Although Supporters Trusts are a relatively new phenomenon, a quick check of the Supporters Direct website (www.supporters-direct.org.uk) shows how quickly the concept of supporter representation within football clubs seems to have grown.  In fact, such is the popularity of the Supporters Direct movement that it seems unusual for a league football club not to have a trust associated with it.  

Supporter involvement at football clubs though is a tradition that has stretched back for generations, and in the context of our own club was superbly outlined in the ‘History Repeating Itself’ series authored by Rachel Branson and reproduced in ‘The Mariner’ matchday programme last season (It is also available to view on this website).   However, non-league is where day to day supporter involvement continues to be commonplace, and where the Supporters Direct model seems less prevalent.  It’s probably no surprise that clubs that have spent more of the ‘moneybags’ era of football out of the league rather than in enjoy a more open and trusting relationship with their supporters.  Barnet FC are no exception – they don’t have a Supporters Trust, but from what I have read there doesn’t appear to be a need for one!

The Barnet Football Club Supporters Association (BFCSA) has been in operation for over 75 years, and in 2008 continues to be an active and thriving organisation with a healthy membership level.  A well laid out and informative website (www.bfcsa.co.uk) provides more detailed information about the history of BFCSA, specifically the activities that they have been involved with over recent years.

Historically, BFCSA have had far more involvement in the day to day running of the football club that they enjoy now.  From general ground maintenance through to pivotal matchday operations such as running catering facilities and turnstile operations, BFCSA members provided assistance that went beyond just financial.  Presumably, as Barnet FC have risen through the leagues and these tasks have become more than part time jobs, reliance on the goodwill of a merry band of volunteers has reduced.  The one thing that has not changed is the ability of BCFSA to act as the independent voice of Barnet Supporters – offering constructive suggestions and criticism to the club board where deemed appropriate, and mobilising the fanbase in times of crisis.

BFCSA play a valuable role in acting as a conduit between the club and the supporters in a number of ways, including:

• Underhill Redevelopment– BFCSA have been able to use their website as a portal for supporters to access information relating to plans for the redevelopment of Underhill.  Grimsby supporters will be well aware of how tortuous processes involving planning permission can be from our own new stadium plans.  Providing a ‘one stop shop’ for all of the relevant documentation (along with a handy timeline and useful commentary) is a simple but valuable service, and one which I will be mentioning in light of the GTST website redevelopment.
• Matchday Experience – BFCSA have been able to represent the interests of supporters in recent discussions regarding the use of the Central East Terrace.  Traditionally, this stand has housed both home and away supporters with segregation measures in place – however many Barnet FC supporters were unhappy with the methods being used (which included closing this stand to home supporters).  Proactive discussions between the Barnet board and BFCSA have resulted in an agreement to investigate one proposed solution which is acceptable to both parties.
• Away Match Travel – BCFSA organise supporter coach travel to all away matches, with a fixed pricing structure based on match bandings A to D (unsurprisingly, Grimsby is a band D game!!) announced at the start of each season.  Supporters must be a BCFSA member to travel on the coaches, with personal accident insurance for away games included as a benefit of the £10 p/a membership fee.  Amazingly, there has been only a single away match in the past 21 years where a coach has not been run – and even then arrangements were made to get supporters to the match by car!
• Fundraising – financial assistance beyond matchday spending and merchandise sales continues to be one of the key ways in which Barnet supporters are able to help their club.  BFCSA were recently able to donate in excess of £3,500 to the club to assist with the purchase of Prozone performance analysis software.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, and there are no doubt a whole host of other activities performed by BFCSA members that go unreported, but are equally as important as the above examples.

It’s clear from what I have read that the success of any supporters organisation is dependant not on what form it takes, but both on what benefits it delivers to the supporters and on the willingness and dedication of people to keep it going in order to deliver those benefits.  The BFCSA shows that doing the simple things well seems to be the foundation for longevity – at GTST we have been guilty of reaching for the stars and ignoring the ground beneath our feet.  It’s time to get back down to earth and focus on delivering those benefits that make a (mostly) contented supporter base.

The tragic death of former Barnet U-18 player Oliver King-Onzila is very much in the news as I write this article.  On behalf of GTST, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Oliver’s family and those connected with Barnet FC who knew him.

Emma Blackbourn – GTST Board Member

(This is the unabridged version of the column, which appeared in "The Mariner" on Saturday 27th September 2008)