There will be a meeting on Weds 20th Feb from 7.30pm in the Jazz Café, Madejski Stadium to launch a Supporters Trust At Reading. It'll be known by its initials - STAR.
All Reading fans who are interested to know more are invited to attend the meeting. It will also be attended by the Mayor of Reading and Nicky Hammond of the Reading FC Academy. The development of the Supporters Trust proposal was started by the Supporters' Club Committee. Other keen Reading fans have joined the dozen-strong working party, which is now putting forward its launch proposals publicly.
In the past year over 40 Supporters Trusts have been formed at clubs large and small around Britain, including Tottenham and Celtic, Aylesbury and Swindon. Supporters Trusts are a more modern, professional and business-like version of Supporters Clubs with a greater range of responsibilities like community involvement and shareholder representation.
"In the past couple of years Reading Football Supporters' Club (RFSC) has been very successful in raising its profile and membership and having a more responsive, consultative dialogue with the football club," said RFSC campaigns co-ordinator Roger Titford. "But our constitution, our powers and our image appear dated now. Creating a Supporters Trust out of the Supporters Club and attracting and including a new range of people to make a broader, bigger, better organisation is our goal. We hope our members and other fans will share this view. This launch is the first step."
The five key advantages of moving to Trust status are:
A government-backed organisation, Supporters Direct, will be helping the trust with advice and grants during the set-up phase and speaking at the launch meeting. Supporters Direct is a response to the Football Task Force's recommendation for greater, democratic fan involvement in the running of football.
For further details contact Roger Titford on 07973 631692.
