Finnish football's precarious finances have been a cause for concern, but next week one fan group will head to Brussels to lobby MEPs on the matter.

Tampere United fans will be represented next week at a reception at the European parliament. The reception, organised by supporter's advocacy group Supporter's Direct, is intended to “celebrate football, and in particular the important role of supporters in the ownership and governance of clubs.”

Supporter's Direct is a British organisation established to encourage the spread of trusts dedicated to encouraging good governance of football clubs by increasing supporter representation. Over 100 trusts have been established in Britain, and SD now has a dedicated project worker to encourage similar organisations in Europe too.

Tampere United fans established their own trust (Finnish acronym TUK) last autumn in response to the club's growing financial difficulties. They quickly established a sizeable membership and raised thousands of euros in order to participate in the club's share issue, as well as forging links with Supporter's Direct, who have fundedTrust director Ville Halmes’ trip to the Brussels reception.

Football friends

Supporter's representatives from Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and Israel will be present, along with representatives from UEFA and members of the Friends of Football group of European Parliament Members (MEPs).

“The European context is quite important,” says Halmes. “Through working with Supporter's Direct we've become aware that there is a growing feeling that some of the models of football financing have not worked properly, particularly in the United Kingdom, and that a less leveraged football economy is needed. In Finland the sums are different, of course, but we think fans can play a role in safeguarding football here, too.”

While many of Supporter's Direct's member groups have faced conflict with their clubs, the Tampere fans have been warmly welcomed by club management. Some Manchester United fans even formed a new team, FC United of Manchester, when their relationship with the club broke down in the wake of Malcolm Glazer’s leveraged buy-out of the club, but co-operation is the order of the day for TUK.

Survival

“We just want to play a part to ensure our club survives,” continues the Tampere-born International Relations student. “TamU have had great success, they've made the club known on a European level, and we believe the Tampere community wants the club to continue to do that. Hopefully we can harness this goodwill and ensure the club can return to European competition again soon.”

As the football season approaches, TUK is planning a variety of initiatives including cinema screenings and benefit nights. The funds raised will help them to increase their shareholding, but more importantly they will bring a little bit of football culture to Tampere, which has traditionally been seen purely as an ice hockey town.

“Football is popular throughout the world, and the culture surrounding the sport is incredibly rich,” explains Halmes. “We want to encourage those with an interest in this culture to participate in TamU, as it is their club too – football is not just something that happens on the telly.”

Egan Richardson - HT