SUPPORTERS of York City could soon have a fans' representative sitting alongside the club's board of directors.

The club have announced the move after rejecting one City fans' group blueprint for supporters to take a £100,000 stake in the club.

York chairman Douglas Craig and his fellow directors today formally turned down the proposal submitted by Fans Assisting City Together (FACT), confirming their initial reaction that the plan was "based on a false premise and is commercially flawed".

However, the directors, in an effort to be "constructive", have issued a statement saying 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 board's plan would come into action if the supporters' club sees its membership swelled by 1,500 to "reinvigorate and produce one of the strongest supporters' clubs in the League", said the board.

The only restriction on the representative would be that for legal reasons, the fan would not have a vote nor be privy to confidential matters and commercially sensitive information.

Greg Stone, spokesman for FACT, formerly Fans Against Craig's Tyranny, said today he felt dejected by the board's rejection and the tone of their reply - the statement issued by the board questions the credentials of FACT.

"There has been a lot of enthusiasm for our constructive proposals from a broad range of supporters, and not just supporters of FACT, so this response is very disappointing," said Stone, who offered little enthusiasm for the idea that a fan be elected from the supporters' club to the board.

He added: "We feel we have made our point and done what we can by putting forward positive proposals. We will now consider our position but will continue to advise and point out politely where we think things can be done better."

The FACT proposal planned to raise a fund of at least £100,000, which would be used to form a mutual society and to buy new shares in the club, which FACT claimed had a theoretical share capital of £200,000.

Fans would purchase "units" of between £50 and £2500 in the fund, which would entitle them to vote for a "fan director" who would sit on the board.

The statement issued by the club today said: "The unfortunate reality is that the proposals in the document are somewhat facile.

"What assurance can anyone give that all the people who might buy the proposed 100,000 shares would in fact be supporters let alone fans of the club?"

It concludes: "As Stone always assures us that he has the support of the fans we are sure that he would find recruiting 1,500 of them to join the supporters' club a simple task and far easier than persuading them to buy shares."

Stone said he has been invited by the Football Supporters' Association to attend their annual conference this summer at Coventry City's Highfield Road and make a presentation on the FACT proposal.

"It is considered to highlight best practice," he said.