"Supporters' Trust At Reading" also known as "STAR", is the official organisation representing the interests of supporters of Reading Football Club everywhere. STAR is the successor to Reading Football Supporters’ Club, which was itself established in 1930. Reading Football Club is an association football club, based in the English town of Reading, in Berkshire. ...

Constitution and Organisation

"Supporters' Trust At Reading" or "STAR" is the trading name of "Reading Football Supporters' Society Ltd", and was incorporated in the UK in March 2002 as an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS). An Industrial and Provident Society (IPS) is a legal entity for a trading business in the United Kingdom. ...

As an IPS, STAR, like most other supporters' trusts, is a non-profit making, democratically accountable supporters' organisation, and as an IPS is regulated by the Financial Services Authority. In British sports, a supporters trust is a formal, democratic and not-for-profit organisation of fans who attempt to strengthen their influence over the running of their team, often by raising money to buy shares in the club. ... The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is an independent non-departmental public body and quasi-judicial body that regulates the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. ...

STAR is managed on a day to day basis by a Board of between 12 and 15 people, at least 8 of whom are elected by the membership of STAR at elections held annually. Elections to the Board take place by rotation every three years and any STAR member nominated by ten other STAR members may stand for election to the Board at the Annual General Meeting, normally held in August with nominations by the end of May.

STAR Board Members meet at least monthly, and are responsible for the overall policy and financial direction of the Trust, including its relationship with Reading Football Club, and other football clubs, supporters' groups, the football authorities, the media and the local and wider community.

Objectives

STAR has a number of objectives written into its constitution. These are:

• to strengthen the bonds between the Club and the community which it serves and to represent the interests of the community in the running of the Club
• to benefit present and future members of the community served by the Club by promoting encouraging and furthering the game of football as a recreational facility, sporting activity and focus for community involvement
• to facilitate the participation of supporters of the club in activities promoting football in communities throughout the United Kingdom
• to encourage the Club to take proper account of the interests of its supporters and the community it serves in its decisions and to honour the contribution made by the community in the past to the life of the club
• to acquire and hold shares in the Club or any company controlling the Club and to be an active and growing shareholder thus giving supporters collectively the opportunity to have a stake in the Club
• to promote the full, accountable democratic and constructive involvement of supporters in the running and direction of the Club, including the principle of supporter representation on the board of the Club
• to continue the work of Reading Football Supporters’ Club, with particular reference to away travel, ticket priority and Fans’ Forums.

Activities

STAR is an active participant within Supporters Direct and the Football Supporters' Federation. Supporters Direct is a British government initiative, funded by public money, with offices in London and Glasgow, aiming to help people who wish to play a responsible part in the life of the football club they support. They offer support, advice and information to groups of football supporters. ... The Football Supporters Federation is an organisation representing football fans in England and Wales. ...

STAR runs coaches for STAR members to all Reading FC away matches, and holds at least 3 Fans' Forums every season. Recent guests have included John Madejski, Steve Coppell, Bobby Convey, Kevin Doyle, Marcus Hahnemann and Stephen Hunt. John Robert Madejski, born Robert John Hurst on April 28, 1941 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, is a British businessman, mainly active in publishing and the hotel industry. ... Stephen (Steve) James Coppell (born July 9, 1955 in Norris Green, Liverpool) is the manager of Reading Football Club. ... Robert Francis Convey (born 27 May 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) is a footballer who currently plays on the left wing for Reading in the FA Premier League. ... Kevin Doyle (born 18 September 1983 in Wexford, Republic of Ireland) is a professional footballer with Reading. ... Marcus Hahnemann (born June 15, 1972 in Seattle, Washington) is an American soccer (football) goalkeeper, who currently plays for Reading in the English Football League Championship. ... Steven Hunt (born August 1st, 1981 in Laois, Ireland) is an Irish footballer. ...

Representatives of STAR meet Reading FC's Senior Management Board every six weeks in order to discuss supporters' issues, and also have regular on-going contact with the relevant people at within Reading FC as appropriate.

In January 2006 STAR presented Reading FC with the “STAR Ticketing Blueprint”, outlining ways in which Reading’s fans’ believe that the Club's ticketing policies should operate in the FA Premier League. The FA Premier League (often referred to as the Barclays Premiership or just The Premiership in the UK and as the Barclays English Premier League, the English Premier League, or simply the EPL internationally) is a league competition for football clubs located at the top of the English football league...

In April 2006 STAR organised the “Raise the Hoops” event which involved Reading supporters filling the Madejski Stadium with hoops before the Championship match with QPR. The Madejski Stadium is a football stadium in Reading, England. ... The Football League Championship (often referred to as The Championship for short or the Coca-Cola Football League Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the FA Premier League. ... Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English football team, from Loftus Road, Shepherds Bush, Hammersmith in London. ...

In August 2006 STAR ran a highly successful campaign to persuade Reading FC to grant broadcasting rights for live matches to BBC Radio Berkshire after these were set to be granted exclusively to intermediate station Reading 107. BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire. ...

STAR provides the questions which are used each week for BBC Radio Berkshire’s quiz “Royals Masterbrain.”

In August 2006, at half-time in Reading’s first Premier League match, versus Middlesbrough at the Madejski Stadium, STAR was presented with a Coca-Cola Championship Winners Medal, in recognition of the contribution which STAR and all Reading supporters had made to the previous Coca-Cola Championship winning season.

External links

• STAR - Supporter's Trust At Reading