Well done Simon, the momentum regarding change appears to be gaining traction and presents a real opportunity? As you have alluded to a unified voice is greater than a minority one? To that end I raised the possibility of supporters trusts/clubs creating a kind of national affiliation with the intention of creating greater lobbying power? Is this strategy in the thoughts of the trust or perhaps even on the agenda for the upcoming meetings with the supporters clubs of Swindon, Torquay etc? Or are there issues, concerns or restrictions that may make this proposition counter productive or impractical?
Having discussed the issue of communication with members of the trust board in the past, I was informed that technical hurdles prevented regular communication/emails to the membership, especially those which may require a response, such as a those involving surveys. I went on the record with an offer of assistance should this be a route which the trust wish to pursue and take the opportunity to repeat that offer now. As stated many times, I believe full and regular engagement with the membership is vital to the future of the trust and as you know, this position has been endorsed by other members of the forum and the Trust. What is the boards current position regarding this issue and what proposals are being considered if any?
Sorry Melly, I'll try my best with some of these!
Look, i'm one of the first to say that the Trust have not exactly covered themselves in glory with regards to communication, accessibility, inclusion and other things in the past. As I said in my earlier post, thats partly the reason why I have got involved! And here I am on here, doing my bit to try and get a bit more of the news and views out there whilst listening to the views of the supporters too.
There is a lot going on with the Fan Led review and suchlike, I know our Trust has been involved and has provided some input, I also know that we have been in touch with the Supporters Direct organisation. As already mentioned, meetings have been held with Swindon and Torquay, we had a date for Accrington but they pulled out due to a Covid issue with their main contributor. That meeting will be rearranged as will one with Blackpool who have promised to meet with us over the Summer. We have also had contact with Exeter City with whom the Trust has built up good links with over the past couple of years. Lincoln are another side mentioned as a possible future meeting, how they managed to get fans involved after their relegation to the Conference is amazing. So at this stage we are looking at ideas, both from a "fan owned" front, and also just about ways of getting more engagement.
Moves are afoot to redesign the Trust website, to change the membership fee structure, to allow bank transfers rather than Paypal as now. You make a good point about surveys, this is something that can be looked at and discussed. At the moment the fanbase is very fragmented, at the moment we are trying to keep an eye on Twitter, at least three Facebook groups, this site, and others to gauge the mood.
A membership drive will take place, an Open Forum as soon as Covid restrictions allow is also on the agenda..... there's a lot going on believe me! At the end of the day though we (The Trust board) are 7 or 8 volunteers with varying amounts of free time, just trying to make a difference.