The Bath City FC Supporters Society has succeeded in securing a third of the £300,000 target needed to allow the Society to take a majority stake in the club and move Bath City FC into community ownership.
As of Wednesday 7th September, £112,668 had been confirmed. The Society has until Wednesday 28th September to reach its target.
During Tuesday evening’s home match against Oxford Town, club chairman Paul Williams was accompanied by lifelong Bath City fan and film director Ken Loach who gave a joint Q&A presentation to fans from the pitch during half-time.
During the presentation they reiterated the importance of supporting the bid and the pressing need to achieve the conversion of the pledges from last year into actual shares now.
The £300,000 target will be achieved if all pledgers convert, but there is also the chance for any new individuals or businesses to get involved now via a Crowdfunder appeal.
Speaking later, Nick Blofeld, the potential new Chairman of Bath City FC said: “We feel positive that people are getting behind the bid, but will always want more to get involved now.
“We had a very good response at the home match against Whitehawk where we secured £5000 of pledges, and the following day we received a pledge of £5000 from France.
“This shows the wide appeal of the bid. But while we know the traditional fans are behind the bid, we still need more people and businesses from Bath and the surrounding to support this great community project.
“The bid is about more than the club itself. It is about giving Bath the football club it deserves and helping to improve the Twerton Park area of the city by developing a community-owned asset that will benefit a wide range of people.
“A successful and well run football club can be at the heart of the area’s regeneration, even helping to support local businesses as the number of fans increases.
“There are no downsides to moving the club into community ownership, and we encourage anyone who is proud of their city to support us and to help us reach our target.”
The Supporters Society encourages all Bath residents and businesses to visit www.bigbathcitybid.org.uk for more information on how they can get involved, or confirm their previous pledges still stand.
