Manchester United: Joel Glazer announces fan share scheme after supporter meeting

Manchester United have set out their vision for the future in a fans' forum meeting which will include the creation of a Fan Advisory Board and a Fan Share Scheme.

Joel Glazer, executive co-chairman, met with the club's Fans' Forum to begin discussions following months of supporter frustration with the direction in which the club was going.

It comes after Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST) wrote an open letter to Glazer earlier this week, urging the club's owners to engage in fan consultation.

The letter followed protests at Old Trafford last month over European Super League proposals which United's American owners were at the forefront of and resulted in United's Premier League match with Liverpool being postponed.

Making his first fan forum appearance in his 15 years of owning the club, Glazer outlined his intentions to not only invest in the squad, scouting network, stadium and training ground but also vowed to strengthen fan representation within the club and decision-making.

To this extent, a Fan Advisory Board to consult with the club's senior leadership and owners would be created with this consisting of representatives from the Forum and key fan groups.

The club will also initiate a direct dialogue with MUST with the aim of identifying a mutually beneficial Fan Share Scheme involving a new class of shares which will each carry the same voting rights as the shares owned by the Glazer family.

This would establish a foundation for supporters to build a meaningful ownership stake and create a new spirit of partnership with the club.

On the proposals, Glazer said: "We will continue to invest in our academy and in the transfer market to support the manager in an effort to meet the club's goals.

"As a club we have devoted a lot of time and resources over the last several years updating and further developing our vast global scouting network to adapt to the modern football environment. This is a project that should provide a foundation for long-term success in the years to come.

"In addition, as you all know, we have also been focused on growing and developing our women's team in line with the traditions and values of the club, and we are committed to continuing that process.

"Old Trafford is at the heart of Manchester United and while we have spent over £100m over the last 10 years on infrastructure projects, we will now accelerate the process of planning much more significant investment and upgrades to the stadium…rest assured, we will consult with supporters throughout the process to end up with a result we can all be proud of."

More to follow....