|
What is a supporters trust? -
The basic definition of a Trust is a democratic, not-for-profit organisation of supporters, committed to strengthening the voice for supporters in the decision making process at a club, and strengthening the links between the club and the community it serves.
Top
Who are ‘Supporters Direct’? -
Supporters Direct is a government initiative, funded by public money, with offices in London and Glasgow. Their aim is to help people "who wish to play a responsible part in the life of the football club they support" and they offer support, advice and information to groups of football supporters.
Supporters Direct also help fans form Trusts by offering advice on what form it should take and how to get it off the ground. They ensure that as many people get involved as possible. Having worked with fans setting up over 100 trusts since 2001, they advise fans on what works and what doesn't and give examples of good ideas from other places. As the fans who get involved are volunteers, it's important that they don't get disheartened or feel they wasted time on something that hasn't delivered, Supporters Direct help them avoid going up blind alleys and instead spend their time on things that will be positive and make a difference. They also take some of the load off the fans' hands having full-time staff dedicated to a group of clubs who are at the end of a phone to advise, if needed. They also pay for all the legal costs of setting up a Trust and provide small grants, to cover things like advertising, printing, and room hire etc.
Top
Why does Sutton United need a trust? -
We feel SUFC would benefit greatly from having a Supporters’ Trust. The Directors have in principle offered a seat on the board, which would extend the already excellent communication between the club and it’s fans. Trust’s are also very community focused and for a club of Sutton’s size could play a vital role in forging better links with the inhabitants of the town. This community focus can also play a vital role in the club attracting grants for ground improvements etc.
Top
But we already have a Supporters Club don’t we? -
Yes, we do. And it does a lot of good work in helping raise funds for the football club through the club shop and away travel. A trust differs from a Supporters Club in that it is a legal entity, much like a company. Meaning trusts can do a lot that supporters clubs can’t. This doesn’t mean that the SC would become redundant by any stretch. In fact, SUST is looking forward to working with the current Supporters Club in helping SUFC move forward.
Top
How can I join the trust and how much will it cost? -
It’s very easy to join the trust. To find out just how, simply click on the ‘JOIN’ link at the top of the page or simply click [ HERE ]. Supporters Direct recommend that it indeally shouldn’t cost much more for a years membership than the amount you would pay to attend a home game. With this in mind, SUST has set it’s membership fee at £10.
Top
Is there an age limit to joining the trust?
At the moment, we can only accept members aged 16 or over. This is due to the fact that the IPS model only allows people of this age and above to vote on it’s affairs at AGM’s etc. We are hoping to introduce a junior membership in the near future though, so keep and eye on the site!
Top
Who runs the trust? -
You, the members decide that! Every year, you get to vote on who will sit on the board of the Supporters Trust in democratic elections. At the moment, an acting board is in place to help drive the trust to it’s formation and launch, but at the first AGM, elections will be held.
Top
How do I get elected to the board?
Simple, just put your application in writing to the Trust secretary once notification of an AGM has been issued and then get some people to vote for you! Unfortunately, the rules of an IPS state that board members must be 18 years or over.
Top
What is an ’Industrial & Provident Society’ (IPS)? -
An IPS is the model that Supporters Direct recommend that all supporters trusts be based on. It’s fairly complicated stuff and there are a lot of rules governing how an IPS should be run. But it has the upside of being very transparent and a very democratic system. More information about IPS’s can be found on the Supporters Direct website [ HERE ] or on the Financial Services Authority (FSA) website [ HERE ].
--
|
