www.CHAIRBOYS.co.uk - Wycombe Wanderers - News item from Chairboys on the Net

SUPPORTERS TRUST POSSIBILITY
(Thursday 23rd October 2003)

A proposal to set up a Supporters Trust at Wycombe has been given the 'green-light' by the Board of Directors. The news was revealed at the Fans Forum following the AGM on Monday 20th October. Talks have been taking place over the last year between a small group of supporters and representatives from the Football Club Board of Directors. The Trust would pave the way to raise money for the Football Club in return for an elected representative from the Trust serving on the Football Club Board.
Over the past three years the Government funded Supporters-Direct organisation have helped the number of Trusts in the UK rise beyond the 100 barrier. Three Football League clubs; Chesterfield, York City and Lincoln City are actually owned by their respective Supporters Trust and many more have Supporter representation on the Board.
Keith Blagborough, former Secretary of the Official Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Association, and spokesman for the small working party looking into the trust proposal said "Although many Supporters Trusts have been formed out of adversity, for example York City and Chestefield, it was far better to approach the Board of Directors and work with them to set up a Supporters Trust and get their agreement that if a Supporters Trust was in evidence, they would agree to the Supporters Trust contributing money to the Football Club and in return The Trust would be allowed to elect a Supporters' Director to the Board of the Football Club."
Meanwhile, Wanderers Financial Director and acting Chief Executive, Rod Tomlin, added "It is early days, this is not a proposal that is cast in tablets of stone. There are discussions with the Board, we've actually given the green light to a working party which Keith is driving through the particular issues that might lead to that becoming a reality" The latest talks on the proposals are due to be discussed at a Board meeting on 30th October 2003.

To give supporters more of an idea of what a Supporters' Trust is, the following is an extract from The Supporters Direct Handbook available from their website www.supporters-direct.org

"The aim of Supporters Direct is to offer support, advice and information to groups of supporters who wish to play a responsible part in the life of the clubs they support. All models used and recommended will be based on democratic, mutual, and ‘not-for-profit’ principles."

Legitimate objectives of Supporters’ Trusts will include:

Influence - the formation and running of representative bodies for supporters.

Ownership - the acquisition of shares in the football club to pool the voting power of individual supporters to further the aims and objects of the Supporters’ Trust.

Representation - securing the democratic election of supporters’ representatives to the boards of directors of individual football clubs.

By these means we hope to improve the health of the whole football industry.’ The criteria for our support of any group wishing to form a Trust are also unchanging. They are fourfold:

a) The organization must be fully democratic, not only in its Constitution but in the way it conducts its affairs on a day-to-day basis.

b) It must be not-for-profit, and the property of its members. No member should be in a position to benefit financially from membership, other than through paid employment.

c) It must be inclusive, i.e. open and welcoming to all supporters of the club and to all other bona fide supporters’ organisations associated with the club. In effect it should be an umbrella for them all, and representative of all who choose to join.

d) It must be affordable to all fans. Our guidelines are that the minimum annual subscription should not exceed the average price of attending one home game. This should also apply to concessionary categories such as the elderly, the young, those with disabilities and the unwaged. No one should be excluded because they cannot afford to join. Donations over and above the subscription will, of course, always be welcome.

Read more at www.supporters-direct.org

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