Trust In Control?

Last updated : 09 October 2003 By Rob Davies
The Trust are well on the way to their £250,000 fund-raising target but have urged the fans to keep putting their hands in their pockets.

This initial £250,000 would be enough to finally get Notts out of administration and complete the takeover deal with the Blenheim consortium, which would earn the Trust a significant shareholding.

But Trust chairman David Hindley says that with continued effort, supporters could eventually acheive the organisors' main aim of taking a majority shareholding.

"It may be one or two years down the line, but it could happen,"
he told the Evening Post.

"We will have more chance, the more money we can raise.

"We are very close to reaching our initial target. It has been a remarkable effort."

"It is important that we maintain our momentum, because there is a significant carrot at the end of it.

"If we do put £250,000 into the club it will get us a significant shareholding.

"In theory, it could be enough to gain us 50 of the shareholding, although we will not get that initially because that would effectively mean we had the power to block anything, if we felt like it.

"But we will have a major say in things right away.

"In theory, the more money we put into the club, the more say we can have in the running of things. If we can keep raising money, there is a very real chance that we could, one day in the not too distant future, take control."

"It is our goal for that to happen and we believe it is a very attainable target.

Fans will play a key role in the clubs future
"Talking to the people involved in the consortium, it is not something they would appear to have a problem with.

"We perhaps wouldn't have total control, but we could become the major shareholders and that can only be a good thing for supporters.

"We didn't think we would make progress this quickly. In that sense we have learned to run before we can walk but it is a distinct possibility."

Hindley also added that there was a vital reason for fans to maintain their efforts.

"Clubs like York, Bournemouth and Chesterfield are already run by fans," he said.

"There is no reason why it shouldn't happen here.

"It has been a difficult few years for Notts supporters but hopefully if we get involved, we can make sure it doesn't happen again."