Oldham Athletic Supporter's Foundation Trust

Welcome to the Oldham Athletic Supporter’s Foundation Trust website.  This site is dedicated to you and all Oldham Athletic supporters past and present wherever they may be.   

 The Oldham Athletic Supporter’s Foundation Trust has been established to provide the opportunity for Latics supporters all over the world to have a real sense of involvement in the re-building of their club and to share in its future success. The major reason for the formation of the Trust is the realisation that the idea of depending on a single benefactor as Chairman needs to be seen as very much a part of the past, a high risk strategy which leaves the club constantly vulnerable to any unforeseen changes in circumstances.   

The principal objective of the Trust at the outset is to take action by means of an ambitious initiative on behalf of the supporters of Oldham Athletic, to reduce the risk surrounding the club’s future as far as may reasonably be possible and potentially before it is too late. The initial aim is to direct all funds raised in the first two years towards supporting the club as the club strives to achieve its own financial equilibrium.  This will hopefully coincide with the club re-establishing itself in the First Division.     

The Trust will operate wholly independently of the club but work closely in Partnership with the club, representing the interests of the body of supporters within the Trust.  The aim of the initiative is to provide a continual flow of cash into the club and bring to maturity a lot of good work by supporters from previous initiatives, also to enhance the supporter’s role in the future direction of the club. The initiative will be promoted in the first two years to assess the potential interest that can be generated.  The projected idea at this stage is that if the initiative is proving a success after two years, then it is logical that the Trust takes on a shareholding from the club up to a maximum of twenty-five percent.  These shares will be exchanged on the basis of income generated over the previous two years and as a real and ongoing investor, the Trust will take on a directorship with the club as a voice of the spectator in the boardroom. As the club continues to make progress both on and off the field, the Oldham Athletic Supporter’s Foundation Trust will hopefully have made a significant contribution to the stability of the club and provide a firm foundation upon which prospective investors may express themselves as Chairman and Director.   

The Oldham Athletic Supporter’s Foundation Trust has been established and registered with limited liability as a Shareholding Trust.  This means that the Trust Fund operates without financial liability to the Trustees or to supporters funding the initiative.  There are five trustees at the outset to establish the initiative as a fully operational entity in the first two years.  The names of the trustees are listed below. The next step is therefore to encourage Oldham Athletic supporters to ‘Keep the Faith’ and to take a keen interest in maintaining a club with a progressive stature while there is the opportunity; and to support this affordable initiative. 

The Trust Fund is established on the principle of financial solvency, promoting financial solvency within the club itself, transparency around finances and financial planning and to encourage a more corporate and integrated management approach which incorporates the supporters interests via the Oldham Athletic Supporter’s Foundation Trust, as a major shareholder.  We do not expect the supporters of Oldham Athletic Football Club to be in the dark with regards to the club’s financial position. This prudent approach neither need be perceived to be inconsistent with real progress on the field of play.  The idea of managing the club from within its resources is preparation for the club to compete readily and capably within the constraints of its hopefully expanding income base.  This approach will develop Oldham Athletic as a more attractive proposition for prospective investors in a club where the financial structure is being managed to produce a platform for further progress on the field of play. 

So how is all this to be achieved?  The drive in the first two years will be to generate interest in the supporters who are passionate about Oldham Athletic who are willing to commit themselves to supporting the initiative with £1 per week or what is affordable for a period of five years.  The base of the initiative is affordability and a pound per week is hoped to reach as many supporters as far and wide as possible. As an example, if the initiative can generate up to £5,000 per week in the first year, this is in excess of a quarter of a million pounds.   Over two years this is half a million pounds worth of shares.  This is 5,000 supporters signing up to £1 per week or 2,500 supporters committing themselves to £2 per week.    Either way, this initiative gives the supporters of Oldham Athletic a real voice in the boardroom. Do you have any friends who are Latics fans who would be willing to make a similar commitment to invest in the future of your club?   Take a look around.  This may not be as unrealistic as it may seem.  In the future, this will really feel like your club.  That passion for the club is what we really need to tap in to now. Before it really is too late.  The total monthly income achieved will be posted on the website to clearly display the initiative’s progress.

A Direct Debit form can be downloaded from the site to make payment directly in to the Trust Fund account at the HSBC Branch in Union Street, Oldham.  Your name and residential location will be placed on register on the site.  All contributions from business sponsors to bolster the initiative will be registered under the Corporate Sponsors Register on the site. 

Whilst the initiative may appear ambitious today, we are seeking no more than an affordable commitment that can make a real difference to the future of Oldham Athletic Football Club.  The Oldham Athletic Supporter’s Foundation Trust is an opportunity for supporters to seize this opportunity to secure the future of the football club and to place the infrastructure of the club on a firm and secure footing. Please join us today.  Keep the Faith.  A pound may only be a drop in the ocean but every rain drop makes a lake!  Together we can make it work.    

All images used throughout the site are reproduced with the kind permission of Oldham Athletic AFC.