After the live Q&A session Seattle Sounders FC committed to answering the rest of the questions that were submitted by Alliance members. Many of these passed through my hands at some point, though not all. Several had to be condensed together as they covered similar issues. But in the final versions of the questions as submitted to the club through the Council or through twitter submissions they answered.

As the (Acting) President of the Alliance Council, I've heard plenty of skepticism about the Alliance, whether it truly represents "Democracy in Sports" or not, and whether or not it is - or can be - a true voice for fans and a way for them to take some control in the operation of the Sounders.
I share some skepticism.

Legal documents aren't really a fun look. There's something dry about them that takes away from what they can mean. Words like "whereas" or parentheticals for future reference immediately cause a glassification of eyeballs and headaches in many.

In the case of the vote for ratification of the Alliance Constitution and Sounders FC Alliance Charter maybe some perspective of what the Alliance Council was asking for in the Charter and how I view what it can mean for you as a fan of the team may give you a reason to vote yes to ratify the full documents.

Hillsborough decision 'a victory for democracy'

The decision to release all government documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster has been called a "victory for democracy and people power".

View the full story here: BBC

A news article on 2011-10-18 10:12:50 from: BBC

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

The Alliance Council met prior to the match against the Columbus Crew. An update is now posted over at the SoundersFC.com Alliance Council Blog (which will be getting frontpage attention soon). The main issues resolved around voting changes, work on the Constitution/ByLaws/Charter (which will be public for voting in Sept) and the End of Year Meeting.

Something that the Seattle Sounders do has been percolating in the background. It is a thing for which I have been quite involved. Democracy in Sports is part of the core of this organization, but has been a very nebulous term. The Alliance Council is looking to change that. Last Saturday we met with many representatives from ownership, briefly discussed the proposed Constitution, ratified both unanimously and now await the club to vet it legally as well as provide some clear direction as to what exactly we can do.

This blog is at heart about my love affair with soccer, an affair that is unwavering after five or six years. From very early on I became aware of the corruption that has been in our game and that is in our game at a high level. I was more properly informed about it after reading Andrew Jennings' book, Foul!

Take a close look at the above photograph to see evidence of the "democracy" of FIFA. It's the ballot paper for the FIFA presidential election. Not surprisingly Joseph Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA President. I haven't written anything about...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.

Here's a follow-up to an earlier post where I looked at the connection between a league's quality and its level of player imports. There is a positive correlation: the better leagues import a higher percentage of footballers. But there also are some notable outliers, especially Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus.

Here's a follow-up to an earlier post where I looked at the connection between a league's quality and its level of player imports. There is a positive correlation: the better leagues import a higher percentage of footballers. But there also are some notable outliers, especially Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus.

It has been another week of spin, mixed messages and division at Wrexham FC, but by the time of the kick-off in their match against Forest Green Rovers this afternoon their supporters may have a better idea of who the new owners of and investors their club are. It is important to differentiate between "having a better idea of" and actually knowing, because we know no more about who the investors behind the Booth bid are than we did at the very beginning.

Been watching the events in the Arab Spring with admiration and trepidation. The people there are massively brave for standing up and being counted. So horrible that they might well be killed just for asking for self determination.
Saw an article about this book being used as a blueprint for these peaceful revolutions : Download from Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp
Thoughts and prayers are with them.

Likely inspired by events in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Algeria, Libya, Iran.... Grant Wahl, US soccer journalist, wants to shake up FIFA. He doesn't want you to take to the streets. He just wants a little bit of support.

And to run against Sepp Blatter for the Presidency of FIFA.

Snooping Around Barcelona Blogs By Sammy The Snake Snooping Around has gone international! We've been setting up the international desk at Snooping Around headquarters, and I'm pleased to say we are now live across the universe. In the few minutes that we have operated internationally, we have managed to bring chaos/democracy (still wondering which one) [.