Everton FC shareholders’ meeting offered a glimpse of a more united future – Liverpool Echo

28 Jun 2013 07:52

Everton Football Club’s EGM at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. Photo: Anthony McCardle

Power to the people of the People’s Club. The Everton Shareholders Association forced a first General Meeting of the club for five years this week – and during a constructive evening persuaded chairman Bill Kenwright that they should be restored permanently.

If future annual meetings follow the same form as Wednesday’s extraordinary one, fans and football club alike can benefit.

Robert Elstone did an impressive job of trying to cram five years worth of financial figures into 55 minutes worth of bold presentation – as well as comprehensively explaining the ‘other operating costs’ which some fan groups had believed was a financial conspiracy.

In fact the detailed presentation was way in excess of what shareholders from other major companies – or football clubs – might receive.

After admitting his initial reticence to sit in front of any fans’ groups again, Bill Kenwright did just that and appeared relaxed and confident.

And the fans asked questions in a purposeful but non-confrontational fashion.

As a result Evertonians were given a greater insight into the running of their football club, club officials came across as decent hard-working individuals with the same passion for the club as their supporters – and an understandable fans’ gripe was finally addressed.

In fact, a respectful atmosphere throughout nearly two hours at the Philharmonic Hall seemed to question why the meetings had been abandoned in the first place.

Sure they had become increasingly opinionated. Yes, they often seemed populated by more proxies than actual shareholders, but the highly fractious meetings of the Peter Johnson era were never seriously in danger of being repeated.

That was an age when protestors with placards picketed the entrance to one AGM, chairman Johnson wrote off the careers of a legendary Everton manager and a Scottish international striker in a single sentence at another – then guillotined another potentially fiery meeting, so he could take his girlfriend for a meal.

But he was always present – and accountable.

Despite fans forums, supporters club meetings and one fateful meeting in the chairman’s office in London, some fans still felt disenfranchised.

And shareholders in particular felt their voices were being stifled.

But fan engagement CAN be useful.

Bill Kenwright asked for ‘the kind of guidance that true football fans can give to a chairman’ in his search to replace David Moyes.

Everton will ask their supporters for help again in choosing a new club crest acceptable to the majority of their fan base.

While almost 20 years ago a fans group advised the Blues on the benefits of re-developing Goodison when the club seemed set on a move to the Kings Dock (the Goodison For-Everton campaigners even paid for a feasibility study).

Of course you can never please all of the people all of the time, and there will always – quite rightly – be dissenting voices, as there were on Wednesday.

“Why haven’t the board invested money in the club?” demanded one.

“Because we don’t have any,” was a summary of the answer.

But regardless of respective wealths, both sides want the same thing.

And working together will surely increase the possibility of a successful Everton Football Club.

* Re-read our updates from Everton FC EGM from the Philharmonic Hall