FAQs

A supporters' Trust is completely different to a supporters’ club, group or fan forum. A Trust is a democratic, not-for-profit organisation of supporters. NUST aims to strengthen the voice of supporters in the decision-making processes of the club and strengthen the links between the club and the wider community it serves. The Board is democratically elected by NUST members.

The Trust is also registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as a Community Benefit Society and submit annual financial reports to ensure it is operating correctly. It also has a constitution and set of rules that govern its actions. Because of its democratic structure and constitution NUST is also registered as an affiliate member of the Football Supporters Association (FSA), which positively contributes to our ability to influence.

We’d love to have you! Joining NUST costs £1/year plus £1 joining fee. You can join us by clicking here and putting both products in your basket.

If you have any problems or need to pay in an overseas currency, please email us at [email protected]

The current Board are:

Paul Karter – Chair (elected in 2023) – STH

Lisa Mole – Co-Vice Chair (elected in 2023) – STH

Adam Stoker – Co-Vice Chair (elected in 2023) – STH

Cliff Culley (elected in 2021) - STH

Pete Davey (elected in 2023) – NUFC member

Felicity Thow (elected in 2023) – NUFC member

Kevin Patterson (elected in 2023) – STH

Olivia Thompson (elected in 2023) – STH

Colin Whittle – NUST secretary

Chris Johnson – NUST digital secretary

Elections are held on an annual basis and Board members are elected for a three year term.

The elections are held independently and verified by the Football Supporters’ Association.

Anyone can stand for election so long as they are an NUST member.

Six new Board members were elected in June 2023.

We acknowledge that this is a difficult task and that opinions on certain topics will be mixed. NUST members choose the Board via elections and so decide democratically who is best placed to represent the membership.

We also use member surveys and requests for feedback to gauge opinion and gain insight into the varied perspectives in our community and then our role is to influence the club.

Our code of conduct and mix of elected Board members ensure that NUST will never advocate for something purely because it benefits the Board members as individuals. The type of person drawn to volunteering their time for NUST tends to be someone who wants to help other supporters.

Three Board members meet with the club once a month.

The Chair and Vice-Chairs manage the relationship with the club and in busy periods we often have daily contact with the club on key issues.

Absolutely not! None of us on the NUST Board receive any 'freebies' or 'perks' from the club in order that we remain independent.

On certain occasions it is beneficial to the Trust members for members of the Board to attend meetings or events at St James’ Park when invited by the club. NUST has a policy of not accepting free tickets or hospitality from the club.

If it is deemed appropriate to attend such a meeting when linked to a match, eg to meet with Darren Eales or other NUFC senior leadership, NUST representatives pay the equivalent match ticket cost out of their own pocket.

NUST is Newcastle United’s only all-issue, democratically elected supporter group. The two other democratically elected groups recognised by the club focus on LGBTQIA supporters (United with Pride) and disabled supporters (NUDSA).

NUST is a Community Benefit Society, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and publishes its accounts annually online. It is in our constitution to be transparent and democratic with an elected Board and a ‘one member one vote’ policy.

NUST's aim to improve supporter experience by influencing the club and other authorities – it’s often not an easy job! Recently we have been highlighing issues to do with ticketing, put together supporters’ guides for international Champions League matches, campaigned for a fair allocation of away tickets for the Sunderland (a) cup match and supported many members via email with club-related issues.

NUST continues to act as a critical friend of NUFC following the takeover.

Prior to the takeover, NUST members raised £200,000 with a view to fans owning a portion of shares in the club. After the takeover, 97.5% of NUST’s members voted in favour of donating this money to local charities.

In 2023, the money was allocated and donated as follows:

The Alan Shearer Foundation - £83,500
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation - £59,000
Newcastle United Foundation - £30,000
Newcastle Foodbank - £27,500

Our commitment to transparency and accountability is at the core of our operations.

While our Board members willingly volunteer their time without any claim for expenses or payment, there are some unavoidable costs associated with running our organisation efficiently. These include fees for essential services such as admin platforms, accountancy, website hosting, elections and PayPal transactions.

Every penny from our members' fees is invested back into the organisation to cover these necessary expenses. By contributing to the Newcastle United Supporters Trust, our members play a crucial role in supporting the ongoing running of our organisation.

If you’re an NUST member and need support, please email us at [email protected]. We can ofen help out with cases where members have issues.

If you’re looking to contact the club, we recommend the following steps:

1. Raise the issue with the club by emailing [email protected] or the relevant department (eg the Box Office - [email protected])

2. If the issue is not resolved, consider making a formal complaint at [email protected] only after having contacted the original relevant department.

No. Some NUST Board members may contribute to their own or other podcasts or YouTube channels outside of their work with NUST, or they may guest appear in order to promote, for example, upcoming elections. Currently, outside of their work with NUST, Pete Davey runs a YouTube channel.

NUST is for Newcastle United fans only but beyond that, yes! We have members from all over the world. We have members who are season ticket holders, club members, away game attendees, and those who can’t attend matches too.

Don’t worry! Since we moved to a new membership platform (still a work in progress), we no longer issue or use membership numbers.

If you’re not sure if you’re still a member, drop us an email at [email protected] and we’ll check for you.

Email us at [email protected] telling us the email address you signed up with and we’ll look into this for you so you receive our emails.

Yes! Follow us @nufctrust on X (Twitter) and Instagram and Newcastle United Supporters Trust on Facebook.

Being a Board member is a privilege and no easy task. On a daily basis, Board members respond to emails and social media queries alongside their jobs and family commitments. Board members actively engage with the community, addressing requests for assistance, signposting to the appropriate club departments, and collecting valuable feedback on various NUFC issues to improve supporter experience. We also run three social media accounts and create information to help supporters, for example a series on digital ticketing tips and European supporter guides.

On a wider scale, Board members are involved in regular communication with the club to represent members and influence decision making for supporter benefit.

We have regular meetings on Teams for which Trust secretary Colin Whittle compiles minutes, which are available to read on our website ensuring transparency and accessibility.

Absolutely! We’re always keen to work with local businesses who may be able to help us with sponsorship, member discounts or events. Please email us at [email protected] to find out more.

The Premier League now requires each club to have a Fan Advisory Board.

At Newcastle United, this will feature co-opted representatives from NUST, United with Pride, NUDSA as well as a number of newly elected fans that the club recruited in December 2023.

NUST will work to ensure that the FAB is given support by the club and will continue to represent its members views to the wider panel.

Further engagement with fans through the FAB is a welcome one in our eyes.

“The Trust is delighted by the inception of the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) as a significant stride towards enhancing fan involvement in decision-making at Newcastle United. This marks a significant commitment to involving supporters’ representatives in pivotal matters, a cause we have tirelessly advocated for. I firmly believe that we are embarking on a journey to establish a sound and enduring relationship between the club and our supporters. Throughout this journey, there will be instances of alignment, as well as moments where we will actively challenge. The Trust is fully committed to fostering open and transparent dialogue through the Fan Advisory Board as we
all work together to achieve our goals of a successful Newcastle United that remains deeply tuned into its supporters.” - Greg Tomlinson, former Chair of NUST September 2023