GREENOCK MORTON are officially a fan-owned club after the vast majority of the club’s shares were transferred over to a supporters’ group.

Fan membership organisation Morton Club Together (MCT), which has 850 members, has increased its stake in the Championship side from 15 per cent to a little under 90 per cent, thus taking majority ownership.

The move concludes a process two and a half years in the making for the Greenock club, with MCT members contributing £10 a month to the organisation.

MCT founder Graham McLennan admitted that the road to becoming a fan-owned club has been arduous but not that it has been traversed, he predicted a brighter future for the second tier side.

“Since launch day, MCT has been about bringing people together,” he told Morton’s website.

“Without our fellow MCT members and the ongoing efforts and support of so many people inside and outside MCT, the change already delivered at Morton and the opportunities created to continue to move Morton forward would simply not be possible.

“I will never stop being humbled, amazed and thankful to every single person who continues to come forward to support and help MCT and Morton.

“We are all in this equally and together we will continue to work hard, openly and respectfully, as we all share a love for Morton and the community within which it operates, and always will.

“We could say that we are now just arriving at the starting line of a new era, with an exciting journey ahead. Of course, there are huge challenges to be addressed as we strive to achieve the best Morton possible, and power in people numbers has never been so important.

“By sticking together and continuing to welcome new members into MCT, I am confident that what Morton will achieve is potentially incredible.”

The long-standing relationship between Golden Casket (the Rae family’s firm and the club’s previous owners) has been brought to a close now that the takeover has been concluded, with outgoing chairman Crawford Rae – son of former chair Douglas – expressing his belief that the move to fan ownership is a momentous day for the team.

“A new chapter in the history of Greenock Morton Football Club officially starts today,” he wrote.

“The supporters have dreamt of community ownership for many years, however until MCT came along, we honestly did not see this becoming a reality.

 

“Graham McLennan founded MCT and put together a group of amazing people who between them have a huge wealth of experience. There is always strength in numbers but far greater strength is achieved with a collective goodwill which MCT delivers in abundance.

“There is no better legacy for the Rae family than to afford the fans the opportunity of community ownership which is why we decided to gift MCT our majority shareholding as opposed to selling to a third party. The vision that MCT displayed to our family convinced us that community ownership was the best option for the future success of Greenock Morton Football Club and the right time for us to step aside.

“The last 20 years have been a rollercoaster of emotions for every member of the Rae family, we have met some great characters and made many good friends along the way. We could not have done any of this without the undying support of the Morton fans who have been the backbone of our team. For their contribution we will be eternally grateful.

“We have been assisted by so many fine people who have thrown their weight behind the task, giving of their time for nothing and we take this opportunity to thank them all for their tower of strength and friendship during our tenure.

“We are forever Morton supporters and wish everyone great success for the future of the football club.”