The Board of the Stirling Albion Supporters’ Society Limited (the “Trust”) are willing to enter into mediation, in good faith, with the Board of the Stirling Albion Football and Athletic Company Limited (the “Company”; the “Club”). We all want what is best for our football club and we will work constructively with the Club Board.
For the Trust the purpose of this mediation is to put in place a governance structure similar to that of other fan-owned clubs, which will require changes to the Club’s Articles of Association. These changes will help safeguard the long-term stability of Stirling Albion and we hope will provide a framework to support joint working and importantly improve the relationship between the Trust, as the majority shareholder, and the Club Board. We recognise this joint approach and improved relations are the wish of everyone associated with Stirling Albion.
Past failed attempts at mediation and discussions had led the Trust Board to believe the only way to put appropriate rules in place would be to remove the existing board before doing so. We acknowledged this was extreme but felt we were left with no other option.
However, in an attempt at reconciliation and with the interests of Stirling Albion at heart, if the Club Board is willing to engage in discussions, we are willing not to vote for the action to remove the current Club Directors. We are happy for an independent mediator to oversee these discussions and would support one involved in fan-owned football in Scotland or from a specialist mediation organisation.
We will send a legal proposal to the Club with the following terms for mediation:
- For an interim period, three additional board members to be appointed, representing the Trust and independent shareholders.
- Role of Chairperson and Operations Director to be split and an independent, non-executive chairman to be appointed.
- Discussions to be entered into by this interim board to make changes to the Club’s Articles of Association.
- New Articles to be adopted no more than 4 months from the date of the agreement to enter mediation.
If the Club agree to these terms and a legally binding agreement is entered into, the Trust will not vote for the current motion to remove the existing Club Directors.
For clarity, attached is the Trust Board’s starting position for discussion on suggested changes to the Articles to let you see what type of rule changes we mean. As we have previously stated, these provisions are normal in corporate governance and standard practice in other fan-owned clubs’ structures.
You can download the new draft articles here. Note that these are provided as a starting point and will be subject to amendment following discussion and agreement.
Additionally, we are aware the Trust rules need to be updated to reflect current best practice and we will undertake this exercise with reference to other fan-owned clubs’ supporters associations.
The Trust Board sincerely hopes this proposal is accepted and the Trust and Club can begin to work harmoniously together for the sole benefit of Stirling Albion Football Club.