Posted on 23rd June 2022
FSA AGM 2022: Submit your motion
The FSA’s 2022 AGM is just a few weeks away and it once again presents an opportunity for members to have their say and propose new areas of FSA policy.
Beyond our core campaigns that cover standing, ticket pricing, TV, diversity and more, the FSA has separate policies on a wide range of issues that supporters are passionate about.
And all of those policies are decided upon democratically at our AGM.
A great example is from our last AGM, held online back in December 2021. Supporters brought forward a motion to conference asking the membership to reaffirm our position on football’s draconian and discriminatory alcohol restrictions.
Motion 2: Alcohol in stadiums
Reaffirms its opposition to legislation that discriminates specifically against football supporters and criminalises behaviour that is tolerated for other sports and social settings. Welcomes the possibility of the abolition or relaxation of current legislation that prohibits the consumption of alcohol in football stadiums (specifically when a football match is taking place) and on transport to and from football match destinations In the event of legislative change, calls on clubs to engage fully with their own fan base and supporter groups to jointly agree, implement and enforce appropriate alcohol policies in their stadiums.
Vote – Motion carried
The mandate from the membership was clear and our policy on alcohol at the match was officially set.
Other new policies also included committing the FSA to lead supporters’ action on the worsening climate crisis and to begin looking at how clubs can be encouraged to pursue ethical procurement of their kits.
So if you’ve ever asked yourself “Why doesn’t the FSA campaign for X, Y and Z?”, or disagreed with something we’ve said or wanted to shape our campaigning – a motion to our AGM might be the answer.
Proposing a motion at our AGM and arguing its merits will give you and your fellow fans an opportunity to discuss the issue and either vote it down or pass it, so it becomes official FSA policy.
How do I submit a motion?
First-off, anyone submitting a motion has to be a member of the FSA – it’s free to join and takes two minutes, click here to fill out the form.
For a motion to then be accepted for debate it must have both a proposer and a seconder (both will be invited to speak on the matter). So it’s important to engage other fans on the idea – a good starting point may be to talk to your club’s fan groups or test the water on social media.
Any motion should be concise and to-the-point, clearly expressing what it is seeking to achieve, and set out the current situation in relation to that issue – you can expand on specific points in your short speech.
You should also think about what practical measures the FSA could take to implement your idea. The most utopian and well-meaning ideal might be rejected if it’s deemed to be pie-in-the-sky by your fellow members.
We ask for motions in advance to avoid duplication, to circulate information to members in a timely fashion and to avoid spurious nonsense taking up time on the day.
The deadline for motions to this year’s AGM is midday on Friday 8th July. Submit by email to: [email protected]
Please note, voting on motions at this year’s AGM will only be taking place in person. Online participants will not be able to vote on motions during the conference.
