As reported elsewhere in Freedom football fans are becoming more vocal and more militant in their dissent against the corporate take over of the beloved game. The massive explosion in players wages and transfer fees, exorbitant ticket prices, introduction of corporate hospitality sponsorship deals, plus the celebrity lifestyles of the top players and profit-seeking owners who have little or no passion for the game, have all gone to alienate the ordinary fan from the clubs they love, and tested their loyalty to the limit by still treating them as second class citizens on the terraces. Now though there are definable rumbles of discontent amongst the footballing masses who are getting organised.

• One such example of this is the emergence of the football supporters trust. An independent body formed by supporters themselves as a means of having a direct say in the running of their club. Currently there are there are around 130 such trusts operating in the league. Most came into being as a response to a financial crisis at their respective clubs, or as part of a grassroots campaign, but all are not-for-profit organisations giving voice to the disenfranchised fan. They work on the principle of one member one vote, and one share per member, ensuring a greater democracy and accountability with every member eligible to stand for election and to vote for a candidate.

• Not surprisingly the biggest trust, with over 38,000 members, is at Manchester United. Started as a protest group to stop Rupert Murdoch taking control of the club, it remains today entirely volunteer run with the ultimate objective to secure permanent ownership of United for it supporters.

• One of the earliest supporters trusts was at Aston Villa formed in 2001 with the promise, in its mission statement, to support grassroots football initiatives in the local community.

• Going a step further Stockport County Supporters Trust owns a 98% majority stake in their club making it one of the few football teams owned by its fans. Again a key aim of the trust is to “strengthen the bonds between the club and the community which it serves and to represent the interests of the community in the running of the club”.

• Probably the most politically aware, but technically not a supporters trust, the Spirit of Shankly, based at Liverpool FC,  has been voracious in it support of fans ownership of football clubs. Calling itself a supporters union, it has been at the forefront of exposing not only failings of the current Liverpool owners, but the very involvement of big business in football. Proudly quoting Bill Shankly “the socialism I believe in is everybody working for each other, everyone having the share of the rewards. It’s the way I see football” on its website it continues to articulate the anger felt by every ordinary football fan about today’s game.