YORK City Supporters' Trust have echoed club chairman Jason McGill's plea for fans to show their backing for the community stadium project at a council meeting on Friday.

Liberal Democrat trio Cllr Nigel Ayre, Cllr Keith Orrell and Cllr Phil Cuthbertson have initiated a community stadium scrutiny call in, which will be discussed from 5pm at the City of York council's West Offices.

That meeting will be followed up by another on Thursday, October 9 when councillors will be asked to approve the £4million of public money needed to fund the new swimming pool that is to replace Waterworld on the Monks Cross site.

Without that investment, the building of a new community stadium for the Minstermen and York City Knights, scheduled to start next spring and be completed by the start of the 2016/17 football season, could be delayed or even scrapped.

McGill, whose company JM Packaging are 75 per cent majority shareholders of the Minstermen, has stated that any change to the current planned timetable could mean the club are forced to sell Bootham Crescent to pay off their £2million Football Stadia Improvement Fund loan, leaving the club homeless.

As a consequence, the Trust, former owners of the club who still boast a 25 per cent stake, have urged as many supporters as possible to make Friday's meeting.

In a statement, compiled by Trust chairman Ian Hey and board members John Lacy, Steve Beck, Mark Woodhouse, Martyn Jones and Sam Woodhouse, the fans' body said: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly that even a further delay to the building of the complex could spell the end of York City as a viable professional football club.

"Members of the York City Supporters' Trust have been here before and, were it not for grassroots fans with bucket collections, organising committees and a determination to gain fan ownership, the club would already be dead and buried. Indeed, it was from this fan-power struggle that there emerged the McGill family, who have put massive amounts of money, time and commitment into saving and renewing professional sport in the city.

"The Supporters' Trust have full confidence in Jason McGill and the York City board and we stand by their commitment to rebuild the football club. However, the long-term future of the club will only be assured when the stadium plan is delivered.

"We welcome the City of York council's generous financial support of this important leisure project, and all associated with York City and York City Knights would echo Cllr Sonja Crisp's plea that this project does not become a victim of local party-political in-fighting. The Trust, therefore, calls upon all of its membership, along with all York City and York Knights supporters, to make their voices and feelings known at both this Friday's meeting and at the one scheduled for Thursday, October 9."

 

‘Two clubs are a part of York’s heritage’

York Minstermen spokesman Frank Ormston would also like to see strong supporter representation from both clubs at the meetings.

He added: “Supporters of professional sport in the city hope that councillors of all parties will take into account not only the business case, but the sporting, community, and emotional cases as well. These are not as tangible as the numbers the councillors will want to crunch but, to thousands of people in York and further afield, they are just as important.

“The two clubs are a living part of York’s heritage, loved far beyond the ranks of those who attend matches, and far beyond the boundaries of the city. Councillors have a duty to examine every penny of council expenditure, but I also feel that we, as voters, have a right and a duty to hold the councillors to account.

“If they are going to try and sink the stadium project, they need to look into the eyes of the people they will hurt most as they do it.”