THE SUPPORTERS' CLUB'S BELIEFS AND AIMS.
YOURS TOO?

Reading Football Supporters' Club has been around longer than almost every fan but there are still a lot of fans who don't know what we do or what we're for. We have about 1,200 members now, a lot more than many Supporters Clubs at comparable clubs (and a lot less than others with their own social facilities). We're in a growing and healthy state and so too is our football club.

But we face challenges. The first is a general one. It is to keep the smaller, non-TV dominated League clubs going as thriving concerns. Gates at Reading are at their highest level for 40 years this season, so that shows the right mix of performance, facilities, marketing and mood can work well. The second challenge is that the ground is still only half-full. Too many wretches walk the streets of our turf unembarrassed by their Premiership tops and lack of civic pride. 10 years ago there were only 4,000 Reading fans, today it's 10,000 (maybe coming up 12,000) but, to make us into the force we want to be permanently, we need to be a football town, a football community of 15,000 or more. And we want to be participating fans and emotional 'stakeholders' not simply 'leisure customers'. People who feel they can have some kind of say in how it is.

The Supporters' Club used to be about giving money to keep the thing going. 20 years ago we used to raise 20% of the turnover of Reading FC. Those days are gone. Now we're part of the team that's about winning hearts, getting people to come and support their local team and doing what we can to ensure they enjoy it and come again.

At Reading FC there's a small number of people who can seriously influence what goes on. Within the Supporters' Club, and within the wider supporter base, there are thousands of dedicated and talented people who can make a positive difference. The Supporters' Club wants to unlock that potential and bring it into play. We tend to recruit our Committee (which runs RFSC on a day-to-day basis) from those fans who are doing things already or connected to other, smaller, groups or interests. The will is there.

The relationship between football clubs and fans is changing as a result of the Football Task Force. There are Customer Charters (we don't know whether they have teeth yet) and there are Supporters' Trusts (more formal and responsible organisations than Supporters' Clubs and something we are moving towards). Clubs that take little notice of their fans will become the exception not the rule. The opportunity is there.

Through RFSC, our football club and its fans now interact at three levels; the informal links between RFSC Officers (we'd better change that title some time!) and club officials that has always gone on; through an Ops Committee involving the operational staff at the club and RFSC Committee members and thirdly through the occasional Fans Forums that we started in 1998. We also aim to become shareholders in the football club. The machinery is there.

The list of aims and beliefs set out below has been drawn and approved in principle by the Supporters' Club Committee, which consists of 15 people. It has been publicised in our newsletter 'Reading Matter' which goes out free to our members. Before we adopt this document, parts of this, some additional bits to this, whatever, we seek a mandate not only from our membership but also from other Reading supporters who may never have joined us for whatever reason be it apathy, ignorance, principle or distaste.

Tell us what you think about these aims and beliefs. Detailed or general comments welcome on rfsc@furtherthought.demon.co.uk

RFSC BELIEFS - ABOUT THE CLUB

a) It is and will be called Reading FC and plays in Reading
b) We play in blue and white hoops
c) We play August to May - not summer
d) We play ideally at 3pm on Saturdays. If not, Sundays better than Fridays
e) RFC fixtures take precedence over all other events at MS. Explanations required for any exceptions

RFSC BELIEFS -ABOUT FANS

f) RFSC believes its role is to act as a bridge between fans and the club. It does not believe fan/club relationship is just 'them and us' - we're better off when we're united
g) RFSC retains the right to criticise decisions of the club in public when thought necessary and/or against the interests of ordinary fans
h) RFSC believes fans are 'emotional stakeholders in RFC'. We sometimes have a different and valuable perspective from club employees and one which must be respected

RFSC BELIEFS - GENERAL

i) RFSC recognises different groups of supporters will have different approaches
j) RFSC seeks to continue a supportive, working relationship with all fan groups and will, where appropriate and requested, represent those views to the club
k) RFSC supports the progressive campaigns on anti-racism, disabled access, concessionary pricing etc

RFSC BELIEFS - THE GAME

l) RFSC believes in a common, sporting bond with other clubs' true supporters
m) RFSC believes that the number of League clubs should be kept at a maximum for the sake of the strength of the national game
n) RFSC believes that consideration of the match-goer should take priority over the TV viewer

RFSC AIMS - FOR RFC

1. To help the football club (this is our long-standing constitutional aim)
2. To create goodwill for the club amongst actual and potential supporters by promoting support, better atmosphere and facilities for ordinary fans
3. To invest sums from our financial surplus for the benefit of specified football club needs on request
4. To preserve and cherish the history of Reading FC, by acting as keepers of historic artefacts and ultimately by creating and looking after a museum at the Stadium

RFSC AIMS - AS A BODY

5. To represent the views of the fans to the club and the media
6. To be a large, democratic and representative body
7. To be an accessible organisation, offering all opportunities either to participate or to just belong
8. To pump-prime or give to activities that will benefit RFC fans in general

RFSC AIMS - FOR FANS

9. To create opportunities, like Fans Forums, for ordinary fans to discuss issues with management
10. To provide good value away travel to all first team matches
11. To offer ticket and merchandise benefits
12. To liaise with RFC in strengthening and monitoring the fans' Customer Charter
13. To re-create a match day social facility for members

RFSC AIMS - FOR RFSC

14. To support the efforts of the RFC Community Office where possible
15. To be active shareholders in RFC
16. To act in a formal, regular, consultative role with RFC on fan issues
17. Ultimately, to be indispensable partners in the good running of the club, such that it is invited to be represented on the Board of RFC

RFSC Committee Proposals to the Membership
March 2001