The planning group for the proposed Supporters Trust at Burnley have issued a
Press Release today as shown below announcing Sunday 4th April as the date for
the Open Meeting. Please keep the date free if at all possible, this is a very
important meeting.
The Press Release is below:
Clarets Supporters' Trust
Open Meeting: Sunday 4th April 2004, 12:30 p.m.
(James Hargreaves Suite, Burnley Football Club)
An open meeting has been organised to outline the aims and objectives of a
Supporters' Trust at Burnley Football Club.
This initiative is the work of a small group of long-standing supporters, with
help and guidance from the Government-backed Supporters Direct organisation.
After several months of research and careful planning, positive discussions have
already taken place with all the main Supporters' Groups as well as senior
representatives from the club.
In order to make this idea a reality, we need as many Burnley supporters as
possible to come along to this meeting to learn about the ways in which a Trust
could operate to the benefit of Burnley Football Club, its supporters, and the
community.
The main aims of this meeting are as follows:
a.. To provide as much relevant information to those unfamiliar with Trusts.
b.. To outline the benefits a Trust could have for ordinary football
supporters to get involved.
c.. To secure a strong positive mandate for the establishment of a Trust.
Supporters' Trusts are democratic, non-profit organisations and have already
been established at over one hundred clubs in England, Wales and Scotland. A
Trust is not run by the club, but is run for and by the supporters themselves,
using a well-established legal framework. Supporters' Trusts have been able to
take important steps to shape the ways in which supporters interact with the
club that they support.
Influence, ownership & representation are the three main areas in which a
Supporters' Trust would seek to be involved at Burnley Football Club, and
although a full list of aims would be agreed if and when a Trust were to be
established, the following areas would be key to the organisation:
a.. To encourage Burnley Football Club to take a more active role in the
interests of its supporters and of the community it serves in its decisions.
b.. To work towards the financial and footballing success of Burnley Football
Club.
c.. To strengthen the links between Burnley Football Club and the community.
d.. To further the game of football in and around the town as a recreational
facility, sporting activity, and a focus for community involvement.
A Supporters' Trust at Burnley would be able to engage in constructive
communication with the club, as well as seeking to establish a financial
involvement through share purchase and the transfer of proxy voting rights by
existing shareholders.
We are confident that with the help of the club's loyal supporter base there are
numerous positive steps that can be taken to ensure that the club is run for the
benefit of today's supporters, as well as future generations of supporters.
Don't miss this opportunity to have a real say in how your football club is run.
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