SWINDON Town Football Club and TrustSTFC have agreed and signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding open communication and transparency going forward.

The document contains many of the promises and pledges owner Clem Morfuni made to the supporter group before he took over the club in July, and Town say it “highlights the commitment of both parties in our relations going forward.”

Town’s CEO and former vice-chair of TrustSTFC, Rob Angus signed the article on the club’s behalf while current chair Steve Mytton represented TrustSTFC.

In the three-page document, Town reiterated its desire to become the leading club in terms of fan engagement after coming last for the previous two seasons in a row. Meanwhile, the Trust says its primary aim is to serve as a critical best friend of the club by running any plans past its members first.

Some of the other key points from the document include: engaging with fans, all supporter groups, the local community, and all media outlets as well as providing regular updates around the financial status of the business, as well as filing full accounts on time.

The signed memorandum also states the club must: “answer all questions from local media outlets and never seek to censor or avoid questions, unless it would compromise the club’s position in a competitive market or reveal confidential information such as undisclosed transfer fees or individual’s salary details.”

In a statement released by the club, Town CEO Rob Angus, said: “The MOU is an important step in formalising the open and transparent communication that we will have with supporters going forward.

“We want our club to be known as the most engaging and transparent club in the Football League, and this agreement, coupled with the advisory board and the ongoing engagement we will provide to media and fans, will hopefully illustrate and ensure that we come in the top places of the Fan Engagement Index.

“I would like to thank the Trust for their support, and we look forward to working with them openly going forward, along with the Official Supporters Club and the Disabled Supporters Club.”

Meanwhile, TrustSTFC chair Mytton said: “Signing an MOU with the club is a really significant step forward and builds on the recent good progress and positivity.

“It’s a formal agreement between the supporters and the football club that sets out a framework for continued openness and transparency and ensures the promises that have been made publicly in recent months will be honoured.

“At the moment there are only 10 such agreements in place across all 92 professional clubs, and ours will be the 11th.

“We hope other trusts and clubs continue to follow this same trend and initiate similar agreements because ongoing constructive dialogue between football clubs and fans is crucial to the health of our overall game.

“This is the latest in a series of clear and positive actions that are helping to improve the future of our football club. Fans’ voices will finally be heard and respected, and that’s all we’ve ever wanted.

“We’d like to thank TrustSTFC and all involved from both organisations in making this a possibility, as well as the input from the Football Supporters’ Association.”

Read the full Memorandum of Understanding by clicking on this link