YORK City Supporters' Trust is embarking on a recruitment drive ahead of the new football season.

A total of 300 annual members are yet to renew after the June 30 expiry date and the Trust are hoping that number will drop during the first weeks of the new Conference campaign.

Lapsed Trust members will have the opportunity to renew at today's home match with Crawley Town at the club shop's new information point.

Membership forms can also be downloaded from the Trust web-site.

Life memberships have, meanwhile, risen to almost 500 in recent weeks and Trust board member Richard Snowball said: "Maintaining and increasing our membership base is a key challenge for the future."

Membership benefits include an ownership stake in the Trust, which owns the football club and its stadium.

It also brings voting power for the Trust board and the option to stand for election, as well as the opportunity to be invited to a match as a special guest of the club board and a series of preferential business discounts from local businesses.

City's new-look official web-site has been launched.

On-line visitors can now check fixtures and ticket prices on www.ycfc.net and there is also a link to the Evening Press' This Is York site.

London-based City supporter Andrew Clayton and his company Cybernic Internet Services have created the site.

Updated: 12:50 Saturday, August 13, 2005