As supporters who attended or watched the fans’ forum last month will remember, we have been exploring converting Oldham Athletic Supporters Foundation from a company limited by guarantee to a community benefit society.
This would provide a variety of benefits, particularly access to new ways of fundraising, including government grants and community shares, to boost the 1895 Fund, which now stands at over £50,000 due to your generous donations.
Building on the excellent links forged by Push the Boundary with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, we have been working with the Football Supporters Association, Co-operatives UK and Greater Manchester Combined Authority to convert to a community benefit society quickly and smoothly and maximise the benefits for the future of Oldham Athletic.
Tomorrow, directors of the Supporters Foundation are attending the Co-ops Congress in Birmingham where they will take part in a session at 11:00 with Andy Burnham and Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, on the benefit of co-operatives for local communities like ours. You can get a free online ticket to watch the session.
We are bringing together expertise from various supporter groups and independent supporters to realise our vision of a prosperous future. We look forward to sharing more details on our conversion to a community benefit society in the coming months.