ACCRINGTON Stanley owner Dave O’Neill has announced a "share issue package" this week with a limited 1000 shares in the club up for sale.

For £250 plus VAT it entitles a person to a "B" share in the club - which makes the person an official Accrington Stanley Football Club Limited shareholder. They also receive a framed share certificate, copies of financial accounts and an invite to the club’s AGM.

As well there is a limited edition replica shirt - with the Reds due to confirm details of a new kit supplier, with a new shirt to be launched later this month.

And there will also be ten flexi tickets - ten tickets to be used at any Coca Cola Football League fixture at Stanley.

The supporters have been asking for a re-issue of shares ever since the story emerged of the outstanding £308,000 tax bill which the club have to pay off by October 28.

And, with just under 10 per cent up for grabs here and Ilyas Khan donating his 12 per cent to the Accrington Stanley Supporters Fund, it means the fans could have a big say in the future of the club, once they clear the financial problems. Individuals already own about 12 per cent shares in the club, including the Observer.

The major shareholders of Stanley are, as listed at Customs House, still former chairman Eric Whalley, with 51 per cent, although O’Neill says he has sent accounts to Customs House to get the main ownership swapped to him; David Styring who is believed to own about 15 per cent shares in the club; Ilyas Khan with just over 12 per cent and Peter Marsden with 10 per cent.

The "share package" has thrown up questions about who the shares up for sale belong to and if it will stop the current owner and directors now dipping their hands into their own pockets to save the club.

Here the owner explains some of the questions raised by fans over the ‘share package’ ...

Explain the new share issue.

The offer of the sale of the share package is designed to enable individuals and organisations to show their support for Accrington Stanley and own a genuine part of the football club going forward. All subscribers will receive a framed certificate and will also be given a limited edition share issue replica shirt and ten flexi tickets that can be used at any Accrington Stanley league game.

Whose shares are they and will some of the money raised not have to go the person who owns these?

They are existing shares in the football club which belong David Styring. The club has bought his 15 per cent shares with around 10 per cent available in this share package. The other five are available to the club. The club have had to pay for the shares from David Styring but by re-issuing them in this new package Stanley hope to make a considerable amount of money to take the club forward. If they are all sold over the next 12 months, they would raise over £200,000 for the club.

Does owner Dave O’Neill still therefore have his 51 per cent shares in the club?

There will be no change to this for now.

If someone bought all 1000 shares how much of the club would that give them?

The total stake on offer is just under 10 per cent.

How much is the club valued at?

The club is really worth whatever anyone is prepared to pay for it. It is difficult to assess as there are not many fixed assets at the club. However obviously there is a value to the playing squad, and the club’s biggest assets are without a doubt our famous name and our Football League status.

If people buy shares, can they attend the club's AGM and will they have a say in how the club is run?

All shareholders will receive a set of accounts and an invite to the AGM. The club is and has always been answerable to all supporters for every decision made here, be they a shareholder or not.

With this sale of shares we are appealing for people to come forward and make a small investment in Accrington Stanley to help us build for the future. However, to take that a step further, anyone that pays to come on to one of our matches over the course of a season has made an investment in the club and is entitled to an opinion.

Are Dave O'Neill and other directors still putting their £100,000 into the club they promised or are these shares - and the cash they produce - going towards the tax bill?

Yes that hasn’t changed. Although this might bring a small amount of money in over the next week or so this scheme isn’t designed to pay off the amount owed to HMRC.

Instead it is something that we will promote over the next couple of months to bring money in to assist with our plans to continue to take the club forward.

What did Dave O’Neill think of Ilyas Khan handing over his 12 per cent of shares in the club to the Accrington Stanley Fighting Fund and does this affect the ownership of Stanley?

It is a fantastic gesture from Ilyas and gives the fans a significant stakeholding in the club that they support. Once we have satisfied HMRC we look forward to sitting down and speaking with all our supporters organisations and looking at the best way we can ensure that they are represented in terms of the running of the club.