Trustees elected to Supporters' Direct Council

The Exeter City FC Supporters' Trust are very pleased to report that long-serving Trustee, Neil Le Milliere has been re-elected to the England and Wales Council of Supporters’ Direct.

In addition, Trustee Pete Martin has been elected to the same Board putting our own Supporters’ Trust in a stronger position within the Supporter movement.

Neil had this to say about his and Pete’s success: “Standing for election or re-election is always a little bit nerve racking especially as you don’t have a clue as to how many other people are standing until its announced. I was obviously very pleased for Peter and myself on a personal level as I believe we can both bring a lot to the council and Peter’s presence as a fellow Grecian will be a source of pride to me and I hope our fellow Grecians.

"However with my SD hat and the wider responsibility of my Chairmanship of the England and Wales Council I am disappointed there weren’t more people prepared to stand and get involved as the best testament to what we are about is our democracy and diversity and that only comes about by having a wide pool of volunteers willing to stand.”

We can only hope that their example will encourage more supporters to come forward to offer their time, either on our own Trust Board or other organisations such as Supporters’ Direct.

When asked what influenced his decision to stand, Pete said: “The Supporter ownership model is very close to my heart and I believe in the principle of it very strongly, but it is something that remains a pipe dream for many supporters, even at many clubs where there are active supporters' trusts. I don't think this will alter radically until there is some sea change in thinking, both at club and national level. At many clubs, the divide between the supporters and the owners gets progressively wider and, at some, supporters suffer almost authoritarian control by the clubs' owners, taking the club away from its roots and, in turn, the local community.

"I strongly believe that we need to fight to bring football back to the fans and would see my involvement with SD to be primarily directed towards that end. Whilst a lifelong fan of Exeter City, I have a strong interest in the world of football in general - at all levels.”

During his time on the Board Pete hopes to ensure our own Trust gains wider local and national publicity while also aiming to do the following:

· To promote the concept of Supporters' Trusts and, in particular, supporter control in football clubs at all levels.
· Encourage supporters to become involved and engaged with their clubs.
· Work with others to engage with both local and central government to encourage and promote incentives, such as tax incentives, towards wider supporter involvement and ownership.