About – The Citizens Trust

About Us - The Manchester City Supporters' Union

What is The Citizens Trust?

The Trust is a Community Benefit Society, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, and operating within model rules developed by the Football Supporters Association.

It is a not-for-profit society that acts for the benefit of its community, not the benefit of individual members. We define our community as:

Manchester City supporters, present and future
The communities where Manchester City supporters live

That means the Trust has a duty to:

Represent supporter interests and protect the rights of our members as supporters of Manchester City Football Club
Protect the culture and heritage of the club for fans present and future
Engage with club ownership for the benefit of our community present and future
Maintain and develop links with local community groups for the benefit of the places and communities where our members live
Work to promote the health and wellbeing of our members
Actively reach out to potential new members, especially from under-represented groups

Learn more about joining the Trust here.

Why do Manchester City supporters need a Trust?

Manchester City was one of only a handful of clubs in the football league which didn’t already have an independent supporters’ trust. As a result we had an opportunity to create an independent, democratic society to represent supporters now and in the future.

Why is now the right time to form a Manchester City Supporters’ Trust?

City supporter groups have proved in the past two years that we can secure positive changes for the common good when we work together with a strong, unified, and collective voice.

Campaigns & Community

Examples of how this approach has been successful in practice include:

The Community Shield boycott in 2023, where we also raised £10,000 for the local foodback.
The campaign against disabled parking charges in 2024
The ticketing policy concessions secured in 2025

The Trust is a natural continuation and formalisation of the incredible work that is already being done by many passionate groups of supporters, and will allow us to continue to advocate for ourselves in the present, and also to protect our interests in the future, whatever that may hold.

The five values which guide the Trust

The Trust will be:

Member-led – Each member has one ownership share in the Trust, so there is a fundamental equality baked into the organisation. The actions of the Trust are determined by what the members want to do, for the benefit of the communities that the Trust serves. Members are encouraged to join committees and stand for election to elected roles if they meet the criteria.
Democratic – The Trust is a democratic organisation where every full member over the age of 18 has a vote. It also depends on members playing active roles in the work of the Trust through committees, and taking on leadership roles through the formal election process.
Independent – The Trust is independent of Manchester City Football Club, the club’s sponsors and any other official organisation or group which might exert an influence over our membership, or sway the work of the Trust away from benefitting our members and communities. Elected members must declare any conflicts of interest, and cannot take gifts of any kind which may create a conflict of interest in the future.
Accountable and transparent – The Trust is accountable to its community and to its members through elections. The Trust leadership will publish all meeting minutes on the website and will be accessible to members. Operations of the Trust, including meeting minutes and finances, will be accessible at all times. We will hold regular committee and all member meetings.
Community facing – Football is about more than the game itself. A football club is an expression of a community and a place where people come together, find a sense of belonging and look out for each other. The Trust will reflect that truth by being an active, positive force in the communities where our members live.

Who is on the Interim Board and what are their roles and responsibilities?

The Trust Board co-ordinates the society, but does not dictate to or control it. The Board will represent the views of members, suggest policy directions and put into action plans that are proposed and developed by Committees.

The Trust has been founded by an Interim Board of people who have committed time and energy to do the work of setting up the Trust. These individuals will all stand down before the first full election of the Board, which is to be held no later than six months after the date of the Trust’s official founding meeting. Interim Board members can choose to stand in that first election, but will have to win the vote like anyone else to continue in their role in the longer term.

The first Interim Board consists of:

Nicholas Clarke - Chair

Nicholas is a founding member of MCFC Fans Foodbank Support, where he has helped organise foodbank collections since 2020, and in 2024/25 took a lead role in the successful protests and media campaigns that tens of thousands of Blues joined. He has worked closely with the Football Supporters Association joining them on delegations to the Premier League and as a core member of the national #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign steering group, ensuring City fans are represented nationally and in Europe via Football Supporters Europe. Sitting in the South Stand, and born and raised in South Manchester, he has worked for a charity supporting Mancunian youth and communities for the last 7 years, and believes that the bonds between club and community are inseparable.

Mark Todd - Vice Chair

Mark is the former disability representative on City Matters, and now runs Solid Citizens, a campaign group focused on fighting for the interests of match-going City fans. He has supported the #Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign, helped maintain free parking for disabled fans, successfully campaigned for a freeze on season-ticket prices and continues to oppose the club’s draconian 10 game minimum attendance rule. He was previously Chair of the Manchester City Disabled Supporters Association and has served as a committee member on a number of community groups around Greater Manchester. Professionally, he’s been an adviser to the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and a wide range of sporting events organising committees, including Manchester 2002 and London 2012.

Alex Howell - Secretary

A season ticket holder in the North Stand, Alex previously served as both the Chair and Under 25 Representative on City Matters. In this role, he led the Fan Advisory Board in discussions on behalf of supporters with senior executives at the Club, and wider stakeholders including the Premier League and the Football Supporters Association. Alex is particularly proud of his work following the Champions League Final in Istanbul, which included a comprehensive report on the issues faced by supporters and dialogue with UEFA, the National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Football, and the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Nicola Unsworth - Deputy Treasurer

A lifelong Blue and proud season ticket holder in the Colin Bell Stand, Nicola brings a deep-rooted passion for the club along with a wealth of experience in finance and organisational leadership to the Trust. With a strong commitment to supporter representation and transparency, she plays a key role in helping guide the trust’s strategic direction. Nicola has also represented fans on national platforms, including appearances on Football Focus and Match of the Day, further amplifying the voice of the City faithful.

Katie Wrench - Membership Officer

Katie went to her first game with her first boyfriend in 1988, and is now a season ticket holder in the South Stand with her daughter. Volunteering in different capacities has been important to her for over 30 years: including supporting children in Women’s Aid Refuges and acting as Safeguarding and SEND governor in a High School. More recently Katie has loved getting involved with MCFC Fans Foodbank Support collections. She hopes to use these experiences to help grow an inclusive, empowering membership for fans who share the same values and love of the club.

Daniel Bowdler - Community Officer

Dan spent 4 years as Families Representative on City Matters between 2021 and 2025. During this period Dan contributed to discussions relating to Junior Seasoncards, Matchday pricing and the “All Games on Sale” policy. Dan was also the City Matters Lead for engagement with Greater Manchester Police, both domestically and for European fixtures, providing feedback to various forces in relation to their interaction with City fans. In his spare time, Dan is a football coach for a Community Junior Football team.

Simon Walker - Communications Officer

Simon has supported Manchester City for nearly 60 years, attending his first game at the age of 6 with his father. He has been a season ticket holder for over 30 years and has also had spells as a hospitality user. He was in the first intake of fans on City Matters as the hospitality representative and was also Chair for 3 years. He travels to home and away games from Buckinghamshire and understands the issues and challenges of the travelling fan well! Simon is also Chair of his village Parish Council and part of a charity fundraising group. When his children were younger he managed his son's football team from under 12’s to under 18s.

Loukas Gregory - Campaigns & Policy Officer

A fourth-generation Manchester City season ticket holder and founding member of 1894, Loukas has spent over a decade contributing to fan activism campaigns — including ‘Twenty’s Plenty,’ which helped secure the £30 away ticket cap, and ‘Legalise Safe Standing,’ which led to the introduction of rail seating in English football. Through the 1894 group, he has worked to improve the stadium atmosphere by helping organise 100s of fan displays and coordinating singing sections at the Etihad and Wembley. He is passionate about protecting and strengthening the matchday experience for future generations — including his own sons, who he hopes will become fifth-generation season ticket holders.

What are Committees and how do they work?

The Committees are the beating heart of the Trust. They are where the action is and where the power lies. It’s the place where members can get involved with the work of the Trust and ultimately make a positive difference for City supporters and their communities in the following ways:

Assist with the running of the Trust
Propose ideas for Trust activities
Develop those ideas and make them real
Feed back to other members about the success of those ideas

The founding Committees are:

Membership – Anything and everything to grow membership, secure member benefits, support other members and make sure the Trust is doing what its members want.
Community – Want to assist with a community scheme or develop your own? The Community Committee is the place for you.
Campaigns and Policy – Anyone who wants to join and influence how The Citizens Trust campaigns, learn how to organise effectively and help us win where we need to win.
Finance and Fundraising – Help the Trust raise funds and organise the finances so the society can operate and fund campaigns, community work and more.
Communications – Got comms, marketing, writing or social media skills? We need people to help shape and manage our communications plans.

Our upcoming Committee meeting schedule will soon be posted to the website and we’ll share dates with Members in our first newsletter.