WORCESTER City will become a fan-owned club after shareholders overwhelming rubber stamped a supporters’ trust takeover.

All remaining shares in the homeless Midland Football League outfit – approximately 46 per cent of the business – will be gifted to Worcester City Supporters’ Limited, the community benefit society (CBS) that runs the trust.

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And with supporters keen to back the new era, pledges to transfer shares to the trust to take them past the magic 50 per cent-plus-one mark for a majority stake are already being made.

In practice the trust will act as an umbrella organisation over the club that will still operate as a limited company for now with its existing board in place, three of whom are directors of the trust.

A special resolution to change five elements of a constitution that had stood for more than 90 years was passed by more than 80 per cent of shareholders at last month’s annual general meeting (AGM), crossing the required 75 per cent threshold for change.

That became an ordinary resolution which needed to be passed by 50 per cent within one month – a convincing 82.92 per cent voted in favour tonight on Tuesday.

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Club chairman Steve Goode, a member but not a director of the trust and long-term advocate of the plans, said: “It was brilliant, it just proves people want change.

“This has taken a long time to achieve but to have 80-odd per cent support was really good. There was a good turnout with some sensible questions which had positive answers.

“I have been out speaking to ex-directors and major shareholders throughout this process and gained a lot of positive feedback.

“There are people with differences but in the main, they all said they wanted to back the club and I know they have.

“All of a sudden we have a lot more people involved in the club now we are going for a one-person-one-vote system.

“I have no more power in this club than anyone else and to me that’s important. When things are decided we have proper discussions.

“In the past things have got blocked because some people had more say than others, now everyone is on the same level which can only be good for the club.

“It might cause some other issues, ideas might split people but that’s life. In the end, everyone will have the power to make decisions and help their club move forward.

“I think we will get a lot more interest through this and the people of Worcester should be proud of what is happening.”

As a CBS, the trust operates through a board of 11 directors which takes day-to-day decisions with bigger calls voted on via a one-person-one-vote basis.

The trust board is made up of chairman Dave Wood, who is also a club director, vice-chair and club historian Julian Pugh, incoming secretary Lyndon Roberts, Rich Widdowson, Jem Pitt, Bosko Medakovic, Ken Johnson, Gavin Warr, Neil Cox, Mike Davis and Luke Cox.  

Davis and Luke Cox are also club directors. 

It is highly unlikely – particularly given that a number of shares are now inactive – the trust could be overhauled in any vote but the aim is still to get over 50 per cent and grow from there so the club itself eventually becomes a CBS.

The club is checking its legal position on the minimum number of shares individuals can hold before gifting begins to ensure current shareholders do not lose their status.

“We gave out forms after the meeting (for people to transfer shares across to the trust) and I don’t see any problem with that, I think we will get enough to take us past 50 per cent very quickly,” Goode added.

“A lot of people indicated they would like to do that once the change happened.”