Rugby Oldham, the supporters trust, held its annual general meeting recently, and in effect it established a position from which the trust will be able to go forward with something of a reset writes IAN WILSON, Rugby Oldham secretary
This has three separate dimensions :
- When the trust was set up in 2005, it took the form of an Industrial and Provident Society, a one member, one vote democratic organisation, operating under the rules of what is now the Financial Conduct Authority [FCA]. After a few issues during the worst of the covid period, the trust is now, after the AGM, fully updated in terms of the FCA’s requirements relating to documentation, and so will be able to move forward smoothly.
- The trust was also one of the first in rugby league to operate under the auspices of the national organisation Supporters Direct [SD], and so was able to base all its rules of operation on that body’s structures. However, SD no longer exists, and has been replaced by the Football Supporters Federation[FSF] - which, as its name suggests, does not admit rugby league - based supporters groups into membership. However, it has itself recently generated updated rules which comply with altered national legislation and custom and practice, and at the AGM Rugby Oldham voted to adopt new rules, based on those of the FSF, which are also fully up-to-date.
- Thirdly, the trust’s own aims and objectives were formulated when the club was operating under a very different regime from that which is now established. However, the imminent move to Boundary Park, and the agreements in place between the club and Oldham Athletic, really require that these aims and objectives be reconsidered. This will be done in the near future, with the aim being to be in a position to launch a drive early next year to expand both its membership and the range of its RL-supporting activities in the town.
