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Supporters Trust At Reading
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Supporters' Trust At Reading" also known as "STAR", is the official organisation representing the interests of supporters of Reading Football Club everywhere. STAR is the successor to Reading Football Supporters’ Club, which was itself established in 1930.
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"Supporters' Trust At Reading" or "STAR" is the trading name of "Reading Football Supporters' Society Ltd", and was incorporated in the UK in March 2002 as an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS).
As an IPS, STAR, like most other supporters' trusts, is a non-profit making, democratically accountable supporters' organisation, and as an IPS is regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
STAR is managed on a day to day basis by a Board of between 12 and 15 people, at least 8 of whom are elected by the membership of STAR at elections held annually. Elections to the Board take place by rotation every three years and any STAR member nominated by ten other STAR members may stand for election to the Board at the Annual General Meeting, normally held in August with nominations by the end of May.
STAR Board Members meet at least monthly, and are responsible for the overall policy and financial direction of the Trust, including its relationship with Reading Football Club, and other football clubs, supporters' groups, the football authorities, the media and the local and wider community.
STAR has a number of objectives written into its constitution. These are:
- to strengthen the bonds between the Club and the community which it serves and to represent the interests of the community in the running of the Club
- to benefit present and future members of the community served by the Club by promoting encouraging and furthering the game of football as a recreational facility, sporting activity and focus for community involvement
- to facilitate the participation of supporters of the club in activities promoting football in communities throughout the United Kingdom
- to encourage the Club to take proper account of the interests of its supporters and the community it serves in its decisions and to honour the contribution made by the community in the past to the life of the club
- to acquire and hold shares in the Club or any company controlling the Club and to be an active and growing shareholder thus giving supporters collectively the opportunity to have a stake in the Club
- to promote the full, accountable democratic and constructive involvement of supporters in the running and direction of the Club, including the principle of supporter representation on the board of the Club
- to continue the work of Reading Football Supporters’ Club, with particular reference to away travel, ticket priority and Fans’ Forums.
STAR is an active participant within Supporters Direct and the Football Supporters' Federation.
STAR runs coaches for STAR members to all Reading FC away matches, with bookings taken in the STAR HQ behind the East Stand at the Madejski Stadium. STAR holds at least 3 Fans' Forums every season. Recent guests have included John Madejski, Steve Coppell, Bobby Convey, Kevin Doyle, Marcus Hahnemann and Stephen Hunt.
Representatives of STAR meet Reading FC's Senior Management Board every six weeks in order to discuss supporters' issues, and also have regular on-going contact with the relevant people at within Reading FC as appropriate.
In January 2006 STAR presented Reading FC with the “STAR Ticketing Blueprint”, outlining ways in which Reading’s fans’ believe that the Club's ticketing policies should operate in the FA Premier League.
In April 2006 STAR organised the “Raise the Hoops” event which involved Reading supporters filling the Madejski Stadium with hoops before the Championship match with QPR.
In August 2006 STAR ran a highly successful campaign to persuade Reading FC to grant broadcasting rights for live matches to BBC Radio Berkshire after these were set to be granted exclusively to intermediate station Reading 107.
STAR provides the questions which are used each week for BBC Radio Berkshire’s quiz “Royals Masterbrain.”
In August 2006, at half-time in Reading’s first Premier League match, versus Middlesbrough at the Madejski Stadium, STAR was presented with a Coca-Cola Championship Winners Medal, in recognition of the contribution which STAR and all Reading supporters had made to the previous Coca-Cola Championship winning season.
In February 2007, STAR organised a facility to allow Reading and other supporters the means to donate to the Ulises de la Cruz Foundation[1]. Born in Piquiucho, a small village in the Valle del Chota, one Ecuador’s poorest regions, De la Cruz has set up a foundation there to fund a number of projects serving the local community to which he donates about 10% of his salary[2].