United we stand, divided we fall…

At the time of writing* and despite the new membership season being merely days old, over 250 people have already shown their support and appreciation of KHIST by joining or renewing their KHIST membership. I would like to take a couple of minutes of your time to ask you to do the same. After all, it’s only a minimum of £1 but your support is invaluable.

But first, let’s explore what the point is of KHIST in the first place. Supporter’s Direct, the umbrella organisation for football trusts throughout the UK describes the point of a supporters trust such as KHIST as:-

“a democratic, not-for-profit organisation of supporters, committed to strengthening the voice for supporters in the decision making process at a club, and strengthening the links between the club and the community it serves.”

I think you will all agree that KHIST fits that bill with distinction and despite the very difficult 12 months now thankfully behind us, KHIST is stronger than ever and in turn makes our football club stronger than ever. It makes the sleepless nights and the many, many hours of hard work by us as a board seem worth it in the end.

Never before have you as a current or future KHIST member had more of an influence of the future of our Club. Pulling in one direction really does make a difference. If you still have reservations about joining, talk to us! We try to be as accessible as possible. We appreciate people prefer to communicate in different ways so email us, call us or visit us at one of the KHIST stands at homes games – whatever suits you. We are always looking at ways to improve and your input is extremely vital to us as a board. Don’t forget, we are just a handful of Kidderminster Harriers supporters trying our very best to represent our members, raise money and awareness for our football club and thankfully still have the chance to watch our team week in week out. Not something we will ever take for granted again as I’m sure many of you won’t either.

So come on, for the price of a newspaper and a mars bar (*other chocolate bars are available!) why not? What have you got to lose? At the very least, it means you won’t have to listen to me nag on for the next few months, wearing you down until you finally give in!!

In all seriousness though, here are the highlights of things that wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t had KHIST members last season:-

  • We wouldn’t have raised £40,000+ to help with securing the future of our club. Would the club have survived without it? Some will say we will never know but I think we know how crucial that money was and will continue to be.
  • We wouldn’t have a place on the Harriers board. Fans would still have no influence whatsoever on how the club is run.
  • The club would have to find the projected income from KHIST from other sources. No mean feat in these times.

So hopefully if you needed convincing, I’ve managed to do so. So, now for the important bit….

How to become a 2011/12 KHIST member?

Again, we have tried to make it as accessible to as many people as possible. You can sign-up online by clicking here and filling in a simple online form and paying via PayPal or posting a cheque. Alternatively, you can join up at one of the KHIST stands before kick-off at any home game or at any KHIST event. Failing that, you can grab a form from one of us or download from the website and fill in at your convenience. Very handy if you are getting into the ground late on! As a reminder, it only costs £1 (50p for under 16s) but should you wish to donate more, we will of course be very grateful and will continue to put your money to the greater good of our football club.

If you are unsure if you are already signed up for this season, chances are that if you signed up before the end of the last football season, you won’t be. However, if you are unsure email me at laura@khist.org.uk or speak to any KHIST board member around the ground who will be able to find out for you.

Thank you again to the supporters who have already signed up! You can help us by spreading the love and getting your friends and family, work colleague and mere acquaintances to join too. The more of us there are, the stronger our voice!

Remember “United we stand, divided we fall” – let’s not tiptoe on the edge of an abyss ever again!

Laura Harper

KHIST Membership Co-Ordinator

laura@khist.org.uk

*This article was originally printed in the Official KHFC Programme on Saturday 10 September 2011.