The Association meeting in November 2016 decided to explore converting the Association in to a Supporters’ Trust, along the lines recommended by Supporters Direct. Members felt the Association was now established within the Broncos community, and converting to a Trust would signal the Association’s intent to play a full role in the long term future of the Broncos.
The 2018 AGM held on Wednesday March 21st at the Old Kings Head decided that the Association should become a Supporters Trust, and the Trust was formally established in July 2018.
This section of the site reflects the issues and debate within the LBSA before deciding on Trust status.
What would change about the aims and objectives of the Association?
Very little in actual fact. The objectives of the Association are set out in our About Us page, and the change to a Trust would add the objective of seeking to be involved in the running and perhaps ownership of the Broncos.
We are already the proud sponsors of the Broncos Academy, and the fund to allow this is down to those members who are members of our 100 Club, and those members (and visiting supporters) that support the TryTime raffle we successfully launched on match days in 2016.
We have also held very successful Heritage Days, with the Fulham Players’ Get Together at Rochdale the undoubted highlight so far. We have instigated our Hall of Fame and Roll of Honour; even producing Heritage warm up shirts for the squad at Heritage Day 2016.
2017 has been the most successful to date for charitable activity, with nearly £600 raised for CALM at the John Sullivan Trophy game and Evening with Stevo event tied in with the Super League State of Mind round.
The setting up of the Trust would convert us all in to Associate Members, with Full Membership on payment of an annual fee of probably £10 or so, with reductions for young and older members.
If so little is changing, why bother?
The addition of the aim to influence and take a stake in the Broncos is a large step. Its a declaration of the Association’s intent to play a positive and continuing role in securing a long term stable future for the Broncos.
A page on what a Supporters’ Trust entails is HERE, and all members feedback will be welcomed and due regard taken. Detail from Supporters Direct’s FAQ section has also been included in this sub-section of our site. Both meetings were unanimous in their support in principle for the change to a Trust, but there are over 280 of us and we need to have as many members as possible onside to make this change a success.
The Association was born from Yvonne and I leafletting outside the last home game at the Stoop against Huddersfield Giants back in August 2013. The Broncos were almost lost over that off season, and the decision to form an Association rather than a Trust back then was a sensible one.
I’m very proud of the strides the Association has made over the last three years, and I agree with those members at that meeting that we are now ready to step up to the next level of involvement and commitment.
STEVE NEWCOMBE