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There isn’t a huge amount to write home about for Saturday’s result, but our favourite part of the fixture was seeing the stadium rise to its feet in the 74th minute and honour the late, great Nigel Eady with a minute’s applause.
Just 24 hours earlier, it was confirmed that the £2.3million sale of the County Ground from Swindon Borough Council to the newly formed joint-venture company had completed – meaning, both the club and TrustSTFC were now 50-50 owners of the ground.
This was made possible thanks to the Nigel Eady Trust. Nigel was a lifelong Swindon Town fan who sadly passed away back in January 2012, leaving a considerable legacy on the proviso the money be used for the long-term benefit of the club and the local community.
This project has been over eight years in the making, involved countless specialists, and thousands of volunteer hours from a broad group of people. There are too many names to reference in this article, but those involved know who they are.
It was the TrustSTFC AGM last Wednesday, and it was great to engage with members in-person. We conducted formalities around our annual accounts and latest election process, before hearing our chairman’s report and sharing some Trust Hero awards.
But a large portion of our evening was talking about the launch of two new offerings – Voting Shares and The County Ground Community Fund.
Over recent years, a great deal of research and investigation has taken place to determine the most effective way for supporters to share in the ownership of the County Ground. Due to the complexity in running the joint venture, supporters are unable to purchase commercial shares directly in the ground itself.
However, supporters can purchase a voting share in the entity which owns 50 per cent of the County Ground, that being Swindon Town Community Mutual Ltd (better known as TrustSTFC). It’s one share, one vote. We’re a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.
The voting-share option is going to allow fans the opportunity to have a direct say in the ongoing development plans, alongside the annual business plan for the joint venture business.
As well as your voting share, there is a chance for you to pledge your long-term support to The County Ground Community Fund, where every penny will go towards improving our footballing home. Whatever you can comfortably afford, stop and restart at any time, donate whenever you can and as often as you like. One-off donations are also welcomed.
For full information across both voting shares and The County Ground Community Fund, please visit our website or drop us an email.
The April Advisory Board meeting is fast approaching – if any members have a question, please drop us a note and we can ensure these are answered by the club. COYR!
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