Articles 
In Italy last week Serie A’s first Football Supporters Trust, Azionariato Popolare AS Roma, ‘My Roma’ was formed. My Roma has symbolically started with 83 members; each member representing a year in AS Roma’s history, but this number is expected to grow considerably.
As with the NUST, the catalyst to the formation has been due to problems off the pitch. Roma have just completed their season by finishing runners-up in Serie A, just two points behind Champions League winners Inter Milan, but off the pitch, financial worries dominate the minds of the fans. Roma are servicing a debt run up by the Sensi family who own the Club that runs into hundreds of millions of euros, it is believed that Roma are servicing a reported €400million debt that is not football related: a debt of oil storage company Italpetroli also owned by the Sensi family. Italpetrol indirectly control Roma, but are also 49% owned by the Italian bank Unicredit, who just happen to be owed €300million of the Italpetroli debt. It is meetings between the Sensi family and Unicredit, and suggestions that the future of the club was in doubt that brought about the first meetings to initiate the setting up of a Supporters Trust.
My Roma’s aims are ambitious, but no more unrealistic than those of Trusts in the UK. They are initially looking to invest, in exchange for a minority say in the club, but the long term aim is ownership of the club. However just like the NUST, fan ownership is not the be all and end all for My Roma, as they are looking to highlight high profile issues that fans care about such as ticketing and communications, plus also raise awareness of issues that are still low profile in Italian football, such as rights for disabled fans and ways in which the club can work with local children.
My Roma intends to become a focal point for Roma fans, including those found outside the city, who are keen to be involved in helping to build the concept of Supporters' Trusts in Italy. The Trust aims to be a central element in the club’s future development as it strives to maintain a place in the European football elite, building on the support of its fans.
For further information go to their website here, which is also in English.
