Trust in us

That message is being driven home by one of the men behind tomorrow's Trust launch at the Barbican

Several local businesses have already come forward to form a City of York Council-led consortium to try to buy the club - now Graham Ibbetson wants to see the same kind of commitment to the Trust.

Ibbetson, who is the chairman of the business section of the Save City campaign's steering committee, explained the Trust's strategy to negotiate a deal before March 31. That is the date which will see City resign from the Football league unless City chairman Douglas Craig completes a deal on the sale of Bootham Crescent.

Ibbetson, managing director of Simpsons, a marketing and communications company, said: "We have been in negotiations with key parties over the past few weeks regarding the future of the club and Bootham Crescent.

"The future of the club is likely to go down one of two routes and in both cases the Trust is key.

"The first of these involves us partnering a 'football friendly' investor to buy the club and the ground.

"The second of these involves the ownership and operation of the club being separated from the ownership of Bootham Crescent. In both cases, it looks increasingly likely that the club's long-term future may be at a new ground within the City, providing a sustainable basis for the club."

"It is absolutely crucial that everyone gets behind a solution to maintain the club.

"From tomorrow we need to have a business framework that will underpin a strategy so the two work collectively in taking over the club.

"The deal is effectively simple, the only thing that is difficult is getting people behind the business plan. Once the business plan is in place, which can be done in days, then we can work up to March 31 to do a deal with Bootham Crescent Holdings (the football club's landlords) and then plan from then to the start of next season how this club is going to be run."

To get all this in place Ibbetson, a former Wolves trainee, Dumbarton, Scarborough, Harrogate Town, Goole Town and York RI player, wants the business community to get behind the Supporters Trust.

"I think the most important thing of all is that the Trust has some strength and collateral behind it," he said. "We have organised ourselves in a credible fashion, we have organised ourselves legally and we have acumen within the Trust across the board.

"What we need now is a show of strength in the terms of the community and most importantly in local business and authorities so we can stand up in our own corner and be a major player in influencing the ability to manage the football club.

"Also we need the strength behind us so we can work with potential investors and make sure that all stakeholders involved in this opportunity have a contribution which they feel is acceptable.

"Tomorrow we plan to launch the Trust in legal terms - this means not only are we a credible group of individuals, but collectively a legal entity and then attract interest from all parties.

"What I would love to happen is to have substantial support, not only from the community and the supporters, but from local businesses who have already stated that they would be interested in supporting York City FC financially.

"There has already been a large financial commitment in relative terms from local businesses, who are major businesses in York, to collectively build collateral for the club to support its running.

"That has not gone away - we would plead those business to maintain the commitment behind the Trust and negotiate the best possible deal in terms of football and the commercial side of the club.

"This will allow us to stand side-by-side with any investor with some real clout to look at joining forces in purchasing the club and maintaining the viability of the club."

</bullet> There will be more on Friday night's Trust meeting in tomorrow's Evening Press plus a look at the Fans United Day and Saturday's City v Lincoln City game.

Updated: 11:39 Thursday, January 31, 2002