Above: Member of Parliament for East Belfast Peter Robinson speaks in support of the GCT at the official launch.

Pictured, main photo L to R: Stephen Henderson (GCT), Graeme Moore (GCT) Dave Boyle (Sup Direct) Jim Welsh (GCT), Paul Rothwell (ViSport), and Brian Dawson (GCT)

Can I first of all congratulate all of those who have been involved in bringing the Trust to the stage that we are at today.  I think that there are massive areas of potential for Glentoran Football Club, but we are at a very uncertain stage and its good to see something positive happening which I feel will contribute greatly to what I hope will be an exciting future for the club. 

I think when anybody looks at East Belfast there are two things that they think of immediately.  They think of Harland and Wolff and Glentoran. Those are the two iconic impressions that people get of East Belfast. Glentoran is identified very much with East Belfast and it is extremely important that we have a strong, vibrant and robust football club.

The Community Trust can make a very valuable contribution,  I certainly intend to become a member and will also encourage others to do so.

The future for East Belfast in terms of football is very much tied up with Glentoran getting good facilities,  getting players playing on a full time basis,  and attracting the money to do those things.  It requires us to get circumstances where the board will work in co-operation with the Trust and for them to take decisions which the supporters want them to take. That is the way forward.  I think we have to have a good relationship with the board.  No Board of Directors of any dynamic company is going to ignore its customer base.

Our Trust will represent the customer base of Glentoran Football Club.

I wish you all every success.  I believe that it is an important function that you have undertaken and I am impressed by the amount of work that has gone on.

There are good examples from the network of Trusts in Great Britain that we can follow.  I guarantee that you are leading the way in Northern Ireland and I believe that a number of other Clubs will start to build Trusts around the work you have done.

I am delighted to see that you have reached this stage in such spectacular fashion and in such a short period of time.

Congratulations.

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Dave Boyle - Deputy Chief Executive Supporters Direct

I can’t really comment on the situation in Northern Ireland in relation to the Irish League or about the situation at Glentoran. What I can comment on though are the people who have been involved in getting this group to this stage, and launching the very first Supporters Trust in Northern Ireland.

Since Supporters Direct came into existence some five years ago we have seen 141 Trusts launched. Today we witness the birth of the 142nd.

We are absolutely delighted to have the 142nd Trust here at Glentoran.

We have been highly impressed by the level of professionalism and by the seriousness of the people involved in putting together the Glentoran Community Trust, and that is why we (Supporters Direct) came over here this morning,  and why we are proud to sit with them and to give our backing to these people as a national organisation.

We have been incredibly impressed by the way that they have handled this,  from the very first time they contacted us,  to the launch meeting which was one of the best launch meetings I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to a fair few.  Then to this again, a very professional press launch right down to the documentation that you have in front of you.  The attention to detail is extremely impressive and bodes very well for the future of this Trust.

The other reason we are here is that we don’t work with groups who are antagonists or people who shout the loudest. We work with people who are serious,  professional,  but who also have a vision for their football club and their community in the 21st Century. That’s a vision that basically says, unless you are a really big club, your future is your community.

But it works both ways.

In England for example people have just realised that those with the most health related problems are male football fans, and that the best way to get them to see a doctor and to encourage them to get fit is through their football club!

Football Clubs though need to have a bigger creative vision about what they can achieve.  It’s not just about giving kids a shirt and letting them play football when the schools aren’t open,  you can do so much more and we are impressed by the commitment and the 21st century thinking by this group of how Glentoran and the community can work together.

Their commitment has also been backed up by their decision to use the Model Rules.

This means that these guys are now obliged to do several things:

• work for the good of their club and the community.
• work for the good of their supporters.
• they have to be democratic, it is not an option.
• they are not for profit.

So every penny that they raise must go to fulfil their objects.

In closing, this is the first Supporters Trust in Northern Ireland,  I firmly believe that it won’t be the last. We couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to bring it into being, and congratulations to you all for getting it here.

Head Community Relations Irish Football Association

I first met with this group a couple of months ago.  I was incredibly impressed with their organisation and how far they had travelled as a group.  To be here today is a real honour so thanks for the invite.

The Glentoran Community Trust I believe is really trailblazing in the Irish League. We at the IFA are now beginning to focus in making a “Football for All” type impact on the Irish League.

From a personal point of view when I began my job with the IFA I had to secure my own funding in relation to the community relations work being undertaken, and in this group of people I see a real drive and a real passion. I really empathise with that and look forward to working with the Trust in the future.

I think there is a lot that can be achieved and by empowering fans and working in partnership with the Club I think that this really is the way forward.

 In the first five years of my post I was tasked at looking at the International scene, we have now been tasked to look at the Irish league.  That came out of research into the “Football for All” project.

The research by Democratic Dialogue actually highlights the good work done by Supporters Direct in England and Scotland.  It goes on to say that we, as a parent body should be actively supporting Clubs, and highlights Supporters Direct's work with Supporters Trusts. So this today heralds the start of this sort of work.

I am delighted to be here and am looking forward to working with you guys, and believe that this will set the standard for the Irish League.

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"The beginning of a new beginning for Glentoran, please keep me in touch and best wishes"

 Kate Hoey, Member of Parliament for Vauxhall & former Minister for Sport.

"I am delighted that the Glentoran Community Trust have proved themselves time and time again and grown into the organisation it is today.  Indeed as the first Supporters Trust to become established in Northern Ireland I am pleased to be associated with it.  I would therefore like to send my best wishes to everyone involved in the Glentoran Community Trust and wish them every success for the future"

Wallace Browne, Lord Mayor of Belfast

 More details on the launch day to follow ...

Sammy Douglas MBE - Chairman     of the East Belfast Social Economy Company, and Paul Rothwell (inset) Managing Director of ViSport, the GCT commercial partner.

L-R, Christopher Flack representing the Values and Principles committee of the Cooperative Society, Meryyn Jones of the Alliance Party, and Graeme & John Moore of the Glentoran Community Trust.