What Is An Open Meeting?

We are planning on holding an Open Meeting in Manchester in January 2007 but this is subject to availability of a suitable venue. If discussions progress well with the Club then we would ask the Club for permission to hold it at the ground. If that is not possible we will find an appropriate venue on a day which we feel would attract the most amount of supporters possible.

All supporters whether they are shareholders, season ticket holders or not will be invited to attend. The meeting will be used to introduce Supporters Direct and the principles and philosophy behind the Supporters Trust movement. It will also be used to provide examples of other trusts in existence. A guest speaker or two will also be present.

At the meeting, we will present our aims and proposals for the trust as well as allow time for a "question and answer" session to ensure that supporters have their say and can raise points that are important. This part of the meeting is crucial and will ensure that the views and concerns of the supporters are known which can then be used/ addressed in the next phase.

At the end of the meeting the supporters present will vote on the proposal to establish a working group to go ahead and register the Trust. If the vote is successful that working group will work towards the formal launch of the trust and will work on areas include the drafting of the constitution of the trust, registering it with the appropriate authorities, open bank accounts, draft membership forms, dealing with the media etc.

If the vote is successful the numbers in the current working group will need to be increased. There will be a place at the Open Meeting for supporters to sign up as additional members to the working group where those supporters will be asked to confirm their availability and the skills they have to offer. We have been e-mailed with offers already and have kept these on file to be added to the list compiled at the Open Meeting. We understand that it may not be possible for all interested supporters to make the meeting and with that in mind we will accept at that time offers by post & e-mail.

We are currently finalising a "Roadmap" document setting out our plans to the Open Meeting. The first draft has been accepted by Supporters Direct and is subject to minor change. We expect to finalise the Roadmap within the next seven days and will publish a condensed version here for your information.

As normal, all queries, input and feedback are welcomed please e-mail us on mcfcsupporters@hotmail.co.uk If you do not currently receive our newsletter please also e-mail us.