A classic case of "I'm alright Jack!" and also why nothing will ever change in English football. 10 years down the line how many football clubs will have gone to the wall.
Agree. There’s a lot of ‘I feel sorry for Bury/Wigan/Charlton, but we are too well run for it to happen to us’ - how many on here thought that a few years ago?
Sadly this doesn't look like it is going to make a 100,000 signatures but would be good to get a few more.
I think it will get to the 100,000 required by January. Still 5 months to go and plenty of clubs will be in trouble before then.
It would be a real shame if charlton are not on the map when MPs have to discuss it, and right now our signings have pretty well frozen. Bexley and Sidcup still leading on 298.
On top of that the geeks have moved the goalposts meaning we need 320 in each constituency to show on the map, up from 300, or 0.31%, up from 0.29%.
Latest numbers for South London and Kent and some of Sussex. The benchmark for Gold has been raised to 320 or 0.31% of the constituency size.
Therefore: Dartford- 320 now needed to go gold and in need of another 114. Bexleyheath and Crayford (incl Welling) needs to get 292 so is just 32 short. Eltham needs to reach 295 so is 37 short. Is anyone not in this list and needs to know the numbers for their area?
I wouldn't expect there to be many signatures for a petition aiming to start the reform of the English Football League from Ireland, Scotland (although even the Outer Hebrides has one signatory and Orkney & Shetland have four), or much of Wales, where Rugby rules supreme.
What is disappointing is the low level of response from the majority of English constituencies - and by low, I mean in the low tens, with the majority under 50. The Midlands and much of London are in a coma, along with most of the southern half of England.
Of course there is support of some thousands in and around Wigan - after all, they started the petition. And for some reason or other there appears to be an island of protest in SE London /NW Kent Not sure why the Tynesiders are supporting it so well, since their current complaint is against the F.A. - perhaps they are anticipating relegation next summer? - but good on the Magpies for their solidarity. Constituencies round Leeds are also stepping up.
Have covid closed-door games caused huge numbers of fans to lose interest in the fate of their local clubs? Has football fandom fallen asleep over the closed season? Is it apathy, or simply poor publicity of the petition?
Here's a suggestion for @BDL. If there is a Charlton attempt at an anti-EFL twitterstorm, include a link to the petition, to get it more publicity. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331589 It's nearly a third of the way to being considered for a debate. It would be great if this could be achieved well before the petition automatically closes in January, by which time we may all have other political matters on our agendas.
We take near to 40,000 to Wembley last May and have what 10,000 members on here @AFKABartram? Yet for South-east London and Kent under 3,500 have signed this so far.
Maybe it is apathy rather than a failure to get the word out there. The wording of the petition could have been more inclusive of other clubs but the Wigan situation certainly hit the headlines more widely and continues to have a high profile.
Apart from the valid idea of a twitterstorm as suggested by @N01R4M to @BDL i'm not sure what else can be done. I am registering a few accounts on other fans sites to try to give it a boost.
To be fair we’ve done it on Twitter, I’ve retweeted it several times and called for more signatures. We need to engage people at clubs who are stable and not as mad as us or Wigan! How do we do that?
I think that's a good point. If there's no appetite in stable clubs, then targeting clubs as they come under threat may be the best way to bump up the numbers. There will likely be no shortage of clubs changing hands or under severe threat in the coming months but maybe not before the January deadline for this particular petition.
I have posted messages on the boards of Macclesfield, Blackpool, Leyton Orient, and Brighton so far (Brighton post pending at mo).
Major reform of the EFL or laws surrounding the Owners and directors test may be a slower burner than some of us imagined and in those conditions awareness raising will still help us to make progress. If us or Wigan fails to survive then that will be an unfortunate wake up call for many!
Finally found a working BuryFC message board- https://uptheshakers.co.uk/ Their figures are astonishingly poor. Bury North 86 Bury South 83 Let's see if the message gets any traction there.
Unable to get on to a Gillingham board so far, registration fails
Think you’re flogging a dead horse @swords_alive im afraid.
At the beginning of Aug I tweeted via the Charlton Life account to encourage signings. It made 10,805 impressions on people’s timelines, yet over the coming days it added just ‘dozens’ of signatures.
Its not not going to move too much further now until the next club goes through some shite and it get reinvigorated
Agreed afka. I have got obsessed with the data. We are just 30 ish short in 2 areas, Eltham, and Bexleyheath, and it's a shame not to get on the map in those areas in particular.
Think you’re flogging a dead horse @swords_alive im afraid.
At the beginning of Aug I tweeted via the Charlton Life account to encourage signings. It made 10,805 impressions on people’s timelines, yet over the coming days it added just ‘dozens’ of signatures.
Its not not going to move too much further now until the next club goes through some shite and it get reinvigorated
Today about 9 months after signing the urgent petition, i received this reply from my local MP Dear Clive
Thank you for contacting me about e-petition 331589 and the Statutory Owners’ and Directors’ Test in football.
Please allow me to apologise for the lengthy delay in getting back to you – staffing changes and the increased caseload caused by the pandemic have placed significant pressure on my office.
I have long believed football fans deserve more and better transparency from owners. I have therefore been calling on the UK Government to honour its manifesto commitment to set up a fan-led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ Test.
This review must begin as soon as possible, so we can deliver a governance structure for football that is modern, accountable and above all, puts fans at the heart of their clubs. As part of the review, I believe it will be important to consider who should be able to own a football club, as well as what information ought to be in the public domain regarding ownership, finance and structure.
Above all, I believe the review of football governance must be genuinely driven by what fans want and need. It is therefore vital that the Government makes clear what “fan-led” will mean in practice and, crucially, when we can expect change. It is almost ten years since the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee published recommendations on football governance – including for “a strong fit and proper persons test consistently applied” – and these issues are becoming urgent.
I believe that recent events around the European Super League are a watershed moment for our national game. I have never before seen such unity across football, and I believe it is essential that we do not allow those who threaten our game to continue to do so. There is a need to act quickly and we must get on with these other necessary changes. I hope the Government will now make time for Parliament to legislate for such reform.
Thank you once again for contacting me and for sharing your views.
Yours sincerely,
Abena Oppong-Asare MP Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Member of Parliament for Erith and Thamesmead
I recieved the same reply from her this morning, 9months after signing the petition, seems to me that due to the ESL it now has become a cause to jump on the band wagon. Little old Charlton obversely was not worth raising any issues at the time.
Comments
It would be a real shame if charlton are not on the map when MPs have to discuss it, and right now our signings have pretty well frozen. Bexley and Sidcup still leading on 298.
On top of that the geeks have moved the goalposts meaning we need 320 in each constituency to show on the map, up from 300, or 0.31%, up from 0.29%.
Therefore:
Dartford- 320 now needed to go gold and in need of another 114.
Bexleyheath and Crayford (incl Welling) needs to get 292 so is just 32 short.
Eltham needs to reach 295 so is 37 short.
Is anyone not in this list and needs to know the numbers for their area?
1. Old Bexley and Sidcup 298
2. Bexleyheath & Crayford 260
3. Eltham 258
4. Greenwich and Woolwich 210
5. Dartford 206
6. Erith & Thamesmead 180
7. Orpington 131
8. Sevenoaks 123
9. Bromley & Chislehurst 117
10. Lewisham East 94
11. Gravesham 85
12. Rochester & Strood 83
13. Tonbridge and Malling 83
14. Beckenham 75
15. Maidstone and the Weald 75
16. Chatham and Aylesford 74
17. Lewisham West and Penge 67
18. Lewisham & Deptford 61
19. Faversham and Mid-Kent 61
20. Tunbridge Wells 60
21. North Thanet 56
22. Sittingbourne and Sheppey 53
23. Folkestone and Hythe 53
24. Gillingham and Rainham 52
25. Wealdon 52
26. Mid Sussex 50
27. South Thanet 47
28. Dover 44
29. Bexhill and Battle 43
30. Ashford 43
31. Canterbury 42
32. Lewes 36
33. Hastings and Rye 36
34. East Surrey 35
35. Eastbourne 31
36. Horsham 29
37. Crawley 21
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331589
+2 In Bexley and Sidcup.
Erith & Thamesmead, including Belvedere, +1
Slight surge in the London boroughs in particular, probably helped since the link was added at
http://www.esi-out.co.uk/
https://petitionmap.unboxedconsulting.com/?petition=331589
I wouldn't expect there to be many signatures for a petition aiming to start the reform of the English Football League from Ireland, Scotland (although even the Outer Hebrides has one signatory and Orkney & Shetland have four), or much of Wales, where Rugby rules supreme.
What is disappointing is the low level of response from the majority of English constituencies - and by low, I mean in the low tens, with the majority under 50. The Midlands and much of London are in a coma, along with most of the southern half of England.
Of course there is support of some thousands in and around Wigan - after all, they started the petition.
And for some reason or other there appears to be an island of protest in SE London /NW Kent
Not sure why the Tynesiders are supporting it so well, since their current complaint is against the F.A. - perhaps they are anticipating relegation next summer? - but good on the Magpies for their solidarity.
Constituencies round Leeds are also stepping up.
Have covid closed-door games caused huge numbers of fans to lose interest in the fate of their local clubs?
Has football fandom fallen asleep over the closed season?
Is it apathy, or simply poor publicity of the petition?
Here's a suggestion for @BDL.
If there is a Charlton attempt at an anti-EFL twitterstorm, include a link to the petition, to get it more publicity.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331589
It's nearly a third of the way to being considered for a debate. It would be great if this could be achieved well before the petition automatically closes in January, by which time we may all have other political matters on our agendas.
1. Old Bexley and Sidcup 301 - GOLD
2. Bexleyheath & Crayford 262 (30 needed for gold)
3. Eltham 262 (33 needed)
4. Greenwich and Woolwich 213
5. Dartford 209
6. Erith & Thamesmead 183
Maybe it is apathy rather than a failure to get the word out there. The wording of the petition could have been more inclusive of other clubs but the Wigan situation certainly hit the headlines more widely and continues to have a high profile.
Apart from the valid idea of a twitterstorm as suggested by @N01R4M to @BDL i'm not sure what else can be done. I am registering a few accounts on other fans sites to try to give it a boost.
I have posted messages on the boards of Macclesfield, Blackpool, Leyton Orient, and Brighton so far (Brighton post pending at mo).
Major reform of the EFL or laws surrounding the Owners and directors test may be a slower burner than some of us imagined and in those conditions awareness raising will still help us to make progress. If us or Wigan fails to survive then that will be an unfortunate wake up call for many!
Their figures are astonishingly poor.
Bury North 86
Bury South 83
Let's see if the message gets any traction there.
Unable to get on to a Gillingham board so far, registration fails
At the beginning of Aug I tweeted via the Charlton Life account to encourage signings. It made 10,805 impressions on people’s timelines, yet over the coming days it added just ‘dozens’ of signatures.
Its not not going to move too much further now until the next club goes through some shite and it get reinvigorated
Dear Clive
Thank you for contacting me about e-petition 331589 and the Statutory Owners’ and Directors’ Test in football.
Please allow me to apologise for the lengthy delay in getting back to you – staffing changes and the increased caseload caused by the pandemic have placed significant pressure on my office.
I have long believed football fans deserve more and better transparency from owners. I have therefore been calling on the UK Government to honour its manifesto commitment to set up a fan-led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ Test.
This review must begin as soon as possible, so we can deliver a governance structure for football that is modern, accountable and above all, puts fans at the heart of their clubs. As part of the review, I believe it will be important to consider who should be able to own a football club, as well as what information ought to be in the public domain regarding ownership, finance and structure.
Above all, I believe the review of football governance must be genuinely driven by what fans want and need. It is therefore vital that the Government makes clear what “fan-led” will mean in practice and, crucially, when we can expect change.
It is almost ten years since the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee published recommendations on football governance – including for “a strong fit and proper persons test consistently applied” – and these issues are becoming urgent.
I believe that recent events around the European Super League are a watershed moment for our national game. I have never before seen such unity across football, and I believe it is essential that we do not allow those who threaten our game to continue to do so. There is a need to act quickly and we must get on with these other necessary changes. I hope the Government will now make time for Parliament to legislate for such reform.
Thank you once again for contacting me and for sharing your views.
Yours sincerely,
Abena Oppong-Asare MP
Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
Member of Parliament for Erith and Thamesmead
https://www.abenaoppongasare.com/
However things have moved on due to the shit storm that was the ESL.
Boris has jumped onto this band wagon, announcing the ' Fan lead enquiry into football ownership' (or something like that)
This is to be led by Tracy Crouch, ex sports minister, she has a high reputation.
Seems to me we should lobby our MP's again to get behind the 'Fan led enquiry'
Plus many other improvements.
So I will get off a new e-mail to my MP.
Trying to drum up some interest.