I'm writing to wish the compliments of the season to all
Trust members past and present and to give you some news about the future of
the Trust, which, since the introduction of the new Supporters Club in the
summer, has effectively been sidelined.
During a recent meeting with Jay Marriott (CEO of Gloucester
Sport) the Trust was invited to resume its responsibility for
"routine" fund-raising such as player sponsorship, match day cash draws, etc. We understand that the new Supporters Club
will no longer operate as an independent body and that the Football Club will
take responsibility for one-off events at the TT Stadium. The Trust has pointed
out that this development has implications for people who have already joined
(and pay ongoing subs to) the Supporters Club and no doubt this will be
clarified shortly.
As regards the Trust it is a chance to re-focus on what we
do, and how and why we do it. Our
membership is much reduced though we are fortunate to have a loyal core of
support which, together with fundraising at our last two home matches, has
enabled us to make a substantial donation (£1800+) to the FC to meet
outstanding first team travel expenses. And, while it is likely that for the
time being much of our fundraising will continue to be directed towards the
First Team, we need to focus on our core activities which can briefly be
summarised as:-
> Improving communication between supporters
and the Football Club Board
> Supporting and fundraising throughout the
"One City" Community
> Representing fans' views to the Football Club
and liaising with the Football Supporters Association
> Growing/diversifying our membership to better
represent the community we and the Football Club serve
> Remaining a democratic, independent and
regulated legal body with transparent finances and accountability to our
members
> Moving with the times and improving
communication and visibility.
We need more members and we need more people to volunteer
(especially on matchdays) so please spread the word. Above all we need to know what you the
supporter thinks and wants and to this end we will be sending out a short
survey in the New Year. The more people who participate the better we can
properly represent you the fans. Let's pull together and rediscover the momentum
and optimism of our return to the City.
Merry Christmas All and a Happy New Year to one and all, on
and off the field!
Robin Mogg, Chairman, Gloucester City Supporters Trust
________________
Current Board Members:
Robin Mogg, Trevor King (Treasurer), Gordon Bendall, Dave
Jones, Paul Halford, Matt Bowman, Alan Dawkins (Secretary)
David Miller has kindly taken over our Twitter and Facebook
social media accounts: @GCAFCSupporters
