DMU outlines plan to build new partnership with Beaumont Town FC

Following recent discussions involving Leicester City Council, De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) and parents and supporters of Beaumont Town Football Club (BTFC), DMU has issued the following proposal to bring about a resolution to the situation at Beaumont Park.

The steps in the plan are:

1. Given the fundamental breakdown in the relationship between the General Secretary of BTFC Nick Langton and DMU and its impact on safety and security on all users of the site, Mr Langton steps aside to allow the site to reopen.
   
   
2. A new committee of BTFC is formed immediately by BTFC to engage directly with the university.
   
   
3. Given the evidence of homophobia expressed on BTFC’s social media channels recently - passed in a dossier to the Football Association (FA) - BTFC denounces homophobia in line with the FA’s own action plan for LGBT inclusion, its Respect Programme and its support for Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign.
   
   
4. The site reopens to both BTFC and DMU students and staff.
   
   
5. De Montfort University commits to offering the club the following support:

5.1. Organisation

DMU Square Mile will support parents in forming a constituted committee that has a mission to work for the good of the club and community. A DMU staff member will be offered in an advisory capacity to support the new committee through the process of setting up an administration that meets Football Association guidelines, gives parents a greater say in how the club is run and guarantees financial transparency.

DMU will support committee members to enhance their skills with appropriate training to fulfil their roles, funded by the university, as well as offer the professional HR and accounting resources available within DMU as support. A DMU Square Mile staff member will also be offered as a committee member in an advisory capacity and, if deemed appropriate by the club, to be a voice for Beaumont Town within the university.

5.2. Studs FC model

DMU Square Mile has been a long-standing partner of Studs FC in Leicester. The club has a unique relationship with the university, accessing support, expertise and the resources of DMU. Players and coaches have a direct line of communication to DMU Square Mile staff who support the needs of the club where they can. In return, the club supports DMU with its aims of ensuring young people from all backgrounds are offered the chance to engage with Higher Education. As a result, a number of young people from the club are now studying at university. We would like to extend this unique relationship to BTFC.

5.3. Sponsorship

Teams within the Beaumont Town network that struggle to buy kits for their players can seek help with sponsorship via #DMUlocal and its partners.

5.4. Community days

DMU Square Mile will, along with its existing local partners in Beaumont Leys, organise a community day. This will bring people together to promote the commitment of the new committee and the university to work together for the benefit of the whole community and maximise the potential of having outstanding £2.3m facilities that everyone can share.

5.5. Coaching

DMU recognises the importance of the volunteers who run the football teams at BTFC. DMU Square Mile will organise training for all volunteer coaches to meet their FA coaching badge requirements, whatever level they are at. This training will be fully funded by DMU Square Mile.

5.6. DMU Square Mile

With a new committee, BTFC players, parents and supporters will have access to all the opportunities offered by DMU Square Mile. This includes the chance to learn new skills, work with staff to create new projects for the community, improve health and well-being and have direct access to the many world-leading research activities at DMU.

6. Following recent events and in particular the documented evidence of Mr Langton’s involvement in the demonstration at Beaumont Park on 14 November, DMU has lost confidence in Mr Langton’s ability to run BTFC in a transparent and accountable way and seeks reassurance from the newly-constituted committee of BTFC that its accounts have been operated in accordance with relevant financial and accounting regulations. 

6.1. DMU finance team supports the newly-constituted committee of BTFC in the preparation of its accounts. BTFC submits new accounts to the FA and the City Council.