Fulham Trust sign first ever MOU with club

The Fulham Supporters’ Trust have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fulham Football Club to formalise their structured dialogue on behalf of Fulham fans, which has existed since 2014.

The MoU is the first such document signed between an English professional club and their Supporters Trust and commits both parties to share relevant information and discuss issues of mutual concern during regular meetings. It builds on the progress made since the Trust’s monthly meetings with senior Club officials were set up by Fulham FC chief executive officer Alistair Mackintosh three years ago.

Tom Greatrex, chair of the Fulham Supporters’ Trust, said: “Structured dialogue between Clubs and recognised Supporters Trusts is something Supporters’ Direct have been integral in securing in league regulations. Fortunately for the Fulham Supporters’ Trust, Fulham FC have been open to detailed, extensive, searching and sometimes challenging dialogue on a regular basis over the last three years. Signing an MoU doesn’t change that – it emphasises the value that independent, democratic and representative supporters’ organisations can bring in helping Clubs not only develop good relationships with their fans, but make decisions that take into account the supporter perspective.”

Alistair Mackintosh, chief executive of Fulham FC, added: ‘We were keen to formalise an increase in the frequency of meetings with the Fulham Supporters’ Trust as their robust questioning continually makes us think and they provide a representative, educated soundboard for our own initiatives. As custodians of Craven Cottage and our remarkable football Club, we share goals of sustainability and success.’

Ashley Brown, chief executive of Supporters Direct, commented: ‘Having formal structured dialogue between supporters and clubs is critical as it allows challenging issues to be met head on, not avoided or advanced without proper consultation. That builds trust and sets the tone for supporter engagement. Supporters Direct have followed the progress of structured dialogue at Fulham with keen interest for some time and this memorandum of understanding takes this a step further and we praise Fulham Football Club and the Fulham Supporters’ Trust for their pioneering approach’.

You can read more about the history of Fulham Supporters Trust’s structured dialogue here. If your trust is keen to pursue the MoU route between club and trust please contact debor[email protected] for more support and guidance.