Steve Bedder gives us an update from the Trust

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to what will surely be a cracking match against Coca-Cola League 2 table toppers MK Dons.

I’ve been sat for a while trying to think of what to write for these programme notes, there are plenty of issues and topics I could have focussed on, but I decided to have a closer look at a regular debate around Trust owned clubs and fans involvement.

From my point of view, I got involved with the Trust for the pure and simple fact that I love County and want to do whatever I can to help make County a success on and off the field. I’m lucky that my non-County job has given me some skills and experience that I could bring to the Trust to help. It’s a similar story for all the Trust Board members, each has offered their skills, knowledge, time and services to help County in whatever way they can. Some have done this by putting themselves forward for election at the Trust Annual General Meeting (AGM), others, like me have been Co-Opted onto the Trust Board. Whether elected or co-opted each of the current Trust Board members has put their hand up to say ‘I want to help’.

At the last Trust AGM there were five County fans up for election, two were existing Trust Board members (one being the Club Chairman!) and three were fans that put their hands up and said ‘I want to help’.

Now I hear quite a lot about the ‘performance’ of the Trust Board and what they don’t do so well and what we should be and shouldn’t be doing but we are a democratic society with the Trust Board being made up of fans and Trust Members who put their hands up to and say ‘I want to help’. The Trust membership then decides who they want representing them on the Trust Board. No one else decides, not the Club Board, not the Trust Board, it’s the Trust members that cast their vote that decides.

With this in mind, any Trust member can put themselves forward for election at the AGM stating what they will bring to the Trust and let the membership decide if they should be on the Trust Board. If you think you could do things better or differently than the current Trust Board members put yourself forward for the elections and let the Trust membership decide.

The ‘Old Boys Club’ simply put is a myth, none of the Trust Board members knew each other prior to becoming part of the Trust. Yes, we are now all colleagues who get on and have built friendships, but this is a result of becoming involved with the Trust not something that was there beforehand. And to be honest, it’s a benefit of being a Trust Board member that I am grateful for. I have met some good friends during my time on the Trust Board but the fact we are friends does not make the Trust Board an 'Old Boys Club'.

The elected members of the Trust Board make up the majority of the Board and Co-Opted members are invited to join where there is a shortfall in skills, knowledge or time. Co-Opted members are identified by word of mouth or by someone offering their services, as it was in my case.

Being a Trust owned club, the future of Stockport County and the Trust is with Trust Members and County fans. The Trust need members not just to make the membership numbers look good but so there is a large pool of knowledge, skills and experience to have on the Trust board. The more members we have, the more likely there are to be people that will put their hands up and say ‘I want to help’ and put themselves forward for election.

It’s our club, no one else’s, so the future is in our hands.