WHY ARE TRUSTS CONCERNED ABOUT LINKS WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, EVEN IN CASES WHERE THE CLUB IS IN CRISIS?
A lot of people look at how football has gone over the past 10 years and feel that the community roots of a club in some places have been lost – the clubs seems to care more about money, or sponsors, than fans who live in the area. The classic example is a Premiership club that doesn’t allow a supporters club to be based in the area where it plays, as they assume everyone there supports them anyway. The club represents the very best of the community it plays in, and can act as a symbol of that community for everyone to support. Trusts are about making that really happen. It’s usually the fans who care most about these things – they live in the community or used to live there, and they want to see the kids in the town centre on a Saturday wearing the local club shirt rather than a club 250 miles away.
