The recently constituted Blackpool Supporters’ Trust has the strapline “putting football first”, a phrase that has been used by both Valeri Belokon and Karl Oyston in their open letters to each other over the last few days. BST advocates putting football first because we believe that a football club belongs fundamentally to the community of its supporters regardless of who the chairman and directors may be at any given time; and we are committed to holding the club’s owners to account, regardless of who those owners are. BST is, and will remain, an independent group – beholden to no one other than its membership - and we must stress that we have no more ties to Valeri Belokon than we do to Karl or Owen Oyston! We are a one member, one vote, democratically accountable and transparent organisation that exists solely for the benefit of the football club, its supporters and the community. The members will decide the direction and the choices that the Trust makes. As such, we are fully committed to working with any individual or group who will attempt to further those objectives, in the interest of building a sustainable future for the club. Events on and off the field in the last year or so have given fans much cause for concern. We have gone from being a Premiership team to Championship relegation fodder in less than three years. During that same three years we know that millions of pounds of parachute payments have come to Blackpool FC but we don’t see any tangible benefit in the quality of the playing squad or the training facilities and we have real concerns about the way the football club is being run. A business person is entitled to see a return on investment, but it seems there is a huge imbalance between investment and return at Blackpool FC and that the Premier League legacy has benefited and enriched the current majority shareholders far beyond any initial or long term investment they have made in the club. What business people tend to forget is that all their profit, direct and indirect, comes from their customers. Blackpool FC wouldn’t make a single penny without its supporters. It is the financial and emotional investment of the fans that allows professional football clubs to make money. Owen Oyston did not save this club on his own any more than Karl Oyston improved the stadium by himself. We saved this club together and we built this club together – tens of thousands of us from Blackpool and throughout the world. We would like our essential contribution to be recognised and respected just as the Oystons do. The fans spend millions every year on the football club with no hope of, or desire for, a financial return. Nonetheless, we do want to be fully involved and consulted in the decisions that our football club makes. BST broadly agrees with the sentiments expressed in Mr Belokon’s letter to the Oystons requesting that they put football first by investing a reasonable proportion of the parachute payments into the playing side. We certainly do not condone the extraction of vast quantities of money from the club by any group or individual. We also object strenuously to Anyone using the club as a ‘cash cow’ - as Mr Oyston knows only too well. Our primary objective will always be to help progress the football club and increase the influence that the fans have at the club. We will never seek to profit from the success of Blackpool FC and we will always treat our members, Blackpool supporters and anyone who cares about our club with the respect and dignity that they deserve. Blackpool Supporters Trust will always, truly, put football first.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 17:29:18 +0000