Torquay United Supporters’ Trust (TUST) is consulting supporters on its future membership and fundraising plans, as it looks at ways to increase its annual financial contribution to the football club.
While this message is addressed to Trust members, we know many supporters are not currently members — and your views matter too. The Trust plays a significant role in the club’s ownership and ongoing support, so this consultation is open to all supporters.
Please read the message below from the TUST Board and take five minutes to complete the survey.
To all fans of Torquay United,
Despite unbelievable attendances again this season (the highest average since 1971) our beloved club still faces a projected annual loss of over £500,000, with operating costs outstripping revenues. Co-chairmen Michael Westcott and Mark Bowes-Cavanagh have shared the financial reality with us, the Supporters’ Trust board, and you can read Michael’s recent interview with the Torbay Weekly by clicking HERE.
The Bryn Consortium remains committed to supporting the club, and have continued to provide substantial vital financial support, as well as making tough decisions including staff changes and a renewed focus on commercial growth.
When the club was saved in 2024, TUST played a pivotal role, with an investment of over £222k from the Community Share Issue which over 500 members subscribed to, alongside the £50k provided from the Forever Yellow Fund. The club is now partly fan-owned, with 2 permanent TUST-Appointed Board Members and a TUST shareholding of 28.65%.
Since then, we have funded many projects. Grow lights, Bristows Bench railings, a new big digital screen and fixing the Plainmoor clock are some examples, as well as financially supporting youth football through the Community Sport trust and most recently funding Joe Hatch’s loan spell. In addition to this, last week the Trust board also provided funding to allow the club to bring in Ed James on loan, in response to Jordan Dyer’s unfortunate injury, as well as extending Keiran Wilson’s loan till the end of season from Exeter City. The monetary value of our potential annual contributions to the club currently sits around £30,000.
Given the ongoing financial situation and the overall football financial climate (our playing budget is not amongst the highest in the National League South despite our record-breaking
attendances), as a Trust Board we believe that stepping up again is the right thing to do, in order to provide annual funding to the club in line with our current TUFC shareholding. To this end, we are setting ourselves a target of raising £100,000 annually and providing that to the football club. This will help ensure we remain competitive on the football pitch and continue to have a football club we are immensely proud of.
Whilst this target may sound ambitious, we are aware of other trusts that do achieve this, with similar membership numbers, notably Newport County.
We want to do this in a way that is fair, inclusive and supporter led. That’s why we’re asking for your views before any decisions are made.
The below survey takes around 5 minutes and is anonymous. Your feedback will directly shape future Trust membership and fundraising plans, ultimately helping to shape the future of TUST and our football club together.
You can access the survey by clicking HERE
We kindly ask that you complete the survey by 6th March 2026.
Torquay United Supporters Trust Board
