AFC Telford to discuss future at Southwater
AFC Telford United bosses want fans to help them decide the future direction of the club, starting tomorrow at the town's new Southwater leisure complex.
Bucks managing director Lee Carter last weekend declared that the time had come to consider a possible change to the club's current supporters-owned model, to make them more competitive in the non-league's top tier and beyond.
A campaign has now been launched to discuss the issue and the club is hoping to hear from as many fans as possible at Telford's new Southwater Development, which has its official launch tomorrow.
The Bucks will have a stall in Southwater Square all day with staff on hand to speak to supporters about the issue.
And more events are being planned in the near future to canvas fans' opinions.
AFC Telford chairman Ian Dosser said: "To compete in this division, we have to increase our income in a sustainable way. The purpose of this and other events will be just to start the dialogue.
"We are 100 per cent supporter-owned, and both (managing director) Lee Carter and I are huge supporters of the supporters-owned model, but there may be other ways of attracting outside investment as well.
"And in a fans-owned club that is not just something we want to do as a board. It is something we want to discuss with our supporters and the wider community.
"With the Southwater development opening, it is one of a number of events where we can have that dialogue."
He added that the ownership model debate was only one aspect of the campaign though which also aims to reinvigorating support for the club as it seeks to turn results around on the pitch and bring back the spirit that was generated upon it's formation in 2004.
Dosser will travel with the team to Kingfield Stadium for the team's clash at Woking tomorrow.
But Carter will be at Southwater, where he will make a speech at 3pm to outline what the new campaign will consist of.
And he is urging people to come along to find out how they can getting involved in helping the club move forward.
He said:"There has been a lot of debate within the club recently about whether the model of ownership is still fit for purpose.
"Following a meeting of the supporters yesterday, it was agreed to launch a campaign to involve all sections of the clubs support and the wider community in Telford.
"It's a debate about what sort of football club we want in the town."
