York City chairman Jason McGill says Supporters Trust has role to play

The fans' body, who retain a 25 per cent stake in the Minstermen, has grown inactive in recent years by their own admission.

Earlier this year, McGill asked for ideas from the Trust to help fund the £500,000 annual shortage he estimates is needed to provide a competitive National League outfit after gate and commercial revenue is taken into consideration.

McGill is currently committed to filling that financial void with the possibility of acquiring some, or all, of the Trust's club shares in return, subject to a members' vote, discussed over the summer. No date for such a vote has since been set.

Malton-based businessman McGill has suggested, though, that one role for the Trust, in its current form, could be to provide a fundraising arm to operations, which it did to such a successful degree after rescuing the club with its takeover following the horrendous John Batchelor regime.

"Nobody can ever under-estimate what happened during those dark days in 2002/03 when the supporters raised £500,000 in such a short space of time," said McGill. "Without that, the football club would not be here.

"But with certain Supporters Trusts, donor fatigue can set in and it's very difficult to get people motivated after that initial surge when the football club seems safe. People also have jobs to do and can't afford the time to run a football club.

"The football club is about a tenth of the size of my company JM Packaging, but needs so much more management time. We do need a revitalised Supporters Trust though and myself and Trust chairman Ian Hey are trying to find a solution in terms of funding the football club going forward into the new stadium.

"There is a place for the Supporters Trust but we've got to identify what value it can add to the football club at this moment in time.

"Maybe it could lead fundraising initiatives and one might be to help accumulate the £500,000 needed to build a 3G pitch at our training ground."