
The supporter director will not be paid by the Club but could be reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
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