The following is the body of an update sent to members earlier today.
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Welcome to what’s turned into a longer monthly newsletter than normal. There’s a lot going which we want to comment on, plus some Q&A to share. But before we dive into that, let’s start with something really positive we’d encourage all members to get involved with.
Swindon Food Collective
Before the Walsall game on 17th October, the Trust will once again collect donations for the Swindon Food Collective. After two successful collections last season, we hope Town fans, the Club and players will support this local charity, which helps many people across Swindon and the surrounding area.
In 2025, the Swindon Food Collective supplied more than 90,000 meals to people in genuine need – 31% of recipients were children.
Food parcels are distributed through 12 centres across Swindon and the surrounding area.
Each parcel is designed to last three to five days. Parcels contain non-perishable food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Suggested donations include:
• Toothpaste
• Biscuits
• Long-life milk
• Tea bags (packs of 40 or 80)
• Laundry pods
• Tinned vegetables
• Tinned fish
• Tinned meals, such as spaghetti, ravioli, chilli con carne, macaroni cheese or curry
Find us at the Trust gazebo near Statue Park ahead of kick-off. You can also donate money on the day using the collection bucket, card reader or QR code. Thanks in advance for your support.
General Update
The rollercoaster of following Swindon Town continues to provide more lows than highs. Whether it’s on or off the field, there is plenty going on….unfortunately, very little of it is positive.
Even by recent standards, we have reached a new low (and we’re not talking about the number of fit players we have). As a club, we have lost our soul, our hope, our passion. This hasn’t happened overnight. It’s the culmination of multiple owners, of poor leadership, of a non-existent communications strategy and of distant memories from a successful past.
Many supporters want to simply focus on the football. We get that – we’d like to too. But the Trust’s role is to represent its members and the wider Swindon community, looking out for our club’s short, medium and long term sustainability.
On any given day, the Trust gets criticised for being both too critical and not critical enough of the Club’s leadership. Admittedly, it is difficult – no, impossible – to keep all of our members and STFC supporters happy all of the time. As a result, much of what we do, say and challenges made takes place behind closed doors. Minutes alone do not reflect the advice we give and the holding to account the Club and its ownership is in need of.
That said, recognition of the perilous state of the leadership and management of our club was brought into sharp public focus last week. Ian Holloway, replying to a question about his “dead man walking” comments said:
“I’m not the only dead man, am I? The owners a dead man walking as well and that over complicates everything here, doesn’t it?”
If you are puzzled as to when this was said, you’d have good reason to be. It was in the Rochdale pre-match press conference. The Club edited out the exchange with Andrew Hawes from its coverage, but the full version was caught by BBC Wiltshire Sport and the Swindon Advertiser.
The fact that a manager of Swindon Town Football Club can publicly comment on the inability of its owner to unite a club and take it forward should be a wakeup call to all of us.
Ian Holloway’s comments haven’t come as a result of public protests, nor from an organised campaign. Instead, they come from his two years and 100-plus match experience as Swindon Town manager. Statistics suggest that he has one of the best win percentages of recent times, so why the doom, gloom and “dead man walking” metaphors for him and his chairman?
Unfortunately, that brings us back full circle to the Club’s ownership and leadership over the last five years. Yes, Clem Morfuni stepped in and most likely saved the Club from administration in 2021, something we will always be grateful for. But does that single act then absolve him from any form of criticism for everything which came after? Yes, he continues to bankroll the Club, but as was the case for previous owners, it’s all in the form of a loan, repayable on demand. The Club’s “overdraft” is currently around £14m and its only going one way. Not all of that is attributable to the Clem Morfuni years, but it’s a growing amount which gets passed from owner to owner.
So where does that leave us? There is no doubt that the Club’s off-field strategy is to keep their heads down and hope that it all comes good on the pitch. Combine that with the significant turnover in staff behind the scenes and a leadership which has lost touch with the community it serves, it’s no wonder that anecdotally at least, many are falling out of love with the club they have supported for so many years.
Clem Morfuni has shown zero interest in selling STFC. Even when he’s gone on the record and said that he’d consider it for the right offer, we don’t believe that to be the case. Don’t get taken in by the “show me proof of funds and make me an offer and then we’ll talk” line – after all, someone doesn’t buy your house by standing on the pavement trying to look in through the window with the blinds down.
What we do know is that there are interested buyers for the Club. This isn’t speculation or rumour – the Trust have been approached on multiple occasions by interested groups. The most recent of those approaches was by a well backed consortium with experience in sports franchising, digital media and marketing. As we’ve seen around the leagues, buyers are out there, so long as there is a willing seller.
So where does that leave us? Whilst the short-term focus may be on Ian Holloway, the bigger picture is above the role of the manager.
We believe that we’ve reached a tipping point. Can Clem Morfuni and his leadership team of Anthony Hall and Alisha Henry re-engage and address a wedge with supporters so obvious that even the manager openly talks about it, or has that ship sailed and the only solution is for a new owner?
The Trust board continues to keep all options on the table. We will continue to engage with the Club as well as other relevant parties including the EFL, IFR and others.
On and off the pitch, the next few weeks and months feel pivotal to our club’s short and medium term future. Whatever happens next, we’ll be sure to keep members updated.
Q&A*
*edited to reduce space and remove profanities which may offend
“What’s happening with redevelopment of the stadium? The JV minutes suggest that they (the Club) have given up.”
The ball on redevelopment remains firmly in the Club’s court. Despite comments made at the meeting that they would only proceed with the JV director’s support, the JV agreement doesn’t require the consent of board directors. If they wished, the Club could trigger a Trust membership vote today.
Away from the voting mechanics, the Club are focused on the same Don Rogers Stand hospitality and executive box project which was put to a vote in April 2025. No changes to that scheme have currently been proposed despite the feedback from two separate consultations, comments made during the vote and extensive discussions post-vote.
In terms of next steps, it was agreed at the last JV board meeting on 25th August 2026 to meet to review again the detailed lessons learned and strategy papers prepared in November 2025 by the Trust and Club respectively, although a date has yet to be proposed by the Club.
“Why do you bother continuing to attend the Advisory Board meetings?”
As a Trust board, we have discussed on more than one occasion the value which comes from the Advisory Board meetings. A lot of the focus is on the resulting minutes, something which in themselves have been the subject of heated debate.
However, it’s our view that the Advisory Board remains one of the very few opportunities to discuss real issues with the Club leadership, and when required, hold them to account. Last year’s commitment to two Fans Forum’s turned into one, and all of the leadership team are reluctant to speak to the local media.
Whether the Club listen to the advice we give and the frustrations we share from the supporters we represent is a different story altogether, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying.
“In the last (JV) minutes, it said that SBC had written about standing in the Town End. They (the Club) have already shut down half of it, do they want to close it all down?”
This remains a live topic and something to which we are actively engaged. We have not seen the letter, but we understand that the Chair of the Safety Advisory Group (the SAG) has written to the Club demanding action in relation to persistent standing in the Town End.
A meeting between the Club and supporter groups has been scheduled for this week and we’ll update supporters as soon as we are able. In the meantime, we continue to press SBC, the SAG and the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) to facilitate fan representation on the SAG as recommended by Lord Justice Taylor in the Hillsborough report.
“Are they (the Club) still paying rent?”
We can confirm that at the time of publication, all rent payments from the Club to the JV are up to date and are being paid by the 1st of each month.
That was a heavy one…here’s to a better October!
COYR
The Board of TrustSTFC