▪ What is Blues Trust?
Blues Trust is a democratic, non-profit Supporters’ Trust set up by Blues fans for Blues fans. As one of many Supporters’ Trusts established by fans at clubs throughout the Football Leagues, we want Blues fans to have a greater say in the way that Birmingham City Football Club is run.
Blues Trust was registered with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on 21st February 2012 and is required to produce annual, independently examined accounts.
▪ How can I join?
There are several ways that you can join Blues Trust:
1) Using our online application form
Simply use our online membership form found here to sign up as a member. You will need to have a PayPal account in order to pay your membership fee. If this is an issue, please use an alternative sign up method or contact us directly at info@bluestrust.org.
2) Post
If you are struggling with our online membership form, you can also become a member of Blues Trust via post. Simply download this form by clicking here, print it out at home and fill in the necessary details. The Trust accepts both cash and cheque payments.
NOTE: Cheques must be made payable to ‘Blues Trust’ or to ‘Blues Supporters Society Limited’. You should mail both your application form and chosen method of payment to the following address:
Blues Trust
c/o Royal George Hotel Bar
Garrison Lane
Birmingham
B9 4PN
3) Direct bank transfer
The Trust also accepts direct bank transfer payments should you deem this to be a quicker and easier alternative. The Trust is currently with the Unity Trust Bank and all the details you will need can be found below:
Account name: Blues Supporters Society Limited
Account number: 20282536
Sort code: 086001
Should you decide to use this payment method, please ensure that you contact us by email at
info@bluestrust.org and include your full name, address and contact details.
▪ You can never buy the Club. What’s the point?
It is unlikely that Blues Trust will be able to buy a critical mass of shares to gain a seat on the BCFC Board. Instead, our aim is to simply increase the voice of Blues fans by formalising a collective engagement with the club. The Trust cannot speak for all Blues fans but only for its members, so we would like to have as many members as possible. Whilst we believe that the Blues Board, Chairmen and employees should be allowed to run the club without interference, we also believe that as temporary custodians of the club they have a responsibility to engage with fans in an equal, mutually beneficial partnership. Presently there is little formal structured or transparent engagement between fans and club and little way that we as fans can raise questions and if necessary, hold the club to account. Blues Trust aims to help formalise this role, acting as a bridge between club and fans, so we will be proactive in encouraging as many fans to join as we can.
▪ Supporters’ Trusts only work where clubs have gone into administration. Blues may have some financial problems, but we’re in the black…
Supporters’ Trusts have been created at other Championship clubs like Portsmouth and Leicester when they have run into severe financial or administrative problems. Given the uncertainties over the Blues’ finances and ownership, we would like to ensure that Blues fans have a structure through which they can work with the club both now and in the future. We believe that whilst the board have a duty of care to run the club in the interests of the supporters, we as fans have a duty to make sure there is an open and transparent mechanism in which problems can be addressed and issues dealt with. The Supporters’ Trust model is a successful way that fans can work through.
▪ Fan protests have been tried at Blues before and have never worked. Why should you be any different?
We are not a protest group. We do not believe that fans can successfully engage with the club if the basis for that relationship is negative, knee jerk or based on single issues. Instead, we aim to create an open, transparent and democratic structure through which fans can raise their voice and help the club better communicate with its fans. We also have a clear sense of what we want. We aim to build fan influence and ownership within BCFC. We can only claim to speak for our members, but we are united in the belief that we want Blues to be all it can be.
▪ Supporters’ Trusts might be OK at lower league clubs like Telford, Wimbledon and Exeter, but not at bigger clubs like Blues.
Supporters’ Trusts have been formed by fans of Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and each acts as an important channel through which fans can raise their voice. However each Supporters’ Trust is different and the agenda and direction of Blues Trust will be determined democratically by its membership.
▪ If the Board does not want to engage with you, or fans don’t want you, what’s the point of a Supporters’ Trust?
Each Supporters’ Trust has its own issues and priorities. Some have succeeded in securing fan representation on their clubs’ Boards, others have bought their clubs and others still exist solely to deal with their own unique circumstances. It will be up to the membership of any Blues Trust to decide how it will work, its priorities and how it will measure its success. It will not be up to those currently involved in helping raise the profile of a proposed Supporters’ Trust to dictate an agenda to any future membership.
▪ How much is this going to cost me?
Full membership (16 and above) is £5 per annum. Junior membership is free. All members aged 16 and above will be entitled to vote.
