Calling All Bolton Wanderers Fans: You Should Care About Our Supporters Trust

Did you attend last night's BWFCST meeting at the Macron? If so, please feel free to peruse the many other fantastic articles that are available on this site, because you'll probably know what I'm about to say. If you didn't, keep reading.

Many people will say they couldn't make the meeting last night for various different reasons, such as:

"I was working."

"I had to pick the kids up from school."

"I'd had a long day."

Or, my personal favourite:

"Balls to that, it's a waste of time."

Ah yes, the age-old attitude of the Bolton Wanderers sceptic. If Roman Abramovich called Trevor Birch tomorrow and said he wanted to buy our beloved football club, I, for one, would be dancing in the streets. There would, however, be a small (and ever growing) pocket of Wanderers fans that'd be sat at home with frowns on their faces, passing off Abramovich's actions as "ridiculous", "pointless" or "stupid", and it is these people, ladies and gents, that are a waste of time.

Last night, over 1,000 people unanimously voted in favour of starting a Supporters Trust at Bolton Wanderers. For those of you that couldn't make it (or couldn't be arsed), our Supporters Trust is not making a bid to buy the club, despite claims from various idiots on social media. Seriously, do you think we're mad? The purpose of the trust is simple: we are a voice. Fans, like you and I, united together to actually do some good within our club because we love it so dearly. Membership isn't free, but the fees (usually around £5-£10 per year, before you get on Wonga and grab yourself a payday loan) are determined by the trust's board; a body of individuals that stand for election, just like the democratic parliament we uphold in this country.

So where am I going with this? Well, if you didn't go to last night's meeting because you genuinely couldn't make it - that's fair enough, we're all busy. If you didn't go because you're sceptical about a trust or you think it's going to be a little voice in the corner that no one listens to, then you are an uneducated fool. There were speakers at the meeting that had travelled more than 400 miles to attend, free of charge, to explain how this sort of thing works. It was a meeting for education, not a lecture.

With the help of Trevor Birch, Portsmouth's Supporters Trust (those are the guys that travelled all that way) lodged a legitimate, credible bid to buy their club outright; something that could seriously happen here in a few years time, if we even exist. There are many people in football that understand why these trusts are so important, but said people are within a very, very small minority that choose to educate themselves on other means of supporting a club, aside from going to games.

So, Bolton Wanderers fans, this is your call to arms: If you really love your club as much as you say you do (and I really do love this club, try as I might to hate it at times) then you should join the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust. Pay your yearly fee, attend a few meetings and listen to how you can really be part of the history of our already great football club.

Last night I was part of something special. You can be too.

To find out more about the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Trust, head to www.bwfcst.co.uk or check out @BWFCST on Twitter.