The Battle For Britton

This landmark agreement brings:

• An increased shareholding for Swans Fans through the Trust
• More cash for the club to assemble a squad capable of challenging for honours
• An opportunity for a massive boost to the local community through a "sell-on clause"

The "Battle for Britton" scheme is open to all supporters whether Trust members or not.

Trust Chair Leigh Dineen explains further "We had to have Leon here next season. He's still only 20, had his only 1st team experience with us last season, and he'll get even better as he gets more experience. West Ham clearly think highly of him as they insisted on a sell on clause as part of releasing his papers.

For the new season, the League have introduced a wage cap which limits the total of players wages to 60% of income. Obviously this reduces Brian Flynn's scope but if the fans can come up with the money to cover Leon's wages it makes the job a lot easier. So let's get on with it. We've got the whole season to do this. It may be a tall order to raise all the money but every pound will help. And every pound gets us an extra share in the club." According to soccernet.com "Britton actually started off at Chelsea as a nine-year-old, before spending six years with Arsenal. West Ham then came in to sign the player, paying what was described as a 'big fee' for the teenager - rumoured to be £400,000. Enjoyed immediate success with the Hammers, picking up the FA Youth Cup and Under-19 championship in consecutive seasons. A product of the FA's School of Excellence, Britton is an England Under-18 international" Trust Spokesperson Marilyn Croft added "The Bosman rules apply at 24 and over, so if another club comes in with a bid for him before then, the club should receive a reasonable fee. Frankly, I'd rather Leon stayed. We all know Leon is a Jack, but there may come a point when he gets an offer that's too good for him to refuse.

"If that did happen, we'd get back all the money we'd paid over and it's all committed to going back into community schemes for our young footballers. That's got to be a good thing as the area continues to produce a lot of raw talent. On top of that we'd also get a percentage of any additional profit to go to the same cause. I'm delighted we've got this agreement and I'd urge our fellow supporters to remember the passion from the Hull game, support Leon, support this campaign and give the Club a flying start to the season"

The "Battle for Britton" campaign will be officially launched on the opening day of the season.

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