Revealed: The ambitious fundraising target of Newcastle United part-ownership 1892 Pledge campaign

The Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) are leading a new campaign, named 1892 Pledge, to raise money to give fans a small share in the club when it is sold by owner Mike Ashley.

“Raising funds will give us the financial backing to make our voices properly heard as and when the club is eventually sold,” said NUST chair Greg Tomlinson.

The campaign hopes to raise at least £3million, according to NUST board member Alex Hurst.

“We think at least £3million, because of Mike Ashley’s alleged (£300million) valuation,” said Hurst.

“If you even wanted to buy 1% of the club, you’d need to raise at least that.

"It’s a tough one to answer, because if the club was relegated, or sold at a different price, that’s outside of our contract. But we think at least £3million would be a starting point for this. We’re hoping to raise more, of course.”

Fans pledged more than £5,000 in the first hours of the launch via donations to a dedicated 1892 Pledge website.

Asked if £3million was a realistic target, Hurst said: “We do. We look at what the fans of Hearts have done in Scotland and the fans of Rangers are trying to do now. It’s different, but the guys at the Foundation of Hearts have been tremendous allies to us.

"If the fans of Hearts, which is a fantastic football club, but on a good week with crowds of 15,000 can do what they’ve done, and raise nearly £12million over re years, what can we do?

"What can Newcastle United do? That’s part of this. We want to found out.

"We’ve had a great launch. We’ve raised over £5,000 in the first hour or so, which is great. That’s obviously a long way from where we need to be. This is a long-term project.

"We’ve got over 1,000 people already who’ve decided to pledge, and it’s in the middle of a work day. We’re confident it is realistic. It soon starts to add up.”

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