In the second of our Fan Direction series, looking at the growing phenomenon of supporter-owned football clubs in Ireland, the spotlight is on Cork City. Borne from the official supporters club, the FORAS trust became the saviours of the southern giant as she flirted with extinction. The Turners Cross outfit are now the driving force in Ireland behind an EC initiative on football governance.
Much has been made of the fact that the two teams contesting this weekend’s Champions League final are fan-owned entities in the Bundesliga. There is a train of thought that clubs where supporters have a pivotal role in how they are run is the way forward for long-term sustainability and you don’t have to look far to see that Irish football is ahead of the game in this regard. Shelbourne are the latest club to embrace fan involvement in an official capacity with the recent launch of the 1895 Trust.