Hartlepool United Supporters' Trust to explore possibility of 'equity investment' and issue appeal for new members

It is at an early stage and Pools owner Raj Singh would need to consider the possibility before HUST consulted its members.

All football has been suspended with all clubs suffering from a lack of matchday income and drop in commercial revenue.

Pools last week made redundancies and HUST has offered affected staff their sympathies while also exploring ways it can help the club.

A HUST statement read: "As fans of HUFC we are no doubt concerned about the impact that the suspension of the current season will have on our club, highlighted further by the recent news that several long serving, hardworking staff have been made redundant.

"We of course wish those well in the future and thank them for their service to the club.

"Whilst we are lucky that we still have an owner who is seemingly willing to support the club, we cannot hide from the fact that this crisis is having an impact on the club financially.

"At HUST we have always stated we would be interested in equity investment as a fans community and recognise that this is the time to step up preparation for this.

"We have approached Mark Maguire to present this as an option to explore and we hope that this is something the club will consider.

"Whilst we believe this, along with other offers of support we have presented, will help support the club with both short and longer-term strategies, we must stress that ultimately it is a decision for Mr Singh whether he wants to consider this investment or not before we consult our members."

HUST has also appealed for more fans to become members.

"Whilst current membership levels are more than respectable for an associated Supporters Trust of a football club of our size and average attendance, we cannot hide from the fact that our numbers have dropped significantly since the crisis that engulfed our club before Mr Singh took over.

"Whilst we recognise the situation now is clearly different from two years previously, the global crisis means that the club is facing different kinds of struggles and this is something we want to support the club with.

"To give us the best possible opportunity of helping the club, we want to have as many members as possible to drive for fan involvement into our football club.

"The more members we have the stronger our voice, and as a member you have a say on how HUST moves forward.

"If you are not currently a member but have been previously then you can now sign up for a reduced cost of £10, or £5 for over 60’s (usually £20 for adults and £15 for over 60’s) until the end of May.

"Please click here to join us and ensure you type in RENEWAL in the discount code box to ensure you receive this discount. For alternative payment methods please email [email protected]"

Existing members are asked to renew when membership is due.