Fans put Trust in community

Many clubs at non-League level struggle to say afloat, with near rivals Weymouth the latest in a long line of teams facing an uncertain future.

The Trust therefore, which officially launched in July this year, is keen to ensure that Dorchester Town does not follow suit.

Chairman John Greenslade, who hopes to see a member of the Trust join the club’s board of directors in the not too distant future, said: “It would be very good to have representation on the board. One of our aims is to do that and apply for share ownership.

“We’d like the community to have a say in how the club is run, to help ensure the club’s future in the long term.

“Local clubs are so fragile in terms of their finances that the community interest will ensure that long-term sustainability.

“Fans are there forever and we want to ensure the club is there for them as well.”

Greenslade, although pleased with the amount of members already, is calling on the Magpies’ faithful to sign up to the Trust.

He said: “Membership is very positive right now, and we’ve got many more members than we anticipated at first.

“At the moment we’ve got 131 members and also corporate members as well.

“It’s important to kick on and try to get just as many members in our second year.”

Trust secretary Dave Ring added: “The youth set-up in Dorchester is massive and if we could get a certain percentage of that involved in the Trust – it’s actually free membership for those 17 and under – they can have their say and maybe have their cup finals at the stadium.

“We want to get the youngsters involved as well as the adults.”

Greenslade also gave thanks to Dorchester Town vice-president Eddie Belt, who has donated 1000 shares to the Trust.

He added: “We’re very grateful to Eddie Belt and we’d like to thank him for his very generous gesture.

“We hope it’s the beginning of a very substantial interest in the share ownership.”