Owner Carter keen to follow Oxford and secure fans help

By sosborn simon osborn simon.osborn@essnmedia.co.uk

SUSAN Carter says she wants Crawley Town to take a leaf out of Oxford United and AFC Wimbledon's book and get more help from their supporters.

The Reds co-owner says she has been impressed with the way other clubs have joined forces with their fans to take their clubs forward, and thinks a similar thing could happen at the Broadfield.

Oxford United have a 12th man fund which has already allowed manager Chris Wilder to bring in at least one extra player this season while the Dons rely heavily on a number of people who work at Kingsmeadow for free on a Saturday.

And Carter thinks there is no reason why Crawley cannot follow their example and benefit from a similar arrangement.

She said: "Those clubs have benefited greatly from their supporters and if Crawley could do a similar thing in our own way it would be a big help in taking us forward.

"It isn't just about money, it is about harnessing the skills of our supporters and getting them to do what they are good at to help the club."

Carter believes that if supporters can offer their skills for free or at a reduced rate it will enable the club to spend more money on the pitch - and perhaps finance a promotion charge next season.

"Ultimately all anyone looks at is the progress being made on the pitch but if we can get some help in other areas then it enables us to use our money on making the team better, and not doing running repairs on the stadium for instance," she added.

The club have appealed for help in replacing the existing fixtures board and are looking for electricians, a flooring specialist and an audio visual engineer to work on improving the Redz venue.

The club are also hoping to get a new portakabin.

"It's about getting the contacts so the club can get the best rate possible, if anyone knows someone who might be able to help then I'd love them to get in contact with the club," added Carter.

"It's important we get the relationship with the community back to where it should be. Without going into it I think it is fair to say that was dented while the previous owners were at the club"

Carter is also keen to maximise off the field income for Crawley, and wants the club to benefit more from the Redz bar at the club.

This weekend sees one of the first live music events at the bar, with Euphoria booked for a show on Saturday night.

The band are a four-piece modern-day rock and pop covers band that have been performing together for 10 years.

Other bands due to play the bar over the next few months include Righteous and the Wicked and Two Choices.

Further information can be found on the Venues Website, www.redzvenue.co.uk or on Venues Facebook page.