Norwich City Supporters Trust AGM.

[morty]

Date :- Thursday 12th February

Venue :- Carrow Road

Time :- AGM 19:15, Q&A 20:00

The Trust board hope to see a strong turnout at this years AGM as we will be announcing an exciting rebranding, and change of direction for the Trust, as we look to both significantly increase membership, and our shareholding in Norwich City.

We will also be launching a new, members only, competition with cash prizes.

The AGM will be followed by a Q&A session hosted by Michael Bailey, and Darren Eadie (Norwich City legend and all round nice guy) of Mustard TV.

For more information about the Norwich City Supporters Trust, see their website :-

http://www.inthehandsofthefans.co.uk/

 

[Beauseant]

Thanks to Morty for bringing this up and hopefully some of you will come along on Thursday.

The Trust is undergoing a radical transformation with a new name and new logo, a new chairman and a different ethos. In the past the Trust has been ambivalent about what is, sometimes straying into the territory of more radical groups like the now defunct NCISA while also closely affiliating with the club via our strong bonds with Delia and David McNally. Far too much of what we do has been out of the public eye, with the inevitable result that many people are unclear as to what we actually do!

in a nutshell, The Trust is a mutual cooperative non profit society owned by its members, ie anyone who pays a subscription. Its is administered by a Board and Its primary objective is to raise money via subscriptions and fund raising events like the Norfolk Show for the purpose of buying shares in the football club to hold on behalf of its members. Contrary to popular myth this is not with the aim of putting a fan on the board, as has happened at other clubs, but to ensure that the fans have a sufficiently large shareholding to ensure that a dialogue with the club is always available, as, increasingly, clubs are only really interested in talking to shareholders rather than fan groups.

Currently we hold around £13,000 of shares and are increasing this all the time, either by buying new shares for the club, or from those who's owners wish to sell. It's a long term and slow process, but one to which we are committed, as the examples of clubs like Portsmouth show the need for a strong Supporters Trust at any club. We are affiliated to Supporters Direct, the Football Supporters Federation and Kick it Out and work actively with other fan groups such as the Barclay End Projeckt and Proud Canaries, among others.

We are now looking to develop our social side with a few to providing a focus for the vast majority of City fans who are uneasy about joining more militant groups but who would like to have a stake in the club via an organisation that doesn't look to tell the owners and CEO how to run the football club or break out the flaming brands and pitchforks after every couple of bad results. We are also looking to organise forums with ex players and media personalities if there is sufficient demand.

 

[morty]

There has been too much nonsense attached to the supporters associations, in their various historical guises. Personal grudges and power struggles, that have detracted from the intentions of good people, who want to volunteer their own time, for the good of fellow fans.

I am not interested in what has happened in the past, and take in an interest in this very much based on the shareholding intention.

As Beauseant says, Its the only way that the club will genuinely take interest in any fan dialogue.

 

[Personal Trainer]

Beauseant talks of the Trust working behind the scenes and shunning publicity.

An autumnal Trust thread on this site brought out an offer to make the Trust Annual Reports available to non-members if they were interested, this was taken up and there were a number of issues raised with the Club that had received no coverage anywhere else..

The Trust had indicated to the Club’s majority shareholders and the Chief Executive that it was considering seeking to get Carrow Road listed as an Asset of Community Value under the new Localism Act and that hoped the Club would not oppose the submission. The Clubs response was that it felt that to have Carrow Road listed as an ACV would be too restrictive if it was necessary to take a financial decision to relocate the Club.

[SIZE=10pt]The Trust had constantly asked the Club to apply for the Equality Standards certification. This was later achieved.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The Trust had pressed for the Club to introduce the post of Supporter Liaison Officer preferably appointed from the fan base as at some other Clubs.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The Trust had pressed the Club to negotiate with local Rail networks regarding times and ticketing arrangements (especially for evening matches), possible rail season tickets which could lead to reduced road traffic on match days.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]All are important subjects but hardly issues to get press coverage.[/SIZE]

 

[morty]

A great evening, and a good turnout!

 

[TILLY]

The 'myth' comment has caught my eye Robin and I was rather hoping to catch you pre match in The Nelson yesterday to have a chat about it rather than on here. I remember very well comments made by Trust officers over the years going right back to the very first meeting held after a game in the Russell Allison Lounge way back in 2002 which I attended. Whilst accepting this is now 2015 re writing history when it is there in black and white for all to see several times over the last 13 years really does need I little more clarification than a passing remark on a football forum.

If indeed the new Trust no longer seek to have a fan democratically elected to the board of NCFC I fully understand the new road being taken but previous statements surely need to be withdrawn.

Hope to speak soon and explain more fully what I recall backed up with links to comments made by NCST as opposed to the new CST view. A 'myth' it most certainly was not Robin.

 

[Beauseant]

It wasn't but it is now John, hence my comment. If you check out the revised website in the next few days you will see that it's made very clear that it was an original objective but is no longer. Hope that clears it up.

 

[TILLY]

It is also in the constitution Robin so I take it that has been revised as well then ?