Supporters Direct provides advice to trusts on how to organise and acquire a collective shareholding in their clubs on a not-for-profit basis for re-investment.

Our role is to secure greater level of accountability and deliver democratic representation within football clubs and within the game's governing structures.

We deliver advice and guidance on governance and financial accountability to our members and to ensure they play a valued and responsible role in the running of their clubs, improving communication and building a better relationship with the local community.

Key Objectives:-

• Promote the responsible voice of supporters in the running of sports clubs through securing democratic representation.
• Deliver advice and guidance on corporate governance and financial accountability to trusts that have secured board representation, ownership or control of their local club.
  Influence or change ownership structures so that the Club, supporters and local community share the same purpose.
• Promote the use of sports and other facilities of professional sports clubs by their local community and to create community activities in order to cement their position as a focus for civic and community life.
  Raise the standard of training, expertise and service delivery to the volunteer membership base of trusts.
• Deliver an improved level of succession planning for trusts with a substantial share ownership through identifying the necessary expertise, local fundraising and investment opportunities and providing by improved levels of governance.
  
• Build on the success of Supporters Direct (SD) to provide the opportunity for trusts to help re-orientate clubs into becoming community hubs/delivery partners. This can equally apply to clubs in trust ownership/control or trusts working in partnership with clubs in private ownership.

Facts & Figures:-

• Growth: Supporters’ trusts have now been established at over 140 clubs.
• Membership: Over 120,000 people are members of supporters’ trusts.
• Finance: Supporters’ trusts have now brought in well over £20 million of new finance into football.
• Ownership: 14 clubs are in ownership by supporters trusts, including the World’s oldest professional club, Notts County.
• Partnership: 100 supporters’ trusts now have shareholdings in their clubs.
• Boardroom: 45 supporters’ trusts have directors. Over 40% of these are directly elected by the membership of the trust.
• Reach: Supporters of nearly 70% of clubs in the top five divisions of football in England, and the top four divisions in Scotland have established supporters’ trusts.
• Community: Reorientating football clubs to deliver active community engagement.
• Club owned: There are 15 clubs owned/controlled by their supporters' trust - AFC Telford United; AFC Wimbledon; Brentford; Cambridge City; Clydebank (Scotland); Enfield Town; Exeter City; FC United of Manchester; Gretna (Scotland); Newport (IW) FC; Notts County; Runcorn Linnets; Scarborough Athletic & Stockport County.
  
  We are achieving our twin aims, a stronger voice for fans, sounder finances for clubs by offering practical help to fans' groups interested in taking a financial stake in their clubs. We are seeing clubs across the country forging a new relationship between themselves, their supporters and the local community. We sincerely hope that Rochdale can join that process.