Prince William backs fans of grassroots football amid struggle to save 'heart and soul' of clubs
The Duke of Cambridge has shown his support for grassroots football fans hoping to save the "heart and soul" of their clubs.
The Duke, who visited Dulwich Hamlet football club, joined Peter Crouch and lifelong football supporters to discuss how the game should be run.
MP Tracey Crouch, who is leading a fan-led independent review into the sport, told the Duke she had found some clubs to have an excellent relationship with supporters while others treated fans with "disdain" and "disrespect".
The Duke, who is president of the English Football Association, replied by asking if that was why it was difficult to run a football club like business.
"Because you then miss the point, that heart and soul and fabric of what a club is, if you're working to the bottom line that the finances drive everything?" he said.
The Duke spent more than an hour at Dulwich Hamlet, famous for its loyal fans and community feel.
Received by chairman Ben Clasper, the Duke hailed the club's new director, Peter Crouch, with a fist bump and joked: "The last time I saw you we were having a curry, now you've got a proper job!" The pair previously worked together on a podcast about mental health and football, during which they ordered the takeaway.
The Duke was introduced to star women's player Madi Parsonson, 19, and asked her how she had found being unable to train over lockdown, and how she had come to love football as a young girl.
He went on to ask Ms Crouch about the progress of the official review, which has already delivered interim results.
Sitting down with Dulwich Hamlet's coaches and managers, the Duke asked what it was that made the club's relationship with fans so good and whether it was a model that could be replicated elsewhere.
He was told the club's consistently low prices and solid turnout for Saturday matches were part of the reason, to which he joked Crouch might also be able to help with some light entertainment: "Crouchy will do a half-time dance!"
The Duke went on to meet a small group of dedicated supporters from clubs around the country, including Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic and Blyth Spartans.
"Where do you feel we are on a scale of fans being listened to by clubs?" he asked.
The Duke hopes the review will boost the voices of the fans he considers central to the future of football.
In July, an interim set of findings and recommendations were released, with Ms Crouch writing to culture secretary Oliver Dowden to recommend the introduction of a new "Independent Regulator for English Football", with powers to block any future European Super League.
The review, which was announced in April, is intended as a comprehensive examination of the English football system and how to improve it.
It takes in issues of governance, ownership and financial sustainability of clubs across all levels of football, as well as the controversial abandoned European Super League.
It outlined proposals to grant supporters a "golden share", giving them a veto over the sale of a team’s stadium and changes to a side’s name, badge and kit colours.
“It is absolutely evident from our sessions that the football authorities have lost the trust and confidence of fans as have, in a number of cases, clubs themselves,” wrote Ms Crouch. “Therefore it is now time for external assistance”.
Kensington Palace said the royal visit to Dulwich Hamlet FC will “provide an opportunity for those involved in the football pyramid, both on and off the pitch, to put forward their opinions on the interim findings, as well as discuss the importance of grassroots and lower league clubs to English football and how these can best be supported”.
The final report is due to be released this autumn.
