Scottish Football Supporters Survey - results coming soon!

We are busy analysing the responses to this season's survey, and plan to release the findings next month. Your answers to our questions about the matchday experience and the work being done by clubs in their communities will be particularly helpful in identifying best practices and driving further improvement. These are areas where clubs can learn from each other - competing on the pitch but collaborating off it.

Thank you to everyone who completed the survey, and to the clubs who helped spread the word.

"This Is Our Story": how the fans kept their Hearts beating

Full or partial fan ownership could be a new model for Scottish football, says former Foundation of Hearts Chair Ian Murray in new book

By June 2020, the supporters of Heart of Midlothian FC will become the majority shareholder of the club, owning 79.9 per cent, having contributed over £10 million to the saving and rebuilding of the club.

Former Chair of the Foundation of Hearts, MP Ian Murray believes that ‘fan ownership in some shape or form appears to be here to stay – whether it be to save a football club, give an owner a feasible exit strategy, or to give supporters a stake.’

His insider story honours how fans saved the club from disappearing forever. ‘There were stories of young fans turning up at Tynecastle and emptying their piggy banks out onto the counter, pensioners handing in their last £10 note, families fundraising together’, Murray says.

A lifelong Jambo, Murray was part of the efforts to wrestle the club out of the hands of the former owners, prevent liquidation and defy the proposal to sell Tynecastle Park. He details the ups and downs of the Romanov era – the famous 5-1 Scottish Cup win against Hibernian FC, the sacking of George Burley and Romanov’s proposal to change the club colours to green and yellow with a tartan trim.

The Foundation of Hearts, supported by top professional advisors, has become the vehicle to harness the power of the fan base. As Murray puts it, ‘the thrust behind FOH was borne out of crisis but today, the Foundation is an example of how fan ownership can work.’

Order your copy here

SD Europe Fund to support projects of fan organisations and member-run clubs

Our partners at SD Europe have announced a new fund to enable the members of their network to establish projects that further develop supporter involvement.

The SD Europe Fund will see the distribution of €12.000 to its members: €9,000 to fund three projects run by national fan organisations and €3,000 to fund three projects with exchange visits of member-run clubs within the network.

The fund shows SD Europe‘s commitment to supporting domestic & international activities of national supporters organisations & member-run clubs. We are proud to be part of this continent-wide network to improve the game we love.

FSE 2019/20 Away Fans Survey

Football fans face multiple challenges when traveling to watch their team play in European competitions, from late fixtures and visa requirements to high tickets prices and aggressive policing. In order to improve this situation, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) continues to monitor conditions in away sectors for the third consecutive season.

Travelling supporters are invited to complete the following survey after every European away match and to provide information on relevant topics, including travel arrangements, ticket prices, allocation, policing/stewarding, catering, and so on. By completing the survey, you will allow FSE to collect hard, reliable data which will inform future policy.

Complete the survey here

Old Firm Favourites: Celtic and Rangers legends lineup once again

The Celtic Greats took on The Rangers Greats earlier this month in Fife, in the latest "Fitba Greats" match, with those attending asked to contribute to Food Drive in aid of local foodbanks.

These charity matches have gone from strength-to-strength over the last few years, and, with the support of FansBet, the "A Celtic State Of Mind" podcast have been able to become official shirt sponsors of The Celtic Greats.

A strong Rangers side eventually ran out convincing winners on Sunday but the result was insignificant on a day which was all about supporting local causes and enabling supporters to meet their heroes.

See what FansBet ambassador Brian McClair had to say about the event when he spoke to Kevin Graham from A Celtic State Of Mind in the video below.

And finally...

Articles, podcasts and videos from the archive

As part of our objective to better connect fans, share best practice within Scottish sport, to promote supporter dialogue and promote sport clubs through which positive societal change can occur, here we share some relevant stories from the past month.

1. Lawrence Shankland Should Keep his Scotland Starting Shirt
2. Reliving Scotland’s Adventures At Euro 96
3. Reviewing A View From The Terrace
4. Experiencing Junior Football

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

In our latest video we explore ways in which football clubs can help the environment and also help themselves.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more!

Supporters Direct Scotland and our partners at FansBet 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.