Orient announce move to involve supporters

LEAGUE TWO Football Club Leyton Orient have announced a new structures to provide supporters with a way of giving feedback and ideas to the Club.

The move honours a pledge made by US businessman Nigel Travis, Chief Executive of Dunkin’ Donuts, who promised that fans would be able to express their views on the Club and how it was being run under the new regime.

Travis was born in Essex and was a longstanding fan of Orient before he bought the Club. He has invested heavily to bring it out of the doldrums and turn it into a “great family club in the heart of the East End”.

Orient has now announced that it has formed a representative supporters group of nine supporters: two from the Leyton Orient Supporters’ Club, two from the Leyon Orient Fans’ Trust (LOFT) and five members who will be elected by supporters. The nine supporters will meet Leyton officials – including CEO Danny Macklin and Director of Football Martin Ling – at least twice a season and will also be able to liaise with the Club Supporters Liaison Officer in between formal metings.

Danny Macklin told the Club website, “We’ve been working closely with the Leyton Orient Supporters’ Club and Leyton Orient Fans’ Trust over the past few months. We want to make sure we are hearing voices from across the different fan groups and from supporters individually. […] We are looking forward to receiving that dialogue and sharing it with the wider fanbase.”

David Dodd, Chair of the Leyton Orient Supporters’ Club, added, “Whilst the Supporters Club has long enjoyed ongoing liaison with the Club board and management, we welcome the introduction of the new fans’ group forum… We feel sure that the forum will prove to be another step forward in building upon the already much improved relationship and understanding between fans and the Board at Leyton Orient.”

Jonathan Kaye, Secretary of the Leyton Orient Fans’ Trust, said, “I’m delighted that between ourselves, our friends at the Supporters Club and the club board we’ve found a way to honour Nigel’s pledge of fan representation with the board.”

•For more information about Leyton Orient Football Club, go to:
www.leytonorient.com

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