Welcome to the Scottish Supporters Network newsletter, brought to you by Supporters Direct Scotland. This newsletter aims to bring our members closer together and better informed of news and best practice from across the network.

Football is back!

It's barely August, and all of our leagues are back up and running again! Well done to those clubs who made it through the League Cup group phase, and let's hope the only interruption to the domestic schedule this season is caused by events in Qatar...

Our priorities for the new season

The last two years have brought into focus the things that are important to us, and over the coming season we will focus on 8 priorities:

  1. Getting closer to our members - looking for opportunities to meet as many of the supporters trusts and other fans groups who rely on us for help and support
  2. Supporting each other on the issues that matter to us most, by putting members in touch with others whose priorities are similar
  3. Deepening and enriching the argument for fan ownership at all levels of our game
  4. Engaging the Trust network in policy development (gathering your views on issues such as matchday ticketing arrangements, the availability of streaming services, etc) and using our position as the supporters' representative in Scottish football governance to shape the future
  5. Extending our work with SPFL fans to the whole of the men’s and women’s pyramids - bringing you closer to the 300+ clubs competing across the country
  6. Working with the supporter movement across Europe - learning from the Fan-Led Review south of the border, and from the influential work of SD Europe and Football Supporters Europe on the continent
  7. Continuing SLO development - supporting the network of SLOs, and participating in the European TRANSFER project
  8. Moving to self-sustainability through consultancy growth, where our expertise is offered to clubs in all sports on a not-for-profit basis

Help us strengthen Scottish football

Like most organisations, the financial pressures on SD Scotland intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and posed a real threat to our ability to continue our work with supporters groups and grassroots sports clubs. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic we began re-thinking our business model, and were working to expand our commercial activities through our Club Development Scotland consultancy service. Our goal was, and remains, to reduce our reliance on grant funding whilst continuing to advocate for greater supporter engagement and involvement in the governance of our clubs and of the national game.

You can also contribute personally via our Patreon crowdfunding programme. We have introduced three new tiers, with merchandise featuring our "football without fans is nothing" graphic in order for us to recognise your contributions:

  • Bronze tier supporters (donating £5 per month) will receive a sticker
  • Silver tier supporters (donating £12.50 per month) will receive a coffee mug
  • Gold tier supporters (donating £20 per month) will receive a t-shirt

Patreon supporters automatically become Associate Members of SD Scotland:

  1. You’ll be joining a network of fans and supporters groups working to ensure that supporters' voices are heard and influence positive change within the game.
  2. Receive regular updates on issues affecting Scottish football and/or its fans.
  3. Get involved in the democratic structures of Supporters Direct Scotland as one of our three Associate Directors.

Sign up as a Patreon supporter here.

And finally...

Articles, podcasts and videos from the archive

As part of our objective to better connect fans, share best practice within Scottish sport, and promote supporter dialogue, here we share some relevant recent stories.

  1. Scottish Football Should Do More To Celebrate Pride Month
  2. Why Are Fans Not At Forefront Of New TV Deals?
  3. Time To Step Up In Battle Against Crowd Trouble
  4. Scottish Football Helping Ukraine
  5. Mary, Queen of Scots and Her Connections To Scottish Football

You can also check out our back catalogue of podcast episodes and subscribe to Behind The Goals using your favoured ‘podcatcher’ here, and subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

Some recent videos you might have missed:

Supporters Direct Scotland are committed to helping football supporters enjoy responsible gambling; for many this is an integral part of their match day experience.

We have selected GamCare as our recommended support service for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling. GamCare operate the National Gambling Helpline (whose advisers are available on 0808 8020 133 or via web chat at www.gamcare.org), provide treatment for problem gamblers and their families, create awareness about responsible gambling and treatment, and encourage an effective approach to responsible gambling within the gambling industry.

Supporters Direct Scotland

We have moved! You can now contact us at:

64A Cumberland Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6RE

01324 323282

supporters-direct.scot

scottishsupporters.net

 

Want to have your say? Contact us at info@supporters-direct.scot