These articles are published in the Slough Town FC programme. The Rebels play in the National League South in a swanky new ground. I’ve been supporting Slough since the beginning of time despite now living in Brighton.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

SUPPORTING THE TRUST

To be printed in the Southern Premier League game v Histon Tuesday 18th August 2015

For anyone not paying attention to the endless 'Year Zero' Sky adverts telling us non-believers to subscribe to the best league in the world, the middle-aged fat blokes drinking on the 8.39 to Brighton gave the game away. The football season had begun. My trip to cheer on The Rebels was my 39th season supporting the team (give or take a few years off for having a lobotomy).
The beginning of the football season is always one of anticipation. Football fans are usually either hopelessly optimistic or have a built in pessimism from endless years of hard knocks – the beginning of this season not helped by losing our second game 5-1! For many of those supporting clubs in the Premiership, the utter predictability means the best they can hope for is not being relegated or a place in the Europa league which has so many qualifying rounds it seems to start before the previous season ends. For non league clubs, while money obviously talks, seasons are a lot more unpredictable. So what would I like this season? One of consolidation and third round of the FA Cup would do nicely!
As its geographically impossible for me to be on the Slough Town Supporters Trust board, the least I can do is encourage people at the beginning of the season to join. Bellowing and carolling people into Ollie’s hut at the first home game of the season seems to do the trick.
It really is a no brainier to join the Trust. For starters, if you get the supporters coach to away games you get a massive £5 discount for every trip and you are insured if the game is postponed. But it shouldn't just be about what you can get out of being a member. A strong supporters trust really benefits the club. This season they are sponsoring the backs of the home and away shirts for £3000. Sponsoring half the running cost of Rebels Radio as well as publicising the commentary, working on finding co-commentators to help Adrian - in exchange for publicity of trust news during commentary. They also run the 500 club Rebel Lottery and golden goal and have linked with the STFC Predictions League. They also work hard publicising the club, during the summer attending school fairs at Weston House Primary and James Elliman Primary along with stalls in Slough High Street.
Trust board members also make sure home games run smoothly – who do you think misses part of the game by being on the turnstiles, runs the club-shop, sells programmes and golden goal tickets, picks up the litter at the end, collects wayward balls and all the other hundred and one jobs that need doing? Not to mention organising the work parties that made sure Beaconsfield's ground passed the Southern Premier League ground-grading rules.
As commander in chief Steve Easterbrook put it “Apart from all the great work that the Trust does in the community and all the benefits that members receive, being a member of the trust is a great way of being more connected to the club. The Trust also has a healthy representation on the club's management committee and therefore members have a direct input on how the club is actually run. At the end of the day...... the fans are the club and any organisation, such as the Trust, that brings true fans together can only have a positive impact on the long term future of this great club.”
So don't forget to throw in your spare change in the collecting buckets at the end of each home game.
* You can join the Trust on match-days, on-line or by sending cheques (made payable to STSA Ltd) c/o 17 Swabey Road, Langley, Slough, SL3 8NR. It's just £10 a year. Junior membership is £5
* For more info and news updates  
* You can follow the Trust on twitter and like their Facebook page 
* The Trusts AGM is at the Polish Club on Wednesday 9th September 8pm

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