Trust in Luton
| Formation | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Type | Football Supporters' Trust, industrial and provident society |
| Headquarters | Bedford, Bedfordshire, England |
|
Chairman
|
Tony Murray |
| Affiliations | Supporters Direct |
|
Volunteers
|
7 |
| Website | Trust in Luton website |
Trust in Luton is a registered industrial and provident society which acts as the supporters' trust, a democratic cooperative, for fans of the English football club Luton Town.
Trust in Luton was established in June 2003 by a group of supporters following the highly controversial takeover of Luton Town by John Gurney. Luton's current Managing Director, Gary Sweet, was a founding member and former director of the Trust, and was part of the movement that successfully forced Gurney out by deliberately placing the club into administrative receivership.
The Trust owns 50,000 shares in the club's holding company, Luton Town Football Club 2020 Limited, and currently holds the right of veto over any changes to the club's identity – the only such organisation that has this right in English professional football. The Trust is also a member of Supporters Direct, a government-led trust initiative.
In May 2003, businessman John Gurney and his consortium bought Luton Town for just £4 from owner Mike Watson-Challis. One of Gurney's first acts was to sack Luton manager Joe Kinnear and his assistant, Mick Harford – both popular figures with Luton's supporters. Gurney outlined his vision to, among other things, build a Formula 1 track around a 70,000-capacity stadium, share the ground with NFL and NBA franchises, and to change the club's name to London-Luton Football Club to tie in with the local airport and make it more accessible to "customers" living outside of Luton. Gurney also raised the possibility of Luton merging with Wimbledon, a club located over 40 miles away, in order to secure a position in the league above. This proposed destruction of the club's history and culture led to a group of supporters establishing Trust in Luton to protect the future of Luton Town and provide a unified voice to protest against Gurney's involvement. The Trust successfully convinced many supporters and local sponsors to vote with their feet and refuse to buy season tickets or invest in the club for the 2003–04 campaign, with the money (totalling almost £300,000) instead pledged towards the Trust. The club was later revealed to be losing £500,000 a month and, by July 2003, the players and staff had not been paid for two months. Combined with The Football League withholding television and league sponsorship money due to the ongoing uncertainty, there was a very real threat that the club would be declared bankrupt within a matter of weeks.
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