Why Join The Stockport County Supporters' Trust?
The Benefits to You:
You will, of course, receive a share certificate that shows that you are the owner of a single, non-transferable share in the Stockport County Trust which can be framed and displayed on your wall at home or work.
- You can attend and speak at the Trust AGM or any other General Meetings that may be called
- You get the opportunity to give your opinions and ask questions at several other Trust organised events and forums that take place throughout the year
- You get to vote in the election of officers to the Stockport County Trust Board
- You can get involved with the future direction of Stockport County Trust without having to commit as much time as being a Trust Board Member by joining the Trust Board Associates
- You can stand for election to the Trust Board yourself
But more importantly you can have your say on key decisions that affect Stockport County! You, along with the other Trust Members will be consulted on any major decisions that need to be made so you can hear the pro's and con's, ask questions and vote to determine the outcome.
How many supporters of other football clubs can say that they have an influence over the future of the Club they support and love? There are only four clubs in the Football League that are owned by Supporters Trusts and Stockport County is currently the most successful. This means supporters of the other 88 football clubs in the English football league have no say and little access to key people such as the Chairman and Board of Directors.
As a Trust Member, the Trust Board ensures that your questions, comments and opinions get to the key people at Stockport County.
The Benefits to Stockport County Football Club:
The Trust has been running the football club since July 2005 and in that time the Club has:
- Broken even for the first time in a very, very long time, after years of making a trading loss of over £1m per year
- Achieved record season ticket sales
- Brought in a manager who the supporters adore - a manager who guided the club to safety after it was all but relegated into the Conference on Boxing Day and is now building a team that has the potential to fight its way back up the league and into the Championship
- Created and used an open and transparent procedure to appoint a new manager – a procedure that is now being adopted by other clubs
- Put forward a proposal to the local council, seeking to purchase and develop an area of land close to the football ground, which, if accepted, will be beneficial to the local community while putting the club on a sound financial footing with substantial assets.
- Improved the morale of the club's employees, both on and off the field of play
- Started various schemes in partnership with the local council, including a scheme called "Fit To Read," which is aimed at providing help for young people who have reading difficulties
And we’re no where near finished yet! There is still plenty more to be done in order to take the club back up the divisions where we all want it to be!
The Benefits to The Supporters' Trust:
The more of you who join the Stockport County Supporters’ Trust, the larger the pool of skills and experience that we can call upon if it is needed.
OK, we appreciate that not everyone who joins the Trust can spare us any of their valuable time or offer us their services - don’t worry though - just by joining or renewing you have already done a good thing.
The Trust is a non-profit making organisation and your membership fees provide the necessary funds to keep the Trust running and communicating to members and fans of Stockport County Football Club. Without the membership fee we wouldn't be able to do things such as:
- Print quarterly TrustTalk newsletters
- Keep the Trust website up and running
- Arrange regular Q&A meetings for Trust members
- Arrange open Q&A meetings for members and non-members
- Provide a match day Trust Base for members and non-members to speak to and question Trust Board members
- Produce membership forms, posters, certificates, letters and other such communications
- Pay for the auditing of accounts at the end of the financial year
....and late last year also allowed the Trust to produce a tribute from the fans of SCFC to the late Danny Bergara in the form of a giant flag.
The Trust also sponsors a first team player (07/08 season was Gary Dicker) and through-out the season is match ball sponsor for one or two matches per season. This helps to raise the profile of the Trust and also gives members of the Trust (not Trust Board members) a chance to experience the VIP hospitality treatment at Edgeley Park.
Anything else you offer to the Trust such as time, knowledge or expertise is a very welcome bonus and will help the Trust to grow stronger and succeed as a club owned by the fans.
As the Trust membership increases in numbers, the Trust also gains in strength and every extra member we get provides yet another link to the community as a whole.
You’ve seen what we can do with a Trust membership of just over 700. Just imagine how much more we could achieve, how much more the club could benefit if we had even more members!
How do you join The Stockport County Supporters' Trust?
Becoming a member of The Stockport County Supporters' Trust couldn't be easier, you can join on-line via this website, or you can download the membership form, print it off and send it by post.