Club Statement: FC United Raises Major Concerns Over Proposed NPL Constitutional Changes

Following a detailed review of the proposals, the Club believes the proposed Articles represent a major constitutional shift in how authority and oversight would operate within the League, concentrating significantly greater authority and control within the League Board while reducing the practical influence and oversight of member clubs.

FC United’s review concludes that the proposals move the League toward a more centralised, board-led structure without sufficiently strong checks and balances around transparency, accountability and member oversight.

The Club is not opposed to reform in principle. However, it believes constitutional change of this scale should only proceed following proper transparency, scrutiny and informed approval by member clubs.

FC United has also raised serious concerns regarding the process followed to date.

Despite repeated requests from FC United, the Northern Premier League has rejected requests for:

• a clear summary of the proposed changes;
• a comparison against the current Articles;
• and the independent governance review repeatedly cited by the League as justification for the proposals.

As a result, member clubs are now being asked to approve significant constitutional change without access to the independent review repeatedly cited by the League as justification for those changes, and without a clear explanation of how the proposed framework would operate in practice.

FC United believes it is neither reasonable nor consistent with principles of good governance for clubs to be asked to approve constitutional reform of this significance without first being provided with the transparency, explanation and assurance necessary to make a properly informed decision.

The Club also believes the League’s structures should operate transparently, accountably and in the interests of member clubs, and that constitutional reform of this scale should therefore be subject to appropriate scrutiny and informed approval.

In the interests of transparency and informed discussion across the League, FC United is publishing:

• its covering correspondence to the Northern Premier League (NPL Articles of Association Governance Review Cover Email.pdf)
• and its detailed review of the proposed Articles of Association (NPL Articles of Association Governance Review.pdf)