BREAKING: SWINDON TOWN FC AND SUPPORTERS TRUST AGREE PARTNERSHIP DEAL TO PURCHASE COUNTY GROUND

SWINDON TOWN FC and Swindon Town Supporters Group (represented by Swindon Town Community Mutual limited) have agreed a deal in principle to jointly purchase the Energy Check County Ground from Swindon Borough Council for an agreed fee of £2.2 Million.

Completion of the sale will mark a big step forward under the ownership of Lee Power as for the first time in its history the club will own its own ground.

A 50/50 partnership with Swindon Town Community Limited places the club’s supporters as major stakeholders within the County Ground.

Attending a press conference at the County Ground earlier this afternoon, Lee Power [Swindon Town Owner and Chairman], Steve Mytton [Chairman of the Swindon Town Supporters’ Trust], and David Renard [Leader of Swindon Borough Council] spoke to Total Sport Swindon and the local media. 

The deal represents a major landmark for Swindon Town and Club Chairman Lee Power insisted it is a step in the right direction for STFC.  

‘’We are announcing the sale of the County Ground in joint partnership with the supporters at the football club,” said Power. 

“This provides huge benefits [to the football club.] It had probably come at the right time and you’ve seen the accounts and the finances that have been put into the football club.

“In modern day football everyone owns their own stadium and it becomes a seven day a week venue, receiving significant income that obviously helps on the football side,” he added. 

“This football club has never had that so this gives us a fantastic opportunity as a football club to get some extra revenue in and make the stadium more modern and more welcoming. 

“Obviously we’ll be working with Steve [Mytton] and the supporters to make it a home that they can become proud of,” he said.

Striking a dual ownership deal with the Swindon Town Supporters’ Trust provides fans of the club a chance to own significant shares of the County Ground. 

Speaking at the County Ground earlier this afternoon, Supporters Trust Chairman, Steve Mytton, gave an insight into how share costs will operate and the next steps involved. 

“The Swindon Town Supporters Trust is the vehicle for issuing community shares and we want every Swindon Town supporter to get involved in that and we want thousands of fans to get involved,” said Mytton.

“We’ll make sure it’s possible for that to happen. A key point is [cost of shares to fans] and we’ll be discussing this more at our AGM on the 15th of March.

“We want to make it very affordable and we’ll get that price down to as low as we can,” he added. 

Purchase of the County Ground will finally conclude negotiations between Power and the council spanning over a period of over four years. 

And when asked for his view on the key part fans will play in the clubs future, Lee Power had nothing but praise for the Swindon faithful. 

“I’m only a custodian of the football club, there was a gentleman before me and people before that, but one thing for sure is that there will always be supporters here and they will always support their football team,” stated Power.

“It’s quite a unique situation with modern football to redevelop a site within a town centre when most teams nowadays sell the land off and they get moved away somewhere outside of town.

“This will go down in history and hopefully the supporters will see now that the stadium is in a safe pair of hands,” he added. 

“I think everyone can see the way football is at the moment and support is always key.

“The football stadium has been here for 140 years and it will be here a long time once everyone in this room is gone,” said Power. 

However, despite the substantial positive elements that the deal brings with it, taking ownership away from Swindon Borough Council presents fresh financial risks for the club. A responsibility that Power insists will now rest with the supporters.

“The security then falls back to the supporters,” said Power. 

“David as like me has many other headaches and bigger holes to fill as well like we all do in this day and age.

“There are big jobs at the council and I have one here trying to fund this place and I think having the security in the supporters knowing that they have an input and they’ve got their hands on it means they will have a position and a voice. 

“In other football teams owners come and go and do what they want with different assets and different things, but that can’t happen here,” he said.

“From my perspective, this was the most attractive thing in doing the deal because that could never be the thing that the finger is pointed that way. 

“That was never my intentions here and my intentions have always been football here and doing my best on that side.

“When the opportunity came up to do this deal it made total sense,” added the Chairman.

Ownership of the County Ground brings with it the chance to see developments begin within the stadium and the surrounding areas, with Power and Mytton keen to highlight how this was a big draw for everyone involved in the deal. 

“We’ll take a view on what’s available at other football clubs, what’s needed within the area, and what we think will generate extra revenue for the football club,” said Power. 

“We have to work in line with the planning restrictions but we are very confident that we can put together something which suits the community, the football club, and the supporters.

“It’s going to be very exciting,” he said.

Final steps to seal the deal will be conducted over the coming weeks with a final decision being made on the 20th March at a Swindon Borough Council meeting. However, Council leader David Renard quashed any worries stating that he expects full backing from his fellow council board members. 

“The decision has to go to the cabinet on the 20th March but I believe my colleagues are very much behind this proposal,” said Renard. 

“I fully expect it to go ahead. The 50/50 partnership protects the community, protects the supporters and protects the owners of the club. 

“There is still a covenant on the whole County Ground site and that remains in place so any development will, of course, have to go through the planning department with the relevant planning permissions,” he said.