With the Club on a somewhat more even keel, we think now is the right time for a refreshed look to the Falkirk Supporters Society. One with stronger engagement, with greater consultation and collaboration, and a focus on the shaping of our club into the future. Here’s how we see it progressing.
- An annual say on FSS funding of Club spending priorities, influenced by a vote on the areas receiving funding;
- Engaging our membership on shareholding votes by providing an FSS Committee recommended position and seeking general agreement from members. If it is clear there is no general agreement then members will be balloted;
- Giving members direct involvement in Club improvements though acting on feedback from the annual Bairns Survey. This will be through more targeted surveys and focus groups;
- Consultation with membership on wider issues affecting Scottish football, for example the distribution of income, B teams, social issues etc, and
- A more active look to direct action on Scottish football issues when necessary. Involving members in, lobbying, signing petitions and engaging with other fan-ownership groups on collective issues.
21st November 2021, a 1-0 loss at home to Montrose in front of 3000 Bairns saw the club sit outside the League 1 promotion play-off in a season where we ultimately fell to our worst league position in living memory. However, this date also saw the launch of the Falkirk Supporters Society who, along with the Patrons Group, had the sole aim of taking back control of a club in freefall, and to look to have those who truly love the club embedded as decision makers. They held the belief that with fans in charge we could once again be proud of our Club. There can be no doubt that there have been bumps along the road (and will be plenty more in the future!). However, the hard work over the last 3 years has brought us back from the brink, brought us all closer together as a fanbase and put us into a position of relative stability. It can’t be illustrated any better than with our most recent result, a 5-2 win in front of nearly 6000 Bairns, sees us top of the Championship – what a difference!
These last 3 years have seen a focus on lifeline funding and on securing our safeguarding shareholding, and we are so grateful that over 1100 fans have rallied behind our calls for fan-ownership and fan-funding, especially during such a difficult financial position for many households. It was a necessary focus and has played a vital role in where we find ourselves today. We now believe, that due to this hard work, there is the opportunity for a renewed and refreshed Falkirk Supporters Society under our Fund, Safeguard and Have Your Say message. One with stronger engagement, with greater consultation and collaboration, and a focus on the shaping of our club into the future. All we need from you is an increased membership and engagement, to ensure that our collective voice captures as much of the Falkirk support as possible – we think that 1876 members would be a rather fitting initial target!
The FSS will be holding our 2025 AGM in March where we will present members with a new outlook to community engagement and provide them with the opportunity to set the direction of FSS funding from next season. Members are required to be signed up by 21 February to attend and participate at the AGM and we ask all Bairns to consider signing up in time to join in with this refreshed look to the Falkirk Supporters Society as outlined below though our Fund, Safeguard and Have Your Say message.
Sign up – Join Us – Falkirk Supporters’ Society
Fund
The message over the last 3 years has all been around funding the football budget – this included everything from the first team, the modern apprentices, the relaunched Falkirk Academy, and right down to the cones and balls used in training. Our contributions allowed for this all to work, but ultimately it was the difference in enabling John and Paul to bring in the players which have propelled us to our current position. This cannot be illustrated any better than with the once in a lifetime 2023/24 Invincibles Season. In the 2023 summer window the message from the Club was clear – we win promotion, or else we face part time football and the permanent damage this would bring. FSS funds allowed one last chance and we took it in style. The spine of the Invincibles would not have been possible without us, players like Tom Lang, Brad Spencer, Calvin Miller and Ross MacIver could not all have been signed without FSS funds. A boost in membership late into 2023 allowed us again to strengthen with the loan signings of Dylan Tait and Ethan Ross. The fans really were the difference, and this same team has shown itself to be a strong Championship squad.
The FSS Committee believes there is now a new stage for us to reach regarding our funding. As we saw at the last club AGM, the club’s finances, while still precarious to an extent, are more stable and we are now in a position that we can budget on a break-even model subject to a top half finish. Of course there remains a degree of risk and we do not have a wealthy backer able to underwrite losses if we fall below that position, but it is now a manageable risk which would not put the future of our club in jeopardy as was the case for the best part of the last decade. We have discussed this with the Club, and they agree that FSS members should of course have a say on how their funds are used, whether that be continuing to fund the first team at the current level, or to look at supporting other projects within the club. While the first team may still be the top priority for members, you should now be able to actively inform how your contributions are spent – giving members the opportunity to take a role in shaping the future of our Club.
The FSS Committee proposes, starting from this March AGM, that prior to each FSS AGM, members will see a list of potential funding options which align with the Clubs strategic plans and have the opportunity to vote on what should be the FSS priority area(s) for the season ahead. This indicative vote would then shape how the Club allocates FSS funds for this period. So for example, 50% of members may indicate that the first team budget is a priority, while the other 50% look to the Falkirk Academy and the funding could be allocated in this way. Conversely, we could see a situation where the vast majority of members align to a single priority area. Ultimately, it will be for the members to give us, and the Club, that direction.
However, in addition to the above, the FSS Committee believes that giving members a say on how your funds are used also offers the perfect opportunity for an FSS funded discrete project. Once costs and loan repayments are taken off, if we were to allocate 5% of members contributions (currently around £6,500) to an FSS project, members would be able to take some ownership in providing for the club. This project could really be anything, so long as it was of benefit to the club and the community of fans – and within budget of course! For example, FalkirkTV investment or upgrades to disability facilities – but most importantly it would be up to the members. £6,500 is a fair sum, but we recognise this could limit the size of projects available. Therefore members will also have the opportunity to vote to ‘bank’ the money, and this will be rolled over and added to the 5% project funds for the next year.
We believe that with a greater say for members in our funding priorities, the fan base really will get the opportunity to help shape our club moving forward.
Safeguard
Since the outset of the FSS, the goal was to reach over a 25% shareholding in the Club as the ‘small shareholder’ portion of the 3-legged stool model. The 25%+1 shareholding was vital to our safeguard message as it gives the FSS, and consequently the membership, the opportunity to veto any special resolution which does not align with the beliefs of the membership. This includes unwanted investors. This was achieved in 2023 through a combination of shares bought from member contributions, the Scottish Government’s Fans Bank loan and a series of donations from other shareholders, including those within the Patrons Group. Since then, we still receive small donations from time to time and we anticipate that this will continue into the future. It remains our goal to be the home of all small shareholders, whether through share donation or through the proxy of shares at General Meetings.
We are pleased to have reached agreement with FFC on a proposal to protect the current percentage of our shareholding in the event of any future FFC share issue.
Any future share issue would require a special resolution at a FFC AGM / EGM and it has been agreed with the board that any special resolution for any future share issue would include the provision that ringfenced FSS shares would be issued on a part paid / nil paid basis and the FSS shareholding would remain at over 25% immediately and with full voting rights. This means that the FSS percentage shareholding would not be diluted and our safeguarding capability would remain.
The FSS Committee wants to ensure that members are engaged in all shareholding votes at General Meetings, after all, you are the lifeblood of the largest single shareholder in the club. For the most part, the resolutions at General Meetings are fairly standard (approval of audited accounts, auditors and directors), and the FSS Committee will, as it has done previously, invite general agreement to a FSS Committee recommended position on these matters. However, in such instances where it is clear that there is not general agreement, or the FSS Committee recognises that a matter is of significant interest, we will look to ballot our members with a majority position dictating how the organisation will vote.
Have Your Say
The FSS Committee recognises that there is a fantastic opportunity for the FSS to be a vital vehicle for fans’ voice. There has been some small level of engagement with the fanbase through the FSS, but it is not enough and we can do more. The Bairns Survey undertaken last year received over 1000 responses and showed that there was a real appetite for supporters to engage and look to shape the future of the Club. Despite the fantastic improvement in the club both on and off the park, we know that there are still issues out there affecting the fanbase, but it is rare for the FSS Committee to receive feedback directly on any of these issues. Without the weight of members’ voices behind us, it can be difficult for us to mandate for change (albeit we know there really isn’t much change required at the moment!). The FSS Committee acknowledges that it is our job to create an environment where we encourage you to share your views, where there is a culture of us listening to, and acting upon, your feedback to the betterment of our club. Therefore, with a new drive towards collaboration with the membership we have actively been looking at better ways to undertake community engagement with a view to using our strong membership to make a difference.
We propose to continue to use the Annual Bairns Survey as our first step to community engagement. This will provide a clear, overarching view of the fanbase on all things FFC. In 2024 the Bairns Survey was overwhelmingly positive, however it did identify areas that required improvement. It is important that we look to engage members on the matters they raise with us in the Bairns Survey and with this engagement, we will then have the voice to confidently take any issues to the Club. However that is not where it ends. As owners, we, collectively, also have the duty to collaborate with the Club to fix any issues and the FSS will look to facilitate this with targeted follow up surveys, focus groups or vox pops on identified issues. It is vital then when the FSS looks to engage on these matters that we have a buy-in from the membership to best ensure that the solutions are fan driven.
While it is important for us to understand fans’ views of the Club, there is also an opportunity for us to consult with you on wider Scottish football issues. Topics such as the fair and sustainable distribution of resources, ensuring that funds are allocated in a way that supports the growth and competitiveness of clubs at all levels; the integration of B teams within the football pyramid and the challenges they present for player development and the overall integrity of the game; or beyond the pitch, aspects such as wider inclusivity, mental health awareness, and football’s role in addressing societal challenges. The FSS, and the Club more generally, can have a role to play in shaping the game and how we want to see it played in Scotland. Indeed the FSS Committee recognises that if required, we as an organisation could, in collaboration with other fan ownership bodies or otherwise, be the perfect vehicle for direct action on Scottish Football issues.
Project 1876 – Join The Movement!
The Falkirk Supporters Society is evolving, and will look to continually evolve as we move forward with fan-ownership. 1100 Bairns have put their trust in the fan-ownership journey, and so far we would like to think that trust has paid off! What we need now, as we look to kick on again, is an even greater backing. Can we make it to 1876 members?The cut off for this years’ AGM is the 21 February. If this is something you want to be a part of, and something you want to grow, then make sure you join the movement – Join Us – Falkirk Supporters’ Society
