Arsenal Supporters Trust

What Arsenal Supporters Trust does

The Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST), formally The Arsenal Supporters' Society Limited, is a UK-registered cooperative society founded in 2003 to represent Arsenal Football Club supporters in club governance, ownership, ticketing, and fan experience matters. Operating under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (registration number 29545R), the trust is a member-funded, non-profit advocacy organization with approximately 1,000 paying members (per mid-2018 commentary) and a seven-person volunteer Board covering social media, corporate communications, corporate law, finance, client relationship management, and women's football representation. It is also a member of the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) and holds a formal seat on the Arsenal Advisory Board (AAB), the structured dialogue channel between supporters and Arsenal's Board and executives.

The AST's core offerings are two membership tiers — Annual Membership at £20 per year (recurring Direct Debit or PayPal) or £25 single-year, and Lifetime Membership at £250 one-time — supplemented by advocacy services including independent analysis of Arsenal's annual financial accounts, campaigns on safe standing and ticketing, and representation on governance and ownership issues. Notable recent advocacy outcomes include the February 2026 introduction of rail seating at Emirates Stadium (a decade-plus campaign supported by a 7,239-response 2017 survey) and ongoing ticketing campaigns on European finals allocations and Champions League pricing. The trust has no commercial partners; its revenue is essentially membership fees only.

The technology footprint is minimal: a website-based membership management system at arsenaltrust.org with PayPal and GoCardless for payment processing, Google Analytics for traffic analysis, and an @AST_Arsenal Twitter account for organic social engagement. Historically, the AST operated the Arsenal Fanshare scheme, which grew to become Arsenal's third-largest shareholder (116 shares at peak, with 2,000+ participants) before closing in 2014 when secondary share trading became illiquid following large-scale buying by Alisher Usmanov and Stan Kroenke; the AST itself held only 6 of Arsenal's 62,217 shares at the time of KSE's 100% takeover in 2018.

Name

Arsenal Supporters Trust

Legal name

The Arsenal Supporters' Society Limited

Website

https://arsenaltrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Arsenal Supporters' Trust is a UK-registered cooperative society founded in 2003 that represents Arsenal Football Club supporters through advocacy, independent financial analysis, and formal dialogue with the club via the Arsenal Advisory Board, funded by approximately 1,000 paying members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supporter Advocacy / Sports Fan Representation Services

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Subscription Fan Membership Platforms (Paid Communities) (MPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Supporter advocacy
• Football fan representation
• Club governance campaigns
• Membership organization
• Ticketing and safe standing advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Buckingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Primary revenue stream from annual membership fees at £20 per year (recurring) or £25 for single annual payment, and lifetime membership at £250 one-time fee. The trust has no commercial partners per its privacy policy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arsenal Supporters Trust sells paid memberships (Annual at £20/year recurring or £25 single year, Lifetime at £250) to Arsenal Football Club supporters, and delivers advocacy, survey-based research, independent financial analysis of Arsenal FC, and in-person meetings to represent fan interests to the club's board and owners. Membership funds governance campaigning, ticketing and safe-standing advocacy, and structured dialogue with Arsenal via the Arsenal Advisory Board.

Product overview

Arsenal Supporters Trust operates as a membership-based organization offering two tiers of membership (Annual at £20/year and Lifetime at £250), supplemented by advocacy services including AFC financial analysis, Safe Standing campaigns, ticketing advocacy, and governance reform efforts. The organization represents supporter interests through regular meetings, surveys, and engagement with Arsenal's Advisory Board. No technology platform or software product is offered—the organization functions as a traditional supporters' trust focused on fan representation and club governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AST Annual Membership Annual membership tier of the Arsenal Supporters' Trust at £20 recurring yearly or £25 single-year payment. Provides Arsenal FC supporters with access to member surveys, meetings with football-industry speakers, representation at Premier League and FSA meetings, priority places at supporter events, regular newsletters, and input to the Arsenal CEO, Board, and Fans' Forum.
• AST Lifetime Membership One-time lifetime membership tier of the Arsenal Supporters' Trust at a single £250 payment. Provides all standard AST membership benefits (surveys, meetings, representation, newsletters, priority events) without recurring fees.
• Member Meetings & Events Regular in-person meetings of Arsenal Supporters' Trust members held in central London, approximately 90 minutes long with refreshments and featuring top guest speakers from the football world. Open to all AST members.
• AFC Financial Analysis Independent analysis of Arsenal Football Club's financial position, including revenue breakdowns, wage analysis, and financial projections, prepared by finance-expert AST board members for members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of Arsenal fans surveyed in 2017 supported safe standing at football grounds
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Football Supporters' Association (FSA)coreOthersThe Arsenal Supporters' Society Ltd, trading as Arsenal Supporters' Trust, is a member of the Football Supporters' Association. This provides representation at Premier League and FSA meetings, and connects the trust to wider fan advocacy campaigns.
• Arsenal Football ClubcoreOthersThe AST has a formal relationship with Arsenal FC through the Arsenal Advisory Board (AAB), which provides structured dialogue between supporters and the club's Board/executives. The trust represents member interests on ticketing, governance, finance, and fan experience issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Spirit of Shankly: Liverpool FC supporters' trust, recognised by the club and the FSA. Direct peer as a registered society advocating for supporter representation, ticket accessibility, and ownership accountability.
• Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust: Official independent supporters' trust representing fans of a fellow Premier League London club. Operates the same membership-fee model, conducts surveys, and engages club ownership on ticketing, governance, and the fan experience.
• Chelsea Supporters' Trust: Independent trust representing Chelsea FC supporters with formal dialogue arrangements with the club. Direct peer in mission and structure, focused on supporter voice and governance.
• Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST): Independent supporters' trust for Manchester United fans, focused on fan ownership, governance reform, and accountability of the Glazer ownership. Closest comparable peer in scale, ambition, and shareholder-advocacy history.

Broad incumbents

• Supporters Direct: Organisation (now part of the FSA network) historically focused on supporter ownership and trust development across English football. Sets governance models and best practice that the AST follows.
• Football Supporters' Association (FSA): The national umbrella body of which the AST is itself a member. Provides representation at Premier League and government level, setting the framework within which individual club trusts like AST operate.

Regional players

• AFC Heritage Society: Independent Arsenal-focused supporter organisation (historically known as the Arsenal History Society). Adjacent peer within the same fan ecosystem, focused on club heritage rather than governance advocacy.

Emerging players

• FC Barcelona - 'Mes que una mocio' / Supporters' movements: Comparable European football supporter governance movement advocating for member-driven ownership and democratic participation. Thematically aligned as a peer fan-empowerment organisation, though structurally different.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AST_arsenal

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arsenal Supporters Trust