I’d like to start by extending a warm welcome to the players and officials of Brentford FC this evening, but especially to the fans who have travelled up from London to support their team in what is another masterstroke of planning by the boffins at the Football League. 

In putting together these articles this season, it’s become clear that Supporters Trusts at this level seem to be one of two distinct types.  There are those that tick along with a small membership base, steady but not substantial fundraising and a cordial but not hugely influential relationship with the football club.  This is very much the level that GTST operates at, and in a way this is a good place to be as it often signifies content amongst the supporter base at the way the club is run.  On the flip side, there are the types of Supporters Trusts that have a large and more importantly active membership base, that are able to raise huge sums of money for the football clubs they are aligned to and in some cases have a huge amount of influence via board level representation or in some cases have a majority shareholding.  Bees United are very much of the latter type, having obtained a majority shareholding (60%) and in turn becoming London’s first community-owned professional football club in January 2006.

Bees United is one of a handful of Supporters Trusts that in some respects pre-dates the formation of Supporters Direct (SD).  The Brentford Independent Association of Supporters (BIAS) had explored the idea of forming a fans’ co-operative for some three years before the launch of SD in 2000, and Brentford supporters were amongst the first to contact the new Government backed organisation for assistance. 

Keen to ensure that no existing supporter organisation was left out in the cold, BIAS contacted the separate Brentford Supporters Association as well as the handful of thriving fanzines, all of whom pledged their support.  Crucially, BIAS also had the support of the football club, and given the momentum it wasn’t long before a steering committee was formed and plans for a formal launch drawn up.  One month later, in April 2001, Bees United was launched in the company of hundreds of fans, directors of the club, former players, local dignitaries and MPs and other auspicious guests such as Dean Gaffney (!).

One similarity that BFC have with GTFC is a protracted and still ongoing search for a new home.  Plans were first unveiled in 2002 for a stadium development complex at Lionel Road, a site not too far from Griffin Park.  Bees United have a 1% share in the subsidiary company that has been set up to oversee this project (which gives Bees United the right of veto in specified scenarios), and a minimum of one representative on the board of directors of this subsidiary company.  Whilst the planned July 2012 completion date of the Brentford Community Stadium has had to be revised due to economic conditions, community involvement in this project has continued through the mobilisation of Bees supporters who have registered relevant skills and volunteered their services and ongoing dialogue with local residents groups and other stakeholders. 

Fundraising is the lifeblood of any Supporters Trust, especially one that by the end of 2006 had invested a whopping £1.4m into the football club to which it is aligned.  Bees United have operated a range of initiatives from the modest collecting tins placed in strategic locations across the community, to more ambitious activities such as the sponsored walks that are carried out on a regular basis.  April 2008 saw a group of supporters walk from Brentford to Stockport, raising £5,000 in the process.  September 2008 saw a group of supporters (including the one they nicked off us – The Gloryhunter) walk the more modest 27 miles to Wycombe.  Bees United also make use of a shopping portal similar to our own (reminder – BUY.AT/GTST), as well as running a popular ‘Sponsor a Striker’ scheme and holding regular events.

It’s clear that the level of involvement required to operate a Supporters Trust that has been as successful as Bees United goes far beyond a couple of hours a week in front of a PC, or attending a meeting once a month, and I can only applaud the continued dedication of the Brentford supporters in what they have achieved.  It only goes to show what can be achieved when people get off their bums and actually give their time for the good of a common cause rather than advising and finger-pointing from afar and anon via messageboards.  If GTFC supporters want GTST to have the same level of success, it’s time to stand up and be counted.   

For more information about Bees United, please visit www.beesunited.org.uk

Emma Blackbourn – GTST Board Member

www.gtst.net