Collaboration in Action: The roles of the Robins Trust and the Shadow Board

— 9 minute read

We’ve been asked by a handful of fans about the difference between the recently launched Shadow Board and the Robins Trust.

The Robins Trust have played a key role in both setting up the Cheltenham Town Shadow Board and establishing the very existence of Shadow Boards in the legislation that forms the brand-new Football Governance Act.

But the question about the difference between the two is a fair one.

The Robins Trust part-owns the Club and has a seat on the board, representing fans from the boardroom to the terraces, as well as investing and working on projects to support the Club and its community.

The Shadow Board is a new, independent group of supporters that the Club must consult on big decisions, to improve transparency and fan engagement.

Different roles but with the shared aim of making sure fans are heard.

Shadow Board

The main concept behind a Shadow Board is that it provides an alternative, often more diverse perspective to that of the official board of directors.

A Shadow Board is an organisation, composed of supporters, who provide a broad range of viewpoints from within the club’s supporters. A Shadow Board is completely independent of the Club but works in consultation with the Club’s board of directors for the benefit of the Club and its supporters. The emphasis is on good governance, strategy and financial stability.

The Shadow Board will provide a platform for a broad range of fans to provide their views as part of the decision-making processes at the Club. The Shadow Board will consist of 12 members: 6 elected directly from the membership and 6 appointed from formally-organised fan groups: 3 from the Robins Trust, 1 from HerGameToo, 1 from Proud Robins and 1 from the 1887 Red Army.

The Shadow Board will facilitate better communication between the Club and its supporters. This will help the Club make decisions which are informed by a broad spectrum of the fanbase and to help supporters understand the reasons that decisions are made.

The Shadow Board will promote a more inclusive and transparent culture which will benefit both supporters and the Club.

Robins Trust

The Robins Trust is a democratic, not-for-profit, membership-based organisation which is a part owner of the Club and uses the fees paid by our members to invest and maintain or increase the amount owned by fans via the Trust. We aim to ensure that the long-term interests of the club and its community are protected.

We have an agreement to have a Robins Trust Appointed Director (formerly FED) on the Club’s Board of Directors, so are able to participate directly in the running of the Club with full voting rights.

This has meant that the Robins Trust has been able to promote the views of fans in the Club Boardroom, but because of collective responsibility, it is often difficult to then openly communicate the discussions or outcomes that result from that.

Aside from this consultation and decision making role, the Robins Trust also undertakes projects to improve the Cheltenham Town supporter experience, assist with practical solutions to problems raised by fans, increase engagement, and develop a sense of pride around the Club and its history and community.

The Robins Trust is registered as an Industrial and Provident Society under UK law, which gives us a legal framework and protects our democratic structure. As a Supporters Trust, the Robins Trust is supported by the Football Supporters' Association (FSA), which provides guidance and helps coordinate fan-led efforts across the UK, this also gives us access to experience and expertise from across the game.

A DEEPER DIVE

The Robins Trust and the Shadow Board - How will it work?

With the process of appointing the Cheltenham Town Shadow Board nearing its completion, we thought it would be a good time to explain:

  1. Why the Shadow Board has been established,
  2. How the Shadow Board will operate, and
  3. The difference between the Shadow Board, and the work of the Robins Trust.

The first thing to note is that the two entities will work together, and complement each other, to establish better and deeper fan engagement at our club.

1. Why has the Shadow Board been established?

In July 2025, the Football Governance Act became law. It will establish new, and significantly-strengthened rules that will govern how football clubs operate.

The Act establishes an Independent Football Regulator (IFR) as a new entity with governance powers over clubs in the top five divisions of English Football.

That means in order to be able to compete, a club has to earn, and continue to hold, a licence, which is awarded by the IFR.

As well as strengthened owners and directors tests; and rules over financial planning and corporate governance; a condition of this licence is “fan consultation”.

The Shadow Board is the means for how this meaningful consultation takes place.

The Robins Trust has worked with the Football Supporters Association since the Crouch Review in 2021, through the passage of the Football Governance Bill.

Because of that, we were able to get ahead of the curve and work alongside the Cheltenham Town SLO to establish the Shadow Board.

Indeed, the final processes for the establishment of the Shadow Board commenced in the same week as the Bill became Law.

2. How will the Shadow Board operate?

Shadow Boards are common tool used by businesses to gain meaningful insight into their operations, successes and failures.

Drawn from a wide-range of the client base, it gives feedback to, and has meaningful dialogue and consultation with the corporate board. The Shadow board will offer a diverse view that will improve decision making, foster innovation and challenge the status quo.

At Cheltenham Town, the Shadow Board will be drawn from all corners of the fan base, with half appointed from representative groups, and half from the wider fanbase via elections.

There will be four Shadow Board meetings each year, at which senior officials and managers from the Football Club must attend.

According to the Football Governance Act, these meetings must include ‘relevant matters’ which are:

  • The club’s strategic direction and objectives;
  • The club’s business priorities;
  • Operational and match-day issues, including ticket prices;
  • The Club’s heritage;
  • The Club’s plans relating to additional fan engagement.

Matters that relate to the club’s heritage, include matters relating to:

  • The club’s home ground;
  • Any emblem or crest of a relevant team operated by the club;
  • The predominate home shirt colours of a relevant team operated by the club;
  • The name of a relevant team operated by the club.

Crucially, it must be proven that the club has taken the views of its fans into account in making decisions about the relevant matters.

The Shadow Board will be the mechanism for this consultation to happen. And because of the sensitivity of information to be shared in the meetings, they will be held in private.

Agreed minutes, detailing discussions and decisions will be published for all supporters to see.

(as a note of interest, the recent change to the colours of the badge on the new away shirt, would have had to have been discussed with the Shadow Board prior to release. If the Shadow Board had voted not to change the colours, the club would be bound by the Act not to change the look of the Club crest)

3. The difference between the Shadow Board and the work of the Robins Trust

The Trust will continue to be the established membership organisation for Cheltenham Town Supporters.

The Trust has a 16% ownership stake in Cheltenham Town AFC Ltd, and has a seat on the club’s board of directors, which the Trust appoints after an election.

As such, we are able to play a direct role in the running of the club, promoting the views of the fanbase in strategic boardroom decisions.

However, because of the fiduciary responsibilities that come from being a company director, it is often difficult to communicate the Trust’s – or our Director’s – stance.

The Robins Trust are affiliated to the Football Supporters Association, and as a Community Benefit Society, are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The Trust has agreed and set rules that ensure it must benefit the wider community of Cheltenham Town fans, and any funds it raises must be used to further set objectives.

These are:

  • being the democratic and representative voice of the supporters of the Club and strengthening the bonds between the Club and the communities which it serves;
  • achieving the greatest possible supporter and community influence in the running and ownership of the Club;
  • promoting responsible and constructive community engagement by present and future members of the communities served by the Club and encouraging the Club to do the same;
  • operating democratically, fairly, sustainably, transparently and with financial responsibility and encouraging the Club to do the same;
  • being a positive, inclusive and representative organisation, open and accessible to all supporters of the Club regardless of their age, income, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality or religious or moral belief.

The Trust has operated, and invested in, Cheltenham Town since 2005. Campaigning on fan’s issues and raising funds for improvements around the ground.

From establishing a new cycling provision, to paying for new ground maintenance equipment and running open days and supporter events, our work is diverse.

With the establishment of the Football Governance Bill, and the Shadow Board, we will work collectively and collaboratively with the Shadow Board to influence our Club.

Through your Trust Appointed Director, Dave Beesley, and the scrutiny and advice of the Shadow Board – on which three Trust appointees will sit – there will be better and more meaningful engagement than ever before.

And at a time when new owners are being sought by the Club, both entities will be in place to welcome a new owner and hit the ground running, strengthening the future of Cheltenham Town.