Terms and Conditions

Memo of Understanding between TrustSTFC, Swindon Town Supporters' Club and Swindon Town Football Club re the "Red Army Fund"

1. This document sets out the structure of the fund to be established by Swindon Town Community Mutual Limited (hereinafter referred to as "TrustSTFC") for the purposes of improving, enhancing and/or increasing the playing staff of Swindon Town Football Club (hereinafter referred to as "the club") through the fund that is to be known as the "Red Army Fund" (hereinafter referred to as "the fund"). Swindon Town Supporters' Club (hereinafter referred to as "the Supporters' Club") are also backers of, and participants in, the fund and signatories to this agreement.
2. The purpose of the fund is to increase the playing staff of Swindon Town Football Club, whether temporarily or permanently, in time of need. Any monies donated by the fund to the club are to be used to bring in new players or loan players by paying part or all of a player's wages or transfer fees. These monies are to be considered additional to, not a supplement of, the club's normal budget for playing staff or new signings.
3. A Fund Management Committee will administer the fund. The Fund Management Committee will consist of: a member of the TrustSTFC board; a fund treasurer to be nominated by the TrustSTFC board; and a nominee from the Swindon Town Supporters' Club; members of the Fund Management Committee will serve on the committee for a period of two years, or until such time as their nominating organisation decides they should be replaced.
4. The members of the Fund Management Committee shall elect a chairperson from one of the three supporters’ representatives on the committee.
5. The Fund treasurer will be responsible for day-to-day administration of the fund, although it is anticipated that effective day-to-day running of the fund will be carried out by TrustSTFC under the management of the fund treasurer.
6. The club may at any time apply to the Fund Management Committee for funds to bring in new players (under the conditions of section 1). Any such application will be considered by the Fund Management Committee on the merits of each application and any disbursements will be subject to the funds being currently available: no application will be granted against anticipated future funds.
7. Where funds are sought to meet the costs of a loan player's wages, these funds will be paid to the club upon production of an invoice from the loaning club (i.e. the club which holds the player's contract) and an invoice from the club.
8. No payments will be made to third parties involved in a transfer or loan deal - e.g. to players' agents, solicitors, advisers etc.
9. Any payments made shall be fully in accordance with the appropriate regulations laid down by the Football League and the Football Association and other applicable governing organisations. It shall be the responsibility of the club to ensure the conditions of such compliance are met in full.
10. No individual or group of donors to the fund shall have the right to veto or otherwise influence any decision made by the Fund Management Committee as to the suitability of a player brought before the Fund Management Committee for consideration. The intention of the fund is to make available to the club manager funds for improving the playing staff that may not otherwise have been forthcoming - not to provide a fans' "veto" on the manager's decisions.
11. The Fund Management Committee may request to review the details of a contract before payments are agreed; however no member of the Fund Management Committee may disclose such details to any other party, whether connected to the club, TrustSTFC, the Supporters' Club or any other party claiming a valid interest. Players' contracts are, like any other employment contract, confidential and this will be respected.
12. Where a player has been signed directly (as opposed to an "on-loan" player) due to monies supplied by the fund, should the player subsequently be sold by the club, the club shall repay the fund the costs incurred by the fund in signing the player and, should the fee be greater than the original purchase fee, a percentage of the net profit from the sale, at a rate of 50% if the sale is within the first 18 months after signing or 25% in the following 18 months. For the purposes of calculating the net profit of the sale, costs shall include the player's wages, employers' National Insurance contributions, insurance and other costs that may have been incurred directly from the player's employment for which there is documentary evidence.
13. When a new player is signed, either permanently or on loan, due in whole or in part to monies made available by the fund, the fund shall be given full credit in associated press information (including the use of the fund logo/images etc.) and the player be reasonably made available from time to time for the purposes of promoting the fund itself (e.g. attending fundraising events, use of images in promotional literature/merchandise etc). Equal prominence should be given to the fund and the club in any press announcements regarding the signing of any such player.
14. When a player signed, either permanently or on loan, as a result in whole or in part of monies given by the fund, leaves the club, the club shall provide a current playing strip jersey worn and autographed by the player in question for the purposes of promoting the fund.
15. The club shall make available to the fund resources to promote the fund: this is to include (but not limited to) permission to affix business advertising to the walls of the stadium concourses and toilet facilities of the ground; space on one or more of the advertising hoardings next to the pitch (of at least the same size as that offered to businesses entering into a standard commercial sponsorship deal with the club); wall space in the "home fans" areas (i.e. the Town End, South (Don Rogers) Stand and North (Arkells) Stand) for a fans' "wall of fame" to recognise individual fans' donations; the club shall also make reasonable space available in the match day programme for promoting the fund; the fund will be given the right and access to affix either business advertising or a fan's message/logo to seat backs in the location of their choice (i.e. a fan/business could specify a seat in a designated seat/block of seats for their chosen message). The fund will undertake to carry out such application of signage to seat backs and structures in a responsible manner with due regard to property belonging to the club and further to responsibly remove the signage upon the natural expiration of any contracted period of sponsorship.
16. The fund shall be self-funding – that is, it is anticipated that the ordinary running costs of the fund such as marketing and promotion costs (e.g. costs of producing leaflets and other publicity materials), merchandising etc. will be met from money collected by the fund rather than by the club, TrustSTFC or the Supporters' Club. This does not preclude any of the participating organisations making donations to the fund from time to time.
17. Should for any reason the Fund Management Committee unanimously decide that the fund should be dissolved, any remaining monies should be used to promote grass roots football and as such the Fund Management Committee will donate any monies to appropriate organisations for the benefit of football in the Swindon community.

Swindon Town Community Mutual Limited, trading as TrustSTFC, an Industrial and Provident Society registered with the Registrar of Friendly Societies under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts 1965-78. All references to the ‘Trust’ or TrustSTFC on this site are to the Swindon Town Community Mutual Limited that holds funds, under its rules, for the benefit of the community and not in trust for its members.