THE official York City Supporters' Club have welcomed moves for a fans' representative sitting on the Bootham Crescent board.

Ray Wynn, supporters' club secretary and treasurer, described the compromise offered by the club as a positive step forward and "extremely encouraging".

The City directors announced the offer after rejecting a Fans Assisting City Together, an independent York fans' group, blueprint for supporters to take a £100,000 stake in the club enabling them to vote for a 'fan director' to sit on the board.

Wynn admitted the supporters' club now faces a busy summer in order to recruit the 1,500 new members and satisfy the board's requirement that it becomes one of the strongest in the League.

Currently, the supporters' club has around 250 members with branches in Malton, the Republic of Ireland, London and the South, Scotland and members dotted around Europe.

"It is a very positive step by the board," said Wynn "Whether it can be achieved for next season we don't know but we are certainly going to give it a good go."

He added: "The first thing we need to do is make membership, which costs £1 and is one of the cheapest membership fees in the country, more attractive," said Wynn.

"A bigger committee can help arrange more social activities so we initially need about ten people who are prepared to work on the committee and not simply attend meetings."

Wynn hoped the impetus provided by the board's offer could lead to the re-emergence of supporters' club branches in Harrogate, Pocklington and Knaresborough.

The latest meeting of the supporters' club was held last night and Wynn admitted the talk of a fan sitting on the board topped the agenda.

A statement issued by the board yesterday said they would be willing to invite a representative of the official supporters' club, properly elected by a ballot of members, to attend and take part in board meetings.

The plan would come into action if the supporters' club sees its membership swelled by 1500 although, for legal reasons, the fan would not have a vote nor be privy to "confidential matters" and "commercially sensitive information".