Swindon Town Football Club. 23rd in League 2. Six months away from the National League.
This hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the culmination of years of mismanagement and poor leadership at our beloved club. Did it start when Clem Morfuni acquired the club in 2021? No, it started a long time before that, but he is the owner today and the last three years have seen a dramatic decline on and off the pitch.
In May 2024, the Trust wrote an open letter to the owner, setting out our concerns around the lack of investment in experience, ground development and poor communication. It followed the club’s worst finish in living memory, something we all hoped would never be repeated.
Over the following months, the Trust reviewed progress in each of the areas of concern. In October 2024, we updated members with details of our discussions held with the club amongst a significant downturn in matchday attendances. It was clear that supporters were staying away in their hundreds, now thousands.
Last week, we launched a survey to assess members’ thoughts on the current situation. Whilst social media provides a quick and vocal view of many supporter’s thoughts, we know that not all members use social media or are prepared to make comments in a public forum.
The survey closed on Saturday afternoon. Around 60% of Trust members who responded to the survey now support protest of some description. 29% stated that they were already protesting by either staying away or not spending any money at the stadium (whether that be the shop or in the concourse area). 23% of respondents said they had no appetite to protest.
When we called for change in May, our focus was on how the club was being run day-to-day. Today there is less football experience within the club than there was six months ago. The Director of Football has left the club with no plans to replace him. Non-match communications remain poor. The Head of Media has just departed and whilst the role has been filled internally, there is now one less person in what was already an over-stretched department.
Within the Trust Board we had a six month time frame in mind, for the club to change the leadership and management strategy being adopted by the owner. In that time, things have gotten worse, not better.
It is said that one cannot do the same thing over and over and expect different results. Feedback is being ignored, lessons have not been learnt, and heads are buried in the sand.
A change of owner is now required.
Last week, the CEO told the BBC that the club is not for sale. Therefore, the Trust recognises and supports those who are planning peaceful protests to apply pressure on the owner to find someone who can reverse the decline on and off the pitch.
To be clear, such protests must be lawful, non-obstructive and not distracting during matchdays. As a fanbase, as difficult as it can be, we have to get behind the players and give them all the encouragement that we can. Every goal, every point is going to be critical come May and we shouldn’t do anything which makes that more difficult.
Whilst protest groups like the Spirit of 69 have a single goal in mind, the Trust’s focus needs to be broader. We have previously been contacted by interested parties in the club and remain open to contact from others in the future. As frustrating as it may be to supporters, these discussions will always remain confidential as we strive for more stable and sustainable ownership.
No matter the strength of feeling around a change of owner, two realities need to be kept in mind. Firstly, even if an interested party made an acceptable offer to the owner today, the time required for due diligence and the EFL Directors and Owners Test means that the upcoming transfer window (probably the most important transfer window in the club’s history) will take place under the current owner.
Secondly, it is unlikely that a sale will take place until Town’s EFL safety is assured.
Ownership change is not going to happen quickly. Therefore, the Trust will continue to engage with the current leadership team, holding it to account and representing supporters at every opportunity.
We are aware of comments made on social media suggesting that the Trust is compromised due to the joint venture relating to the County Ground and that this somehow prevents us objectively representing our members. Not only do we challenge this assertion, but we would argue that the opposite is true. The legal agreement between the club and Trust ensures that the club maintains its relationship with the Trust in order to approve stadium related matters (the recent vote on the telecoms mast being one such example). Were the relationship to break down, the risk is greater for the club than for the Trust.
Now is the moment for all supporters to unite. Division serves only those who oppose our shared mission – the survival of our club, our EFL status and the promise of a sustainable future. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Spirit of 69 and have had initial discussions with them on how we can collaborate to strengthen our cause.
The Trust Board is committed to working tirelessly for the immediate and long-term benefit of all supporters. We will keep members updated in the days and weeks ahead, but in the meantime we call again for everyone to get fully behind the team in some of the most important games of football our club has ever played.
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