Telford fans vote for trust

An historic vote at the Ice Rink on Tuesday saw fans of Telford Tigers decide to create the very first ice hockey supporters' trust in the UK.

Around 100 followers - including players past and present - attended an open meeting to hear how the successful trust model in operation at AFC Telford could be applied to the Premier League ice hockey team, enabling the supporters to own and manage the organisation themselves.

The club was left without management in April when former owners David and Rachel Candlin stepped down to pursue other interests, and attempts to find someone else to run the club were unsuccessful.

However, fans Mike Dixon and Andy Phillips were convinced that a supporters' trust would enable a larger group of fans to get involved in managing the club. The duo worked through the summer to investigate the possibility, and organised last night's meeting to hand over their idea to the fanbase.

Afterwards, Mr Dixon said he was "thrilled and relieved" that there was new hope for the team and that he looked forward to seeing the Tigers back on the ice in 2010 - the 25th anniversary of the original Telford Tigers.

The meeting included an explanation of trusts by James Mathie of Supporters Direct, the organisation that provides advice and guidance to more than 150 supporters' trusts. David Embery, chairman of AFC Telford Utd Supporters' Trust, and Adrian Plimmer and Mike Davis from ShrewsTRUST also talked about their own clubs' experiences and answered the many questions Tigers fans posed.

Also speaking was Paul Kalinauckas, chairman of Co-operatives West Midlands, who outlined the benefits of co-operative working and the ethical values on which such organisations are based.

Following the vote by fans to initiate a supporters' trust, a working group will liaise with Supporters Direct to register with the Financial Services Authority and later a 'Launch Party' will be arranged, when the team's followers will be able to sign up for membership and a board can be elected to take Telford Tigers forward.

Anyone wishing to become more involved with the trust formation can register their support by emailing interest@telfordtigers.co.uk.

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