NOTTS COUNTY SUPPORTERS TRUST
NEWSLETTER
no.1 - 25 January 2003

Welcome to the first newsletter produced by the temporary working group established to set up the Supporters Trust. The proposed Trust is for all Notts County Supporters and it is vital that you are kept as up to date as possible on what is happening. This newsletter is the first of a series of communications that we intend to initiate over the coming weeks - please let us know if you think we are getting it wrong (or right!)
Supporters Trust Given Massive Vote of Support
At a packed meeting of over 400 Notts County supporters at Meadow Lane on Wednesday, 15 January there was a virtually unanimous vote to give the go ahead for a Supporters Trust to be formed.

The temporary working group were given a mandate to go ahead and put in place the administrative and legal processes for the Trust to become a legally registered body. This will take about six weeks to happen. It will then be possible for supporters to apply for membership. This will be widely publicised and it is intended that supporters can sign up by post or via the Internet if they wish. It is anticipated that a form of associate membership will be open to anyone aged under 16 at a much-reduced cost.

Present Situation at the Club
Notts County has been in administration for a considerable length of time and despite cost cutting moves continues to lose a significant amount of money each month. Administration is intended only to be a temporary measure, typically lasting a few months, during which the debt of the business is reconstructed, which together with other measures such as cost cutting should allow it to trade viably into the future.

It is clear that this period of administration cannot continue indefinitely. This could mean a number of things, including the purchase of the club by new owners or in the worst case the club going into receivership. There is nothing that a newly formed Trust can do in the immediate future to radically change this scenario. But as it will hopefully represent a large proportion of the supporters, the lifeblood and only consistent factor of any football club, it can have a voice that demands to be heard by present and future owners. It can show that the supporters of our club care passionately about its future as the size of the attendance at the meeting to launch the Trust so dramatically demonstrated.
What would a Notts County Supporters' Trust be?
The Notts Supporters' Trust will be a democratic non-profit organisation that is totally independent of Notts County FC. Equally it will not be affiliated in any way to SNAG, The Pie or any other organisation, it will be totally independent. The main aims of the Trust will be confirmed by its members but it is anticipated these may include:
§ to strengthen the bond between the club and the community it serves
§ to represent the interests of the supporters and the community in the running of the club.
§ to promote community involvement in ownership of Notts County Football Club
§ to ensure that supporter's views are taken into consideration when decisions are made
Once established, the Trust will take the form of an Industrial and Provident Society, regulated by the Registrar of Friendly Societies. As such it will operate in a totally democratic and transparent manner, and will be open to participation by anyone interested in the long-term success of the club.
There are now 71 Trusts in England & Wales. Importantly in all situations the Trust is consulted and seen as a factor in the decision-making process and a direct communication link to the supporters. Already at Notts the administrator, Paul Finnity, has indicated a willingness to talk openly with the new Trust and expressed a wish that this proposal had come forward earlier.

Who We Are:
The working party consists of committed Notts fans of long standing: John Thornhill (Chairman), Paul Berry, Ken Carter, Peter Dennis, Nigel King, Phil Marshall, Neil McGowan, Fred Mosselmans, Martin Naylor, Barry Smith, Steve Parker, Gary Spencer, Richard Stanton, Cheryl Thompson, Steve Thompson, Keri Usherwood, Steve Westby and Trev Woolley. However we are always looking for additional help.

Register your Interest.
Either send your name, address, e-mail address (optional) and age if under 16 to our mail address (on the right) or register via our website. www.nottscotrust.org.uk . Please tell us of any skills you have that may prove useful in the establishment of the Trust. All information you submit will be used solely in the setting-up of the Trust. It will not be divulged to any other party.

Contact Us:
e-mail: enquiry@nottscotrust.org.uk
Visit our web-site: www.nottscotrust.org.uk
Write to: Notts County Supporters Trust, 9 Yew Tree Close, Radcliffe on Trent, Nottingham NG12 2AZ
Use our message board also found at: www.nottscotrust.org.uk
A big vote of thanks is due to Supporters Direct and to the Supporters Trusts from Derby County and York City who have helped us with invaluable support and advice and generously gave their time to attend and speak at our launch meeting. We wish them well with their own important campaigns.
Supporters Trusts - an Independent Voice for Fans
A Supporters Trust aims to unite all those who have an abiding passion for their football club. It is a platform for all fans to have a say on the issues that affect supporters, the club, and the communities it serves. It is completely independent of the club and is non-profit making. It is based on a democratic process of open membership, where each member has one vote.
This is a national movement. The annual subscription to a trust is generally set at a low level; about the cost of a match ticket to enable everyone to join and participate. Above all, a Supporters Trust seeks to bring together the skills, energy, ideas and passion that football supporters can contribute to the running of their club, and to make sure that the club listens. A number of clubs already have Supporters Trust representatives on the Board of Directors.
As Brian Lomax, the managing director of Supporters Direct, the government-funded body that assists Trusts, wrote recently in their annual report. ‘I believe it is now universally acknowledged in the football industry that the Supporters’ Trust movement, and with it Supporters Direct are here to stay. There has been a sea-change in the attitude towards the role of supporters - no longer taken for granted as turnstile-fodder, but accorded a new respect as partners, in an industry which will have to emerge leaner but fitter with the demise of television revenues.
The key word is sustainability; and that will only come as clubs realise that their future relies upon cherishing their local support and rewarding it with responsibility. Fans are the moral owners of the game. It is they who have the greatest interest in preserving their clubs for their children and grandchildren. The Supporters’ Trust movement provides the way of translating that moral ownership into a form of legal ownership, with the right to participate in the management of the clubs they love.’
The Mansfield Town Trust
At our near neighbours Mansfield Town, Team Mansfield, signed a deal with the club chairman, Keith Haslam to purchase a Community shareholding (a 3.3% stake) in the club after three years hard work. Team Mansfield has been around since 1999, when a group of fans were concerned by the state of their club on and off the field. The purchasing of the shareholding has brought into force a shareholders’ agreement that gives fans a number of legal rights; including
regular consultation meetings between the club and fans’ representatives to discuss the business of the Club - with the minutes of the meetings published on the Internet:
supporters’ forums where fans have opportunity to meet and question the club’s management;
an agreement that Mr Haslam will pay back within one year a substantial part of the loans he has taken from the club, and take no more loans in future.
The deal has also seen consultation on ticket pricing, open days at Field Mill and discounts on MTFC merchandise. ‘Stags fans now have a long term agreement in place, which will allow them an opportunity to participate responsibly in the running of their club.’ Colin Dobell, chair of Team Mansfield.
Some Questions Answered
Q. Why will it take so long for the Trust to be established and elections held to appoint the committee to run it?
A. The Trust has to be a legally constituted body, which will offer full legal protection to any funds and to the rights of members. Legal formalities such as this always take a while to process. Rest assured that we are working as fast as possible to get things moving
Q. How much will the annual membership be for the Trust?
A. That is yet to be decided, but Supporter-Direct suggest the figure should not be more than the lowest adult admission price to a home game. It is certainly intended that associate membership for under 16’s will be a much lower figure than this.
Q. What will be the relationship between the Trust and the Supporters Club?
A. The two organisations can work effectively side by side. The Supporters Club does a good job and there is no reason why this should not continue. The Trust is not being set up to take over any of their activities.
Q. What is the Trust’s relationship with Albert Scardino?
A. The trust is totally independent of the club and of Albert Scardino. Despite rumours to the contrary Albert did not ask for the Trust to be set up but he does support the concept as he sees it as a useful interface with the supporters. You, the supporters, will be there much longer than any individual, director, owner or administrator. However to do its job the Trust must have a dialogue with whoever is in charge at the time.
Q. I've filled in the form at the meeting am I now a member of the Trust?
A. No you will be given the chance to decide whether to join the Trust when membership is opened up. By completing the form you have made no commitment.
Q. Will all the members of the Temporary Working Group automatically be running the Trust when it is set up?
A. No, the officers of the Trust will be democratically elected by the members. Several of the Working Group members have already intimated that they do not plan to stand for election.
Q. Are the members of the Temporary Working Group being paid?
A. No, they are receiving no payment whatsoever. They are committed fans who are working for the benefit of their club.
Q. How many fans have registered their interest so far?
A. Forms are still arriving by every post. We passed 300 before Tuesday’s game.
Q. Does the Trust intend to try to raise money to buy a stake in the club?
A. That will be for the members to decide but it is not envisaged as necessarily being an initial priority of the Trust.

Temporary Working Party Member

Apologies to all of you that have received this newsletter twice by email! Please blame the stupidity of your friendly database admin....me!

It is also worth reporting that I had approximately 30 bounced emails so if you have registered and not received a copy can you please email enquiries@nottscotrust.org.uk with your correct email details and we will try and update our database Thanks and apologies once again

Gary Spencer

Gary,

I've twice tried to send emails to the enquiries address you mentioned but each time get bounced.

Despite having filled in the form at the inaugural Trust meeting I've recieved no newsletter to either of my stated email accounts. My addresses are:

kazad_bolg@ntlworld.com
pauls@games-workshop.co.uk

Cheers,

Paul

Apologies Paul we were missing the s from your email yours is one of the ones that bounced! Consider it updated

gary

Thats because the email address is

enquiry@nottscotrust.org.uk

NOT enquiries@....

Cheers
Bazza