Fans' groups from across Europe have united to #ReclaimTheGame from billionaires and bureaucrats. Find out more at reclaimthegame.eu.
The Super League fiasco proved that football is broken. But fans from across Europe already know this and have been shouting about it for decades. Now, we're demanding that UEFA, FAs, leagues, clubs, and politicians stay true to their word by acting to fix it.
We demand:
1. Fan involvement. If “football without fans is nothing”, then we should be recognised as key stakeholders and involved in all discussions and decisions about the future of the game.
2. Respect for fans and fans’ culture. Despite funding the game, fans’ interests and rights are largely ignored. This needs to end. We must be treated with dignity, be able to express ourselves freely in the stadium, and not be subject to unjust collective punishment. Leagues and clubs must also stop letting broadcasters schedule games at ridiculous times.
3. Freedom of choice. Football fans are not second-class citizens. We should be able to choose whether we sit or stand, have a drink, or travel to away games.
4. Affordable football. The cost of following “the people’s game” has increased massively in recent years. This has excluded too many fans, including younger ones. But we refuse to pay any more for sky-high wages and agents’ fees. Home tickets should be cheap and there should be a price cap on away tickets.
5. Football for everyone. Everyone is entitled to play and watch football. The game needs to be more diverse, more inclusive, and more European.
6. Stronger regulation. Wealthy clubs alone shouldn’t have the power to run football and decide its future. The rules should create a level playing field, encourage transparency, strengthen financial fair play, and protect the game from top to bottom.
7. Sharing of the wealth. Football is richer than ever before, but only a handful of clubs seem to benefit. The game’s wealth should be more equally distributed, with more money going to the lower leagues and grassroots football.
8. Competitive balance. The growing gap between and within leagues has made football less competitive and more predictable. The only way to reverse this is to share the game’s resources and uphold sporting merit.
9. UEFA scraps its Champions League reforms. Adding more clubs and games to the Champions League will damage European football at every level. Allowing clubs to qualify based on past achievements, meanwhile, is a reward for the Super League plotters. The reform process must be stopped, and fans must be involved in discussions on the future of European competitions.
10. National governments and the EU protect our clubs and communities. The existence of clubs across the continent is threatened by greedy hedge funds and toothless regulation. Governments and the EU must do everything in their power to protect our clubs and football as a whole.
11. FAs and leagues challenge the influence of wealthy clubs. FAs and leagues must serve the interests of the whole game by acting as a counterbalance to the power of wealthy clubs.
It’s time to #ReclaimTheGame.
Join HTSA for £1
To make sure those voices become a chorus, we are offering Town fans the opportunity to join HTSA for just £1. In addition, NHS staff, emergency service workers, teachers, and those serving in the armed forces can join for nothing. Existing members will also have their membership extended for free until 31st May 2022.
To join, pay £1 via PayPal and send your full name, age (over 18 or under 18), and email address to membership[at]htsa-web.com. You will receive your membership number within seven days of the PayPal payment being approved. From this point, we will keep you in the loop about what we are up to via e-mail