Liverpool chief welcomes formation of new supporters’ board

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has welcomed the formation of a new supporters’ board to improve fan representation within the club.

The new set-up will be enshrined in the club’s articles of association and a legally-binding memorandum of understanding between the club and the Official Liverpool Supporters Trust will be entered into.

It will mean fans will have the right of consent on issues such as a ground move or defection to a breakaway league.

“The idea for the Supporters Board came from an understanding and recognition that there was a lack of engagement with supporters on some important fan-facing issues and that was something we wanted to address,” said Hogan.

“There is a lot of engagement but it was clear that we needed to address our levels of dialogue and put a process in place that was more formal.

“Ultimately we’re really proud of where we’ve ended up.”

Spirit of Shankly were one of the driving forces behind the formation of a Supporters Board, with 98.9 per cent of their members voting in favour.

“We’ve been working really hard as a union to work alongside the club, to hold the club to account but at the same time to work in harmony to try to get the best for supporters,” said SoS chair Joe Blott.

The Supporters Board will consist of 10 SoS committee members, plus six other representatives drawn from other fan organisations, including Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association, Kop Outs, Spion Kop 1906, Official Liverpool Supporters Clubs, Liverpool Women’s Supporters Committee, and faith and ethnic groups.