A BID to sign up 1,000 new members of Worcester City’s Supporters Trust by the end of 2023 has been unveiled.
Majority shareholder of Worcester City FC, the WCFC Supporters’ Trust wants to achieve the target by the end of next year.
The campaign’s mission is to build on the football club’s triumph of becoming Worcestershire’s only community owned football club in 2021.
City shares its ownership model with the likes of AFC Wimbledon, Exeter City, Newport County and countless examples across Europe.
The #1000StrongPledge has been announced by the trust alongside a new membership system in which supporters can become joint equal owners of the football club beginning at £35 a year.
As a community-owned football club, members of the Supporters’ Trust equally own the football club, have a say in big decisions and can stand to be elected to the organisation’s board.
Two key aims of the campaign are to ensure the supporters and the people of Worcester are at the heart of the football club and that its long-term future is securely fastened into their possession.
Rob Crean, chair of the trust, said: “The Trust has played a pivotal role in the survival of the football club up until this point.
“We continued to promote the club at every opportunity whilst in exile playing away from Worcester, and have worked incredibly hard to get the club playing back in the city.
“Whilst our work in recruiting, training and organising match day volunteers goes some of the way to helping the club alongside our other activities, as the majority shareholder we have a responsibility to secure its long-term financial stability.
“The Supporters’ Trust used to be about campaigning so our membership offering was geared towards strength in numbers. But as the majority shareholder, we need to recalibrate to take collective responsibility for our club’s future.
“The new three-tiered system allows for individuals who would like to contribute more to do so, whilst ensuring the entry barriers remain accessible.
“We’ve arrived at this new offering by taking advice from experts in the field and cross examining how other successful community owned football clubs structure their membership schemes.”
For more details of the new membership scheme visit https://worcestercityfcst.co.uk. Members are able to choose from either a £3 a month or a £35, £75 and £150 per year option to be a part-owner in the football club.
Following feedback from members, anyone who renewed their £10 a year membership after October 1 can request a refund, but will need to sign up to the new scheme to remain a member after January.
