So why join the Supporters' Trust?

THE Supporters’ Trust is Newport County AFC’s majority shareholder, meaning the Exiles are a supporter-owned club.

The main purpose of the Trust is to raise funds for the club. The Trust does this via its membership fees and other fundraising, including profits from Bar Amber.

The Trust relaunched its membership scheme late last year, bringing in a tiered membership with fees starting at £5 a month or about 16p a day. The aim of these changes was to increase the amount of money Trust members – the club’s owners – were donating to the club.

The previous scheme cost members just £10 a year and meant the Trust was only donating around £30,000 a year to the club. The new scheme aims to increase donation levels to £100,000 a year – and we are closing in on that figure rapidly.

The return of midfielder Joss Labadie to the club earlier this season was part-financed by the Trust.

Trust membership brings with it a number of rewards and benefits depending on the membership tier, the most important of which is ownership of an EFL football club.

All members, irrespective of their membership tier, are entitled to priority when tickets are sold for cup matches. Trust members are guaranteed a ticket – and hundreds took advantage of this benefit ahead of the FA Cup fifth round match against Premier League champions Manchester City.

The Trust communicates regularly with its members via our website, social media feeds and monthly newsletter. This includes the process and deadline for priority ticket qualification.

For those who missed out on tickets, the solution is simple and cheap – join the Trust. A minimum outlay of £5 a month would have guaranteed you a ticket.