Our History and Timeline
Timeline
June 23 – STFC and TrustSTFC Sign up to Fair game
TrustSTFC have been working with Fair Game Directors and STFC to support the signup of the football club to the Fair Game Initiative. Fair Game is a growing series of football clubs striving to change the game for the better, including striving for Fairness, Sustainability and Success in the game for the greater good and wider interests..Read More
July 21 – STFC Employee Support
July 1st – Trust provide STFC employees with funds to support employee salary payments in July 21 after they were not paid.
Apr 21 – STFC cease all communications with the Trust
TrustSTFC were informed by Steve Anderson, CEO of Swindon Town FC, that the football club are to stop all formal communications with the Trust.
Feb 20 – Legals Agreed
After nearly a year of discussions, the Joint Venture Agreement, Sale Agreement and Lease are finally agreed in principle.
Jan 20 – The County Ground Custodians Ltd
The County Ground Custodians Limited is formed (Company No. 12424031)
Nov 19 – Community Share Offer
Trust create draft share offer, a key component in Community Shares as it provides transparency on the deal and outlines a detailed proposition to anyone considering the purchase of a community share.
June 19 – Lease
Trust engage solicitors to create a draft lease that will ensure Swindon Town play their football at the County Ground. This was shared with all parties.
June 19 – Sale Contract
Draft sale contract and disposal plan was then issued by solicitors representing Swindon Borough Council.
May 19 – Joint Venture Agreement
Joint Venture legal agreement drafted by solicitors operating on behalf of the Trust. The JV agreement documents the framework on how the joint venture will operate.
Mar 19 – County Ground Joint Venture – Heads of Terms agreed
The Heads of Terms is a non-binding document outlining the main issues relevant to the tentative sale and forthcoming Joint Venture (JV) partnership. Both parties signed and completed this in March.
Feb 19 – Asset of Community Value (ACV) renewed
The County Ground was originally listed as an ACV in January 2014. This latest application means that the ground is protected for a further five years until 2024.
Mar 18 – Another Council meeting
Met again with the Council to discuss the process, informed that our bid would not progress until some time after the local elections, with a cabinet reshuffle expected later in the year.
Mar 18 – County Ground AGM Update
The meeting was well attended and started with a review of the year just gone, covering the events that followed the 2017 AGM, and the Fans Meeting held last May. Following extensive due diligence, a proposal was submitted to Swindon Borough Council in August 2017, and this was followed by..Read More
Jan 18 – Nationwide funding
Nationwide provide significant backing for our community crowdfunding bid.
Oct 17 – Swindon Town bid emerges
The club put their own bid in for the stadium, giving the council another option to consider.
Sep 17 – Councillors consulted
We invited all Swindon Borough Councillors to a private consultation, to discuss our plans for the County Ground.
Aug 17 – Updated proposal to Council
Updated proposal submitted to Swindon Borough Council, with increased offer and details of potential new developments for Swindon
Jul 17 – Meeting with Goddard Estate
We met with representatives of the Goddard Estate to talk about our plans.
Jul 17 – Meeting with Developer
Excellent meetings and discussions with potential Town End development partner.
May 17 – Fans Meeting
This TrustSTFC Fans Meeting brought Town fans together at a local Swindon venue to discuss the County Ground bid and the future of the club. The day had started with the Swindon Advertiser revealing that we had reached out to former Swindon Town Chief Executive Nick Watkins, asking for advice..Read More
Apr 17 – Red Army Fund takes off
Trust ‘Red Army Fund’ contributors rises from 125 (gained over two years) to almost 350 in a matter of weeks, off the back of County Ground work.
Mar 17 – County Ground AGM
The AGM asked fans if they were interested in purchasing the County Ground, and also introduced the theme of ‘Let’s work together’ – meaning we want fans, club, media and council to join forces and make a bright future for Swindon Town. It was a two way discussion with Town supporters invited..Read More
Feb 17 – Football Fun Day
One of the long term goals of TrustSTFC is to ensure that local families and schoolchildren get an interest in Swindon Town FC, and so back in February 2017 we decided to run a FREE football fun day for local primary school children, to help promote the club. A registration..Read More
Feb 17 – Derby Day Tifo Support
Alongside the Swindon Town Supporters Club, we were delighted to help out the Great Western Reds for their fan display against Oxford. Hats off to the lads who put in a massive amount of effort. It was the brightest part of a miserable afternoon at the County Ground… If you haven’t read the..Read More
Jan 17 – Trust Hero Award
Our first Trust Hero award went to Roger Bunce… Roger joined the Supporters Club Committee in 1997 and is the promoter of the 50/50 halftime draw, which with a small band of dedicated sellers is a main fundraiser. enabling funding to the academy and numerous refurbishments around the County Ground...Read More
Jan 17 – TrustSTFC.TV Launched
We believe that a football club is at its best when it allows its fans to communicate and have their say. While we’ve been quick to put across our views in the past, through the local press and our own online platforms, we’ve occasionally neglected the views of the fans..Read More
Mar 16 – 5k to Coventry
We didn’t hit the target but the away end of the Ricoh Arena was painted red by 2,442 Town fans, who roared their team on for the full 90 minutes but Swindon couldn’t quite get the dream result that many were hoping for. The campaign, which was backed by the Swindon..Read More
Dec 15 – Meeting with Sangita and Council
Trust Representatives Steve Mytton, Mike Welsh and James Phipps meet again with Council Leader David Renard, Councillor Garry Perkins and Head of Property Assets, Rob Richards. Sangita Shah is present on behalf of Swindon Town FC to discuss the lease and the Trust proposal to purchase the County Ground. The..Read More
Jul 15 – Meeting with Sangita Shah
Trust representatives Mike Welsh and John Ward meet with Sangita Shah in London to discuss the Trust purchase of the County Ground on behalf of Swindon Town supporters. A number of club benefits were proposed and a Memorandum of Understanding is provided, explaining the proposed terms and clauses, as well..Read More
Jul 15 – Second Council Meeting
The same group meet to discuss how the Trust would like to see the County Ground and surrounding area developed. David Renard suggests the approach of a full round table meeting with Swindon Town FC representatives.
Mar 15 – First Council Meeting
Trust representatives Steve Mytton and Mike Welsh meet with Council Leader David Renard, as well as Councillor Garry Perkins and Head of Property Assets, Rob Richards. The sale of the County Ground to Swindon Town supporters was the only agenda item, with the Council retaining determined clauses in the sale..Read More
Mar 15 – When Harry Met Sammy
We had a special afternoon in the company of Harry Toffolo and Sam Parkin, who joined us to visit three schools within the Town. This supports our TrustSTFC vision of “Past, Present & Future” in that Sam represents ‘The Past’, Harry represents ‘The Present’, and the Children in the Schools..Read More
Jan 15 – Ticket Pricing Proposal
“Fill the Ground” Season ticket proposal is submitted to Swindon Town. Proposal is not accepted but we see much reduced Match Day walk-up price reductions for children the following season.
Jan 15 – Harry Toffolo
SWINDON Town fans came to the aid of their club to help ensure that Harry Toffolo remained at the County Ground until the end of the season. The 19-year-old defender had been a revelation since his arrival at the club, both on and off the pitch, and was quickly becoming a fans’..Read More
Jan 15 – Educational website launched
A new Trust in Schools website is launched within Swindon Schools, aimed at educating youngsters on the rich and fabulous history of Swindon Town. The website – www.learnaboutstfc.co.uk – supports the Trust’s theme of ‘past present and future’. It aims to give pupils the chance to read about the history of the..Read More
Nov 14 – Trust Family Day
First Trust Family Day sees a 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town; around 3,500 free tickets were distributed through the School partnership and the Stratton Bank was full with young Town fans. We had originally agreed with the club somewhere in the region of 800-1,200 free tickets, but once the numbers..Read More
Nov 14 – School Visits
Current Striker Jonathan Obika and Wes Foderingham were joined by Club Legend John Trollope to talk about Swindon Town at a local school. This was the first of many planned school visits by Swindon Town players of past and present, and it was a special occasion as Abbey Meads Primary..Read More
Jan 14 – County Ground ACV
Secured the designation of the County Ground as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). The ACV status is an essential tool to protect the continued use of our home for football. The stadium was one of the first buildings in the town to be given the protected status by Swindon..Read More
Apr 13 – Meeting with Jed
SWINDON Town board members rejected claims that they had personally taken £200,000 out of the club in consultancy charges and pledged to holding monthly fans meetings during talks between themselves and representatives of two supporters’ groups. Chairman Jed McCrory and general manager Steve Murrall were present at the event, organised..Read More
Jan 13 – Paolo Di Canio Offer
TrustSTFC offered the club the contents of the Red Army Fund to help pay for additional loan signings after manager Paolo di Canio was unable to obtain the money from the club. In the fraught circumstances of the time however the club declined the offer.
Mar 09 – Gordon Greer
TrustSTFC used the Red Army Fund to pay for the loan of Gordon Greer, who signed permanently a few months later and was made club captain.
Dec 07 – New Owners
A sale was however completed and the Trust welcomed the new owners, Andrew Fitton’s consortium.
Oct 07 – Protests
After the club failed to pay the final CVA payment and another takeover seemed to stall, the Trust called for protests against the board.
Dec 06 – Orange Campaign
TrustSTFC called for the club to enter negotiations with the Fans Consortium. It accused club directors of misleading shareholders at the AGM in regards to the final instalment of the Creditors Voluntary Agreement (CVA), due in June 2007, and said that the Fans Consortium would take the club off ‘life..Read More
Oct 06 – Fans Consortium
A Fans Consortium was proposed, which caused a backlash from the Wills family who then owned the club. Later it was announced that Bill Power backed the Fans Consortium.
Apr 06 – Bill Power
After relegation into League 2 TrustSTFC announced that it backed Bill Power and his investment into the club.
Feb 06 – Councillor Talks
TrustSTFC called on Councillors to help secure the club’s future in the borough.
Feb 05 – Michael Proctor
Michael Proctor became the first player to be financed through the Red Army Fund…and scored the winner on his STFC debut.
May 04 – Stadium Talks
After the failure of the club to get plans through for a new ground at Shaw Forest, TrustSTFC started a petition asking the Council to consult with the club about the possibility and location of a new stadium. Thanks to the Trust’s initiative in collecting some 4,000 signatures and its..Read More
Mar 03 – Original Red Army Fund Launched
TrustSTFC announced the launch of the Red Army Fund, jointly with the Supporters Club and STFC. This is ‘ring-fenced’ for the purpose of paying for improvements to the SwindonTown squad.
Dec 02 – Fan Board Membership Attempt
TrustSTFC tried, unsucessfully, to get Justin Tomlinson as a ‘fan on the board’. Justin was subsequently elected MP for Swindon North. He remains an active member of the Trust and supports the principle of fan involvement in Parliament.
Jun 02 – First Donation
TrustSTFC donated £8k to help pay for the club’s Wanborough training base for the year.
Mar 02 – First Public Meeting
With the club losing £5k a day and on the verge of administration for a second time, the Trust held a public meeting and announced that it wanted to play a more active role in the club’s survival: the Trust was particularly concerned about the debenture hanging over the club.