AS many readers will know, I have been a lifelong Cardiff City fan.

There are always ups and down in football, but the past few years following the Bluebirds have seen more ups and downs than most, with promotion, relegation, managerial changes and the ongoing fall-out from the owner’s decision to change the playing strip from blue to red.

That last point is something that the vast majority of Cardiff fans – and I know there are many here in Penarth – still find unacceptable.

It was a decision that caused fans at clubs across the country to stop and think about where the true ownership of a club lies – is it with the investors who put in the millions, or with the loyal supporters who have spent decades following their teams and whose own identities are tied so inextricably with those of their clubs?

With an increasing number of foreign investors in the game who may understand big business but not necessarily the traditional nature and place of clubs in their communities; and of course the rising cost of following our teams (only last week, the BBC’s Price of football survey showed that average prices have risen at almost twice the rate of the cost of living since 2011), fans have never felt more marginalised.

We have reached a tipping point in the way football is run, and as a member of both the Cardiff City Supporters’ Club and the Supporters’ Trust, I’m therefore delighted that Labour has announced plans to put fans at the heart of football’s future.

After consultation with 95 football supporters’ organisations across the country, we have unveiled plans to give fans a voice in every boardroom and the ability to buy a significant slice of the shares when the ownership of their club changes.

This would be the biggest legislative shake-up in the governance of English and Welsh football clubs since the advent of the game.

Supporters at clubs across the country have said this is the only way to ensure those running clubs share information, power and responsibility with them – indeed the Trust in Cardiff has welcomed our announcement.

Labour's proposals mean fans could hold the owners of their club to account on all issues on and off the field, including ticket prices, shirt sponsorship, ground naming rights, and changing the colour of the strip or the name.

We will now consult further on proposals to enshrine on the statute books the idea that football clubs have a special place in people’s hearts – and should be the heart of our communities.