Planet Swans Archives| Other clubs have been through similar problems and have emerged stronger and several of these were examined in detail. Whilst they all had different circumstances, the ingredient which was common to them all was the establishment of a Supporters’ trust which increased the influence of the local community in the local club through a combination of the use of supporters’ funds to purchase shares and the establishment of a strong voice for supporters on the board through the election of at least one supporters’ director. |
| Swansea City Supporters Trust is to be formed following the guidance of the Government sponsored organisation ‘Supporters Direct’ with the objective of increasing the involvement of the community in its Football club. It is a non profit- making Industrial & Provident Society. The Annual Membership cost will be set at just £5. |
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Supporters Trust FAQ |
| Is the trust involved in any way with the current owners and directors of the Club? |
| No, although the club have been supportive and the Trust will endeavour to work with club wherever possible. |
| Why a “Trust” – what is it? |
| The name of the legal entry we have created is the Swansea City Supporters Society, an Industrial and Provident Society, registered as such with the scrutiny and control of the Registrar of Friendly Societies. In line with the Government’s initiative we have called our society the Swansea City Supporters’ Trust (the ‘Trust’). This form of legal entity is owned by its members in equal shares of a nominal amount and exists for the benefit of the community – not for profit. It reflects our belief that the Supporters’ Trust’s principal aim should be that of benefiting the community. |
| Our constitution has been drawn up by Cobbetts, a law firm which works closely with the Co-operative Party and the Co-operative Bank. Cobbetts are the country’s leading experts in the field and have established virtually all of the football supporters’ Trust. Copies of the rules are available from :- http://www.swanstrust.freeserve.co.uk |
| In general terms the rules state that we will strengthen the bonds between our club and the community and promote football in our area. |
| What are the objectives of the Trust? |
| · To maintain a Professional Football League club in Swansea.
· To bring the football club closer to its local community. · To have an elected supporters representation on the Board of SCFC. · To raise sufficient funds to buy a stake in the club, in pursuance of the aims above. |
| Who will run the trust? |
| The Supporters. A committee will been established to represent a cross-section of supporters with the skills necessary for the management of a Trust of this nature and – an essential requirement- a long history of genuine support for the club. Nobody will be paid. |
| How do I join? |
| Forms will be available shortly for membership of the trust and will be distributed in the time leading up to the Public meeting on the 27th August 5:30 at the Patti Pavilion. You can also register you interest online at http://www.swanstrust.freeserve.co.uk/form.html or by emailing dai.smith@virgin.net |
| What happens to money donated? |
| The money will only be used for the acquisition of shares in the club, enabling us to elect at least one director to the Board- a positive step towards ensuring stability at the club. |
| Who keeps the money? |
| Until we acquire shares, The bank. It can only be used to acquire an interest in the Club. |
| What happens to our donation to the Trust if we are not successful? |
| Taking into account the support that we have already received and what has now been achieved at many other clubs, we have every reason to believe that we will be successful in acquiring a stake in the club. However, if the funds can not be used in this way the money will be returned to us individually. Accurate accountancy records will be kept of all donors and donations. |
| Do I get a larger stake in the Trust by contributing more to the Fund? |
| No. Each member of the Trust will have the same rights as any other. Certificates of what individual contributors have provided will be distributed in due course. We urge EVERY Swans fan to join the Trust and to contribute whatever they can afford for as long as it takes for us to get our representation on the Board. |
| This is our Trust, so how can I get directly involved? |
| We shall be establishing committees to deal with the launch of the Trust and later for fund-raising activities. Please give your name, address and any particular area of expertise to any working party member or contact at the above website member and we will contact you. We all need to work together to get our club back to where it should be. Hours are long, pay is zero, but at the end of the day we will get our say in the way our club is run – it’s worth it. |
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