View source for Luton Town Supporters' Trust

{{Infobox Organization
|name         = Luton Town Supporters' Trust
|image        = 
|image_border = 
|size         = 
|caption      = 
|abbreviation = 
|motto        = 
|formation    = 2003
|type         = Football Supporters' Trust, [[industrial and provident society]]
|status       = 
|purpose      = 
|headquarters = [[Bedford]], Bedfordshire, England
|location     = 
|region_served =
|membership   = 
|language     = 
|leader_title = Chairman
|leader_name  = Tony Murray
|main_organ   = 
|parent_organization = 
|affiliations = [[Supporters Direct]]
|num_staff    = 
|num_volunteers = 7
|budget       = 
|website      = [http://www.trustinluton.info/ Trust in Luton website]
|remarks      =
}}

'''Luton Town Supporters' Trust''' is a registered [[industrial and provident society]] which acts as the [[supporters' trust]], a democratic [[cooperative]], for fans of the English [[Association football|football]] club [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]].

Trust in Luton was established in June 2003 by a group of supporters following the highly controversial<ref name="GurneyTakeover">{{Cite web
| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2004/10/26/trouble_at_the_top_feature.shtml
| title= Trouble at the Top: Luton Kicks Off
| publisher = [[BBC Three Counties]]
| date = 29 October 2004
|access-date= 17 March 2014}}</ref> 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 [[Receivership|administrative receivership]].<ref name="GarySweet">{{cite web
| url = http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/sport/how-gurney-lost-control-of-hatters-1-1035696
| title = How Gurney lost control of Hatters
| work = Luton News
| publisher = Johnston Publishing Ltd
| date = 1 August 2003 
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref>

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.<ref name="TrustShares">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.lutontown.co.uk/fans/trustinluton/
 |title       = Trust in Luton
 |publisher   = Luton Town F.C.
 |accessdate  = 17 March 2014
 |url-status     = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120815044358/http://www.lutontown.co.uk/fans/TrustinLuton/
 |archivedate = 15 August 2012
}}</ref><ref name="TrustImageRights">{{cite web
| url = http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/trust-in-luton-1303-1419534.aspx 
| title = Exclusive: Trusting in Luton 
| publisher = Luton Town F.C. 
| date = 13 March 2014  
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> The Trust is also a member of [[Supporters Direct]], a government-led trust initiative.<ref name=TrustShares/>

==History==
In May 2003, businessman [[John Gurney (football chairman)|John Gurney]] and his consortium bought [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] for just £4 from owner Mike Watson-Challis.<ref name="FourPounds">{{Cite news
| title = Luton served as a warning to all would-be football profiteers: never underestimate the fans
| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/jimwhite/2389197/Luton-served-as-a-warning-to-all-would-be-football-profiteers-never-underestimate-the-fans.html
| work = [[The Daily Telegraph]] 
| publisher = Telegraph Media Group Limited
| first = Jim
| last = White
| date = 30 October 2004
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref name="kinnearsacked">{{Cite news
| title = Kinnear parts company with Luton
| url = https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/kinnear-parts-company-with-luton-591034.html
| work = [[The Independent]] 
| publisher = Independent News & Media
| first = Lindsay
| last = Harrison
| date = 24 May 2003
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> Gurney outlined his vision to, among other things, build a [[Formula 1]] track around a 70,000-capacity stadium, share the ground with [[National Football League|NFL]] and [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] franchises, and to change the club's name to ''London-Luton Football Club'' to tie in with the [[Luton Airport|local airport]] and make it more accessible to "customers"<ref name=GurneyVision/> living outside of Luton.<ref name="GurneyVision">{{Cite news
| title = Hatter Madness
| url = http://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/30-Clubs/2405-hatter-madness
| publisher = When Saturday Comes
| date = 10 September 2003
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> Gurney also raised the possibility of Luton merging with [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]], a club located over 40 miles away, in order to secure a position in [[Football League First Division|the league above]].<ref name="LutonWimbledon">{{Cite news
| title = Luton directors quit as far-fetched merger is mooted
| url = https://www.theguardian.com/football/2003/jun/10/newsstory.sport8
| publisher = [[The Guardian]]
| date = 10 June 2003
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> 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 Luton Town F.C. season|2003–04]] campaign, with the money (totalling almost £300,000) instead pledged towards the Trust.<ref name=GurneyVision/> 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.<ref name=GurneyTakeover/> 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.<ref name=GurneyTakeover/>

The Trust devised a strategy and began to acquire shares in the club's major creditor, ''Hatters Holdings'', an [[offshore company]] that was owed several million pounds by the club.<ref name=GarySweet/> ''Hatters Holdings'', now majority-owned by a combination of Trust in Luton and prominent supporter spokesman Gary Sweet, deliberately placed the club into [[administrative receivership]] on 14 July 2003 to successfully force out John Gurney after a turbulent 55 days in charge.<ref name=GarySweet/><ref name="GurneyOut">{{Cite web
| url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/luton_town/3064171.stm
| title= Gurney loses control of Luton
| publisher = BBC Sport
| date = 14 July 2003
|access-date= 17 March 2014}}</ref>

As a shareholder in the club's major creditor, the Trust was part of the group of creditors who agreed to sell the club to a consortium headed by [[Bill Tomlins]] in December 2003, with the sale completed in May 2004.<ref name="TomlinsSale">{{cite web
| url = http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/sport/hatters-takeover-go-ahead-1-1038529
| title = Hatters takeover go-ahead
| work = Luton News
| publisher = Johnston Publishing Ltd
| date = 5 December 2003 
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> The Trust was provided with a place on Luton's board and initial success followed, as the club won promotion to the [[Football League Championship|Championship]] under the new owners during the [[2004–05 Luton Town F.C. season|2004–05]] season. In June 2005, the Trust led calls for the cancellation of a planned friendly match between Luton and [[Milton Keynes Dons F.C.|Milton Keynes Dons]]. The match was called off, with the "franchise"<ref name=womblesontheirway/> nature of MK Dons, which went against much of what the Trust stands for, cited as the primary reason for supporter disaffection.<ref name="womblesontheirway">{{cite news
| first = Ivor
| last = Heller
| title = Wombles are on their way
| url = https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/sep/01/sport.comment7
| work = [[The Guardian]]
| publisher = Guardian News and Media
| date = 1 September 2002
| accessdate = 17 March 2014
| location=London}}</ref>

In April 2007, Tomlins resigned his position as chairman following an investigation by [[the Football Association]] into irregular payments made by the club's parent company, Jayten Stadium Limited, and confirmed that illegal payments had been made to incoming players' agents.<ref name="TomlinsResigns">{{cite news
| title = Tomlins Resigns
| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2007/04/11/bill_tomlins_resigns_110407_feature.shtml
| publisher = BBC Three Counties
| date = 11 April 2007
| access-date = 17 March 2014}}</ref> The Trust's board representative remained unaware of any illegal payments, leading to other board members at the club to apologise to Trust in Luton, stating that they had misled them as to the serious nature of the investigation and the club's financial situation.<ref name="Mislead">{{cite web
| url = http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/sport/mitchell-s-invitation-to-view-club-accounts-1-1025832
| title = Mitchell's invitation to view club accounts
| work = Luton News
| publisher = Johnston Publishing Ltd
| date = 31 May 2007 
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> The Trust, having since sold its share in ''Hatters Holdings'', was powerless to act as [[David Pinkney]] was confirmed as new chairman two days after Tomlins' resignation.<ref name="PinkneyArrives">{{cite news
| title = Pinkney named new Luton chairman
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/luton_town/6553927.stm
| publisher = BBC Sport
| date = 13 April 2007
| access-date = 17 March 2014}}</ref> Relegation to [[Football League One|League One]] followed a week later. In October 2007, the Trust had its seat on the board withdrawn and, a few weeks later, the club was docked ten points after entering administration.<ref name="SeatWithdrawn">{{cite news
 |title       = Club Withdraw Trust's Seat on the Board
 |url         = http://www.clubsincrisis.com/luton_town.html
 |publisher   = Clubs in Crisis
 |date        = 19 October 2007
 |accessdate  = 17 March 2014
 |url-status     = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131222210541/http://clubsincrisis.com/luton_town.html
 |archivedate = 22 December 2013
}}</ref><ref name="BBC7108271">{{cite news
| title = Luton suffer 10-point deduction
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/luton_town/7108271.stm
| publisher = BBC Sport
| date = 22 November 2007
| access-date = 17 March 2014}}</ref> The administrators ultimately sold the club in February 2008 to the fan-backed Luton Town Football Club 2020 consortium – headed up by former Trust in Luton director Gary Sweet. The consortium had agreed a deal with the Trust for them to buy, when in a position to, 50,000 shares to ensure the club would have a greater level of fan ownership and involvement.<ref name="TrustShares 2">{{cite news
| title = Update from the Committee
| url = http://www.trustinluton.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104%3Aupdate-from-the-committee&Itemid=65
| publisher = Trust in Luton
| date = 20 October 2012
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref> Luton were relegated to [[Football League Two|League Two]] at the end of the season and then, following a 30-point deduction for financial irregularities, to the [[Conference Premier]] during the [[2008–09 Luton Town F.C. season|2008–09]] season.

Trust in Luton formalised the ownership of its 50,000 shares in October 2012 during a meeting with the club's officials.<ref name=TrustShares/> The same meeting led the Trust to begin stepping up its involvement with the club, including an agreement to hold quarterly meetings with Luton directors and for the establishment of a scheme where shares could be sold to fans via the Trust.<ref name=TrustShares/> This also saw Trust in Luton start campaigning for answers from the footballing authorities for why other clubs, such as [[Watford F.C.|Watford]], [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] and [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]], had received lighter punishments than Luton (who had been docked 40 points in two seasons and had large fines imposed) for comparative financial misdemeanours.<ref name="TrustWatford">{{cite news
| title = FDC findings on Watford FC
| url = http://www.trustinluton.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114%3Afdc-findings-on-watford-fcc&Itemid=65
| publisher = Trust in Luton
| date = 24 March 2013
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="TrustPompey">{{cite news
| title = Pompey start with a clean slate next season – we got slammed for 20 points
| url = http://www.trustinluton.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115%3Apompey-start-with-a-clean-slate-next-season-we-got-slammed-for-20-points&Itemid=65
| publisher = Trust in Luton
| date = 26 April 2013
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref>

In March 2014, it was confirmed that Trust in Luton had been given the legal right to veto any future changes to Luton's identity, no matter who owns the club, including its name, nickname, colours, club crest and mascot.<ref name=TrustImageRights/> This step to empower Luton fans led to the Trust's membership tripling in one day.<ref name="TrustTripled">{{cite news
| title = Trust membership has TRIPLED...
| url = https://twitter.com/trustinluton/status/444502611044339712
| publisher = Trust in Luton official Twitter account
| date = 14 March 2014
| accessdate = 17 March 2014}}</ref>

In November 2014, Trust in Luton merged with the long-established Luton Town Supporters' Club.<ref name="TrustLTSC">{{cite news
 |title       = Town fans get united!
 |url         = http://www.trustinluton.org/index.php?view=article&catid=1:latest-news&id=130:town-fans-get-united&format=pdf
 |format      = PDF
 |publisher   = Trust in Luton
 |date        = 17 November 2014
 |accessdate  = 14 May 2015
 |url-status     = usurped
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150518090102/http://www.trustinluton.org/index.php?view=article&catid=1:latest-news&id=130:town-fans-get-united&format=pdf
 |archivedate = 18 May 2015
}}</ref>

==Current board==
:''As of 14 May 2015.''<ref name="TrustBoard">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.trustinluton.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=28
| title = About us
| publisher = Trust in Luton
| accessdate = 17 March 2014
}}</ref>
* Chairman: Tony Murray
* Secretary: Steve Townsend
* Treasurer: Les Miller
* Membership Secretary: Allan Kirk 
* Board Members: Chris Lavey, Terry Hopper, Alisdair MacLean
* Luton Town Supporters Liaison Officer: John Miller

==President and patrons==
:''As of 14 May 2015.''<ref name=TrustBoard/>
Like similar societies and organisations, Trust in Luton have a president and patrons:

'''President'''
* [[John Moore (footballer born 1943)|John Moore]] (former Luton manager who led the club to their highest-ever league finish, and later became the club's youth coach)

'''Patron'''
* Joan Bartholomew (widow of comedian [[Eric Morecambe]], a prominent supporter of Luton Town and former president of the club)

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://www.lutontownsupporterstrust.com/ Official website]

{{Luton Town F.C.}}

[[Category:Luton Town F.C.]]
[[Category:Supporters' trusts]]