BRSIT- First Public Meeting Details!

A supporters` campaign to bring Blackburn Rovers into community ownership is calling on all fans to join the cause as it steps up its fight following the club`s relegation from the Premier League.

The Blackburn Rovers Supporters Investment Trust (BRSIT) has already received a massive £1.5 million in pledges and is urging fans who may be "sitting on the fence" to join them now the club`s fate on the pitch has been sealed.

The Trust is inviting all supporters to its first public meeting at the Windsor Suite at King George`s Hall in Blackburn on Saturday May 26 from 10am until noon.

And it says the event is an ideal opportunity for those who may be undecided about the campaign to get the full facts following the club`s relegation from English football`s top flight.

BRSIT Founders, Dan Grabko and Wayne Wild, alongside Rovers Legend Simon Garner, will try to answer all questions supporters have about the Trust and the way forward for the Ewood Park club.

Wayne Wild said: "This is an ideal opportunity for supporters who may be undecided and sitting on the fence to get the full facts about what we are proposing and why we feel this is the way forward for our club.

We believe our campaign has real impetus and that we will see more and more supporters joining the cause now they can see where the club will be next season and the challenges that it faces.

We have already had the support of fans of Blackburn Rovers in all corners of the globe, who all want to see their club in their ownership.

Our message to those who are undecided is come along to the meeting, listen and ask questions and join our fight for the club`s future.

The passion and enthusiasm we have already seen for our campaign and the will that exists out there for it to succeed just highlights what Blackburn Rovers means to its community and why it should be owned by the supporters.

Our aim is to build on that and our first open meeting is another step on that journey. Given our relegation and the state of the club at the moment, we believe the success of our campaign is even more vital for the future of our club.

Whether you have already pledged your support or would like to find out more about our proposal, all are welcome to attend this open event."

The £1.5 million in pledges has come from Rovers fans from across the globe. High profile supporters of the campaign include local MPs Jack Straw, Jake Berry and Graham Jones; Kate Hollern, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Sir Bill Taylor.

he business community is also backing the Trust in its aims. They include Colin Mustoe, founder and chairman of Senator International, the UK`s largest manufacturer of office furniture, which employs more than 1,000 people mainly at its Hyndburn headquarters.

The aim of the Trust is to take ownership of Blackburn Rovers for the sole benefit of the club, the supporters and the community now and for the future.

Wayne Wild added: "We need to keep the pledges coming in from supporters and the business community to show we are the most credible and attractive option for when the current owners decide they would like to sell the club.

We are here to offer them a respectful and dignified exit strategy from their investment and, in the spirit of what is best for them and for Blackburn Rovers, we will keep asking for a dialogue with the owners or their representatives."

BRSIT is asking all Rovers fans to go to www.brsit.co.uk to pledge their commitment to buying shares in the club. No money is required at this stage, just a commitment that, when required, the number of shares pledged will be bought.

The trust has set a notional target of £10 million, initially, as a clear demonstration that the majority of fans are behind the bid.

BRSIT has also revealed it is working on a unique shareholder return scheme it calls the Rovers Club Cash incentive that could give fans investing in the Trust`s plan an effectively 'free` season ticket for the next 20 years.

This and more details of its proposals on a potential takeover bid for the club have been made known in a comprehensive question and answer document for fellow fans` comments published on the website

Anyone with ideas of how they can help raise the number of pledges to buy shares or how the business community can be targeted is asked to contact the Trust directly via the website, www.brsit.co.uk or email me.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.