Members from the Sky Blue Trust Board will be amongst the audience when The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP, speaks to football fans from all over the country at the 4th Supporters Direct National Conference, on Thursday 28th October at the British Library in London.
The Chancellor, a Raith Rovers supporter, was unable to appear in person, so is recording a video message to be broadcast to delegates from Supporters Trusts from all over the UK, which will be the first time a Chancellor has addressed a national gathering of football fans.
The Chancellor announced a review of the tax position of Supporters Trusts in last year's Pre-Budget Report, with the outcome due to be announced towards the end of the year.
Mr Brown's message will be the seal of approval for an initiative that has grown from a small idea from the football task force in 1999 to an organisation that has formed over 100 trusts that have brought £10M into the game and helped save countless clubs from extinction.
Also addressing the conference will be Sir Brian Mawhinney, Chairman of The Football League, and former Coventry City player Mick McGuire, Deputy Chief Executive of the PFA, and with representatives from the game's governing bodies, including the Premier League and Nationwide Football Conference already confirmed, the gathering will be the high point of the last four years of hard work across the trust movement.
Fans will later discuss issues affecting the game, including securing fans representation within the FA as part of the review of the governing body, and will hear from representatives from the supporters' trust currently fighting to prevent a takeover of Manchester United.
Respected journalist and writer, David Conn, will also be launching his new book 'The Beautiful Game? Searching for the Soul of Football", at a reception on the day.
The event is also being supported by Random House, publishers of the sporting imprint 'Yellow Jersey Press', football administrators Grant Thornton, football magazine When Saturday Comes, Cobbetts Solicitors of Manchester and the Co-op Bank.
The Chancellor, a Raith Rovers supporter, was unable to appear in person, so is recording a video message to be broadcast to delegates from Supporters Trusts from all over the UK, which will be the first time a Chancellor has addressed a national gathering of football fans.
The Chancellor announced a review of the tax position of Supporters Trusts in last year's Pre-Budget Report, with the outcome due to be announced towards the end of the year.
Mr Brown's message will be the seal of approval for an initiative that has grown from a small idea from the football task force in 1999 to an organisation that has formed over 100 trusts that have brought £10M into the game and helped save countless clubs from extinction.
Also addressing the conference will be Sir Brian Mawhinney, Chairman of The Football League, and former Coventry City player Mick McGuire, Deputy Chief Executive of the PFA, and with representatives from the game's governing bodies, including the Premier League and Nationwide Football Conference already confirmed, the gathering will be the high point of the last four years of hard work across the trust movement.
Fans will later discuss issues affecting the game, including securing fans representation within the FA as part of the review of the governing body, and will hear from representatives from the supporters' trust currently fighting to prevent a takeover of Manchester United.
Respected journalist and writer, David Conn, will also be launching his new book 'The Beautiful Game? Searching for the Soul of Football", at a reception on the day.
The event is also being supported by Random House, publishers of the sporting imprint 'Yellow Jersey Press', football administrators Grant Thornton, football magazine When Saturday Comes, Cobbetts Solicitors of Manchester and the Co-op Bank.