Issue 37 April 2021 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • Peter Pike looks back at the last year • Treasurer’s RETURN OF football cryptocurrency warning • Bill published THE FANS to counter online abuse In our winter newsletter, we had a piece entitled The Prime Minister’s roadmap towards a post- ‘Football without fans is… different’, and so it Covid future includes a return to supporters in • The season has remained. Matches have rolled into one and stadiums. From 17 May, up to 10,000 supporters so far: one victories have not tasted quite so sweet, with the will be allowed and originally, this would have member’s view soulless grounds remaining empty for over a year found Burnley at a loss. Our final home game now, for us at least. Burnley and Newcastle are of the season was 15 May, against Liverpool, • Tributes to the only teams to have had completely empty followed by a final game away at Sheffield United. outgoing stadiums over the last year. Arguably, these two Luckily, the Premier League’s chief executive Burnley CEO teams are having disappointing seasons and it confirmed plans to have fans in grounds for the is no surprise that both usually enjoy vociferous final two matches of the season, in order to allow • Len Johnrose home crowds that will their players onto victory. all clubs to host their fair share of supporters. joins our Both clubs will eagerly anticipate the return So the penultimate round of games will be honorary of fans in May, with the government’s latest moved to 18–20 May. The Liverpool game will members announcements providing long-awaited hope for be our one and only chance at hosting fans this clubs and fans who have missed out on so much season. It will be a cathartic experience for those • Report on over the past year. Although we have enjoyed lucky enough to be in attendance and let’s hope FSA’s VAR our fair share of brilliant moments this season, that the roadmap goes ahead as planned. Many meeting notably away victories at the Emirates and Anfield, of us have fallen slightly out of love with football just imagine how much sweeter they would have this year, but the return of fans to stadiums will tasted were away fans in attendance. give us back the sport we love. Bring it on! ’ STOP PRESS *** STOP PRESS *** STOP PRESS *** STOP PRESS Clarets Trust slams ESL plans The Clarets Trust issued a press statement is opposed by the Football Supporters condemning the ESL plans: Association and the Government and almost ‘The Clarets Trust is very strongly opposed every organisation representing football in to the proposal to make a Euro Super League. this country.’ The so-called big six who appear to be signed We welcome the subsequent announcements up to this proposal are acting purely for their by each of the clubs that they have reconsidered. own greed and not in the interests of their Burnley FC Chairman Alan Pace called for supporters or indeed of football as a whole in the government to appoint an independent this country. regulator to protect English football with ‘This proposal must not be allowed to go legislation. We will work with the FSA, the Club ahead and the quick it is dumped into the and others to ensure nothing like this can dustbin of history the better.This proposal happen again’. Issue 37 April 2021 Chairman’s statement Big changes in the strangest of times What a year! On 7 March 2020, Burnley On 30 December it was announced drew 1–1 with Spurs. Little did we know the Directors had sold their bulk of the then that the next twelve months were shares to a new team led by Alan Pace. going to be quite historic for the Clarets The new owners hold about 85% of the in many ways. David Baldwin had just Club with 1700 shareholders holding the left Turf Moor to take over as Chief remaining minority stake. The new Board Executive for the English Football League. have borrowed against the security of His successor Neil Hart had been in a the Clubs’ assets. Two of the old directors similar post at the very successful Burnley have remained on the Board. Strangely, Community Project, BFCiTC, for several the former Directors – particularly Mike years. Now Neil has just left Turf Moor to Garlick – now have the money to invest in move in a new direction. the Club which they did not have before! Within days of that draw, the The Trust have met Alan Pace several football season ground to a halt as the times. He is keen to work with fans and government took steps to try to control We want fans back, but people locally. He stresses the long-term the spread of Covid-19. Unfortunately, we also want to be in commitment to the Club. He intends the death toll started to go up. Lockdown control of this virus to improve the facilities at Turf Moor and all the other restrictions were to be and give the fans an improved match- tried, and chopped and changed as the day experience. The Board are keen on year progressed. Without all these actions restrictions be? Even for next season there bringing the women’s team into the Club the outcome would have been so much are still so many issues to be resolved. and recognise this will need improved worse but we are still all wondering when So that memory of the Spurs game slips training facilities: not easy, maybe, at the we will return to normal, whatever that further away. We obviously want fans Gawthorpe site on National Trust land. might be. Vaccinations are now taking back in the grounds but we also want to This is all a massive change for place rapidly but Covid-19 has not gone be in control of this appalling virus. Burnley who have a long history of local and will not go completely. The Clarets did not replace the three ownership, and of close links to the town. In May the season restarted; the players that had left the Club in the It is obviously the biggest ever change Clarets had a good run and ended up in summer window and there was no in the history of the Club. What would 10th place. All games had to be played action in the January window. Some Bob Lord think? While they did not splash behind closed doors: a few were held with fans wanted a change in ownership money in the January window, very few strictly reduced crowds but a second wave and late in the year rumours started other clubs did either. The new owners, of the virus soon brought this to a halt. that two different overseas buyers were with Alan Pace acting in an Executive role The new season started and 11,000 interested in buying the Club. Burnley until a new Chief Executive is appointed, Burnley fans bought season tickets, but had done a great job in getting into the are saying all the right things. Hopefully still no crowds were allowed. Neil Hart Premier League and the Board had been the Trust will be able to work well with the must have spent so much of his time running the Club well using the money new Board. We all want the Club to be a dealing with Covid-19 issues which cost generated by promotion to invest in it. success and we wish the new owners well. the club tens of millions according to Neil Work had been done to improve Turf Let us remember the good things of the – lost money at the gates, reduced sales Moor and substantial investment made past and also the present as we all work of kit, reduced sponsorship, etc. in the training ground. Debt had been to secure a great future for the Clarets. We might get a game or two at the eliminated and the ground had been Come on Burnley – up the Clarets! end of the season at which some fans are bought back. The rumours persisted and Peter Pike allowed, but how many and what will the ALK became the favourites. Chair, Clarets Trust Chairman Secretary Board Members Trust Corporate Trust Peter Pike Liam Hallinan Jane Pike Members: Officers Vice Chair Membership Officer Andy Tatchell JD Wetherspoon Terry Hephrun Martin Barnes Maggie Lishman Lancashire Telegraph Treasurer UHY Hacker Young Nigel Cotterill Moorhouse’s Brewery Issue 37 April 2021 Socios: our Online harms Treasurer bill published Online abuse has been around for cautions a long time, but recent events have brought this into the public domain: Hear the word cryptocurrency and you Arsenal’s Willian Borges da Silva and instantly think of Bitcoin, but there are Eddie Nketiah, Manchester United’s other cryptocurrencies on the market and Marcus Rashford MBE, Anthony Martial one that has been built around sports and Lauren James, and Chelsea’s fans is causing a lot of concern across Reece James have all been subjected to Europe. online racial abuse. Referee Mike Dean Socios.com is advertised as a fan received death threats and Burnley’s engagement mobile app which has been Erik Pieters received online hatred built on the Chiliz Blockchain. aimed at his pregnant wife. Some fans will remember last year when Socios pulled out of a partnership Referee Mike Dean with West Ham United after a fan received death threats backlash, Socios has finally released a statement and that they ‘wanted to deal The Football Supporters Association with bigger clubs’. (FSA), of which the Trust are members, To avoid all the cryptocurrency Fan tokens: Nigel has serious concerns have recently created a working group terminology that will confuse a lot to coordinate and engage with social of fans, Socios has relabelled each randomly placed on a map near your media companies and the government.