Football club's fans raise £55,000 through new share scheme
Annan Athletic have already raised £55,000 as part of a new community share issue at the club.
The Scottish League One club are aiming to inject up to £100,000 into the club and are delighted by the response from fans so far.
Shares in blocks of £5,000 were made available three weeks ago.
The initiative is aimed at bolstering the club on and off the pitch.
Chairman Russell Brown has welcomed the response from supporters of the fan-owned Galabank club.
He said: 'We are really pleased - and extremely grateful - for the way in which people have stepped forward so far to support us by buying community shares or expressing an interest in doing so.
'Our target for this initiative is ambitious and, clearly, the closer we can get to it, the better it is for our aim of strengthening the club's financial stability.
'But the most energising aspect of the past few weeks has actually been the way in which the share offer has got people talking and sharing ideas about the wider ways in which we can boost the club's finances and how they can be part of it.'
Annan have extended the window in which shares can be bought, from March 22 to April 5.
"This ties in with the tax year-end, with purchasers potentially able to take advantage of tax incentives linked to the shares," the club added in a statement.
Other initiatives aimed at supporting the club include a sell-out evening with former Rangers star and Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd at Galabank on March 28, and a race night on March 29 after Wullie Gibson's side take on Kelty Hearts.
Brown added: 'Annan Athletic is playing at the highest level it ever has, but - like so many other clubs - we find ourselves in an incredibly challenging position financially.
'We're not hiding away from that. We need to be really innovative in response.
"This share offer is just one of the ways in which we'll be looking to generate new funds in the weeks and months ahead. We are really thankful to our fans, and the wider community, for getting behind us.'
Each community share investor is being granted life member status along with membership of a new Club 1942, named in honour of the year the Black-and-Golds were founded.
Annan, who sit ninth in Scotland's third tier, go to Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday.
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