TrustSTFC and OSC write to the FA and EFL relating to FA charge concerns, and ask for club not to be punished if breaches are proven – TrustSTFC

TrustSTFC and OSC write to the FA and EFL relating to FA charge concerns, and ask for club not to be punished if breaches are proven

Please find below a joint letter from TrustSTFC and the Swindon Town Official Supporters Club which today we have sent directly to the FA and EFL relevant teams relating to the breaches and associated charges brought on the club and the individuals concerned. In this letter which has been kindly supported and endorsed by local MPs Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson we ask the FA and EFL to please ensure any charges are specifically brought on the individuals if they are found guilty and not that of the Football Club. We will keep fans up to date on any response we receive.

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STFC Official Supporters Club, PO Box 4217, Swindon, SN2 9LH
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Swindon Town Supporters Trust c/o 42 Elmina Road, Swindon, Wilts., SN1 2BG  
  April 9th 2021 

Dear Sir or Madam,

Re. Breaches of The FA’s Regulations on Working with Intermediaries in respect to Swindon Town FC,  Mr Lee Power, First Touch Pro Management and Michael Standing

My name is James Spencer, and I am one of 12 board members at the Swindon Town Supporters Trust.

We at the Supporters Trust have joined forced with the STFC Official Supporters Club, and are writing to the Football Association in response to the charges brought against Swindon Town FC, Mr Lee Power, First Touch Pro Management and Mr Michael Standing on 7th April 2021.

As I’m sure you can appreciate, we are all deeply concerned by these charges and are worried for the future of our club.  It is our view that should you decide the relevant parties are guilty of these charges, any subsequent punishment is to those named individuals responsible (Mr Lee Power and Mr Michael Standing), and not to the football club itself which would impact its supporters, players and the local community. 

As you will be aware Swindon Town FC and its supporters, community and the people of Swindon have previously suffered greatly from the punishments issued relating to breaches or illegal actions by previous owners.  This has consistently seen fans and the local community suffer immensely with punishments (including demotion from the Premier League/old first division), where the fans were ultimately the impacted parties, going from a huge high to a massive low through no fault of their own. We strongly believe in this instance that fans should not, yet again, be the parties punished and we would therefore strongly urge you to focus any punishment on the owners/individuals, should they be found guilty.

In making our request above to the FA we have had support and endorsements from local Swindon MPs Mr Robert Buckland who is also the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in the current Conservative government, and MP Mr Justin Tomlinson who is also currently Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work.

Below, we have included some further background about both of our organisations and our websites can be found in the links above.

Who are the Swindon Town Supporters Trust?

The Swindon Town Supporters Trust are an independent supporter’s trust primarily supporting the off-field activities of Swindon Town Football Club.  A community mutual, regulated by the Financial Services Authority, we have a volunteer board of 12 people who over the last 2-3 years have been, amongst other initiatives, working towards the purchase of the Swindon Town FC County Ground stadium from Swindon Borough Council.  This is a 50/50 joint venture with Swindon Town Football Club (agnostic of owner) to help secure the long-term future of the club. We were extremely close to completing this joint venture and agreement with the council, however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the impending court case regarding the ownership of Swindon Town FC, this has been placed on hold.

Who are the STFC Official Supporters Club?

The Official Supporters Club (STFC OSC) is an officially affiliated supporter’s group which has a key mission to provide both direct and indirect benefits to members and the football club’s wider fan base, making supporting STFC as enjoyable as possible.  Our committee is made up of seven volunteers and our vision is to create a positive and engaging atmosphere for all STFC supporters and like the Swindon Town Supporters Trust, we focus our efforts on off-field activities.

We thank the FA for their continued good work and for your consideration of this letters content. We would be more than happy as a Supporter’s Trust and Official Supporters Club to discuss this matter further with you, should you wish us to clarify any points. My contact details can be found in the signature below.

Yours faithfully,

James Spencer

TrustSTFC Board Member