Scottish fans might be forgiven for casting an envious glance down south this week after a major change in how the English game is run.
Heralded as the biggest change in the game since the 1992 Premier League transformation, the UK Government are setting up a new organisation known as the Independent Regulator for English Football (IREF).
This new organisation will screen new potential owners and keep existing ones in check.
Bureaucracy moves slower than the frenetic pace of a British footballing season however and so there's no fixed timeframe for IREF to be set up, with PM Boris Johnson insisting "we're moving as fast as we possibly can".
But it's a big step in the right direction for the Premier League and in particular reining in the owners of the so-called 'big six' that threatened a mutiny in last year's Super League fiasco.
It was in the aftermath of that attempted breakaway that the UK Government moved to conduct a fan-led view, spearheaded by MP Tracey Crouch.
Published in November, it was a 162-page skewering of the way clubs in England are run, insisting fans do not get enough of a say in the operations of the clubs they pay hundreds if not thousands of pounds per season to follow and support.
On Monday the Government then announced they would be launching IREF which will adopt the recommendations set out in the report.
They include the introduction of 'shadow boards' at every club licensed under IREF.
And supporters of some clubs north of the border may be wishing they could install one at their side from the Sydney Celtic and Rangers friendly right down to decisions like Raith Rovers opting to sign David Goodwillie and the many stadium developments that are in the works across the SPFL.
Sometimes fans feel like the adults looking on as the kids draw all over the boardroom walls. But the shadow board proposals offer a way in – and here's why Scottish fans might want to see similar progress up here.
Just what is a shadow board?
Okay, let's get this out the way first – it is NOT a forum that gives carte blanche to that loudmouth a few seats regarding the manager's team selection.
Nor is it a place to pitch that pipe dream of a summer transfer.
Here's what it is designed for, according to the fan-led report:
The club’s strategic vision and objectives
Short, medium and long-term business plans
Operational matchday issues of concern to supporters
Any proposals relating to club heritage items
Marketing, merchandising and sponsorship plans and performance. This would not involve consultation or approval on specific contracts or proposals but, for example, the club Commercial Director should meet the Shadow Board at least once per season to explain the club’s commercial strategy and how the club is performing in relation to such strategy. Similarly, the club Marketing Director would be expected to present once per season on the club’s marketing strategy and performance
Stadium issues and plans
The club’s plan for broader supporter engagement
These guidelines are the minimum that a club's ownership structure should engage with their fan-led shadow board on, without limitation.
The report also states: "Shadow board meetings should also receive suitably redacted club board papers (including any parent company boards that make relevant decisions on club operations) in advance of any meetings. This would accord with common practice for shadow boards in other industries."
Sydney shambles
That infamous tournament Down Under – a prime example of when a voice of the fans would have been well heeded.
Games in March were punctuated by protest and fury from the stands after Celtic and Rangers were revealed to be part of a four-team winter friendly series known as the Sydney Super Cup.
It would have included the first Old Firm held abroad but instantly both sets of supporters took issue.
The fact Celtic reportedly jumped the gun with their announcement and branded it as manager Ange Postecoglou's homecoming infuriated those on the other side of the city.
The Green Brigade also took issue, suggesting previous "we're not half of anything" messaging had now been rendered hollow.
After countless banners and the indelible toilet roll and tennis ball protest at Dens Park, Gers eventually pulled out at the end of the month.
Would a shadow board have had the power to stop Sydney? Not quite, as the guidelines insist 'this would not involve consultation or approval on specific contracts or proposals.'
But they would likely have heard about the plans long before they were signed off and suddenly sprung on supporters, either through a presentation from the marketing department or supplied board papers.
Bernard Higgins
Incredibly, the Dens disruption wasn't the first protest of its kind at that very venue in the top flight this season.
For back in the autumn Celtic fans were left furious at whisperings that former Police Scotland commander Bernard Higgins could be joining the club in a security role.
They hurled tennis balls and unfurled a banner to tell the board "the ball is in your court".
Sit-ins and silent protests also made their opposition clear before Higgins himself confirmed in mid-December he didn't intend to join the club.
The rancour stemmed from Higgins' role in devising the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, which was eventually repealed in 2018 after six years.
It's no stretch to assume this issue would come under 'operational matchday issues of concern to supporters'.
In February, The Celtic Trust organisation even presented its own argument to set up a shadow board at the club.
Grounds for complaint
Currently a number of clubs in the Premiership and further down the leagues are looking to move home.
Aberdeen have long eyed a move from Pittodrie with planning permission submitted for the Kingsford site in 2017 but the focus has now turned to the beach location.
Dundee are also keen on building a new ground at Camperdown, insisting last month progress is ongoing.
Clyde have moved out of Broadwood in Cumbernauld and will now groundshare with Hamilton while they devise a blueprint for returning to Glasgow.
Queen's Park are also pending a move into Lesser Hampden that has been blighted by delays.
Views on such projects are diverse and a shadow board would allow fans greater input under 'stadium issues and plans'.
That could also give fans a more direct line to improve facilities. Rangers fans, for example, have long demanded that facilities for disabled supporters should be improved.
Introducing safe standing is also an important consideration for many fans and this could be their chance to lobby more effectively for its introduction across stadia in Scotland.
Unpopular plans such as Chris Robinson's attempts to get Hearts to play at Murrayfield in the 2000s could have shot down using a 'golden share'.
