New Supporters Trust Website

[+jagster]

On 8/3/2022 at 2:05 PM, CaleyD said:

This is not intended as an opinion on what the trust should or should not do.  I post this purely for information and because Peter has stated that he stands willing to be corrected.

This snippet is from the clubs articles of association.

As at the last return, there are 4,902,379 ordinary shares issued.

Supporters Trust have 13,658 shares, of which 108 have enhanced rights....leaving 13,550 "ordinary" rights.

The enhanced shares are, in todays terms, equal to 490,237 shares....and we then add the 13,550....total 503,787

As per the company articles 900,003 of the ordinary shares carry no voting right, so issued shares with voting powers total 4,002,376 and this gives the trust a voting right of approx 12.6% in real terms

This is the second largest single entity voting right which exists within the club right now and far surpasses the total voting right of all current directors combined.  The largest shareholding/voting right sits with the ICT Trust (a different entity to the supporters trust).

The company articles state no need for club directors to stand down and/or be reelected by rotation.  They have the power to appoint new directors and are, at present, entirely self appointed with no elected members on the board.

A shareholder resolution can be raised by giving sufficient notice ahead of any general meeting for the election of a board member.  The Supporters Trust could do that now if they so desired.

The current board do not hold anything like sufficient shares between them to stop that resolution and would need support from others to do so...if they so wished.

Haven’t even read it because I’m on the shot.  But the very Name CaleyD knows that he has the club and fans at heart good to see you back  and somebody that will keep Billy’s surname spelt right. How does it go again

[davie]

On 7/28/2022 at 8:42 AM, dougal said:

Are there any born and bred Invernessians on the board ?

 

Dougal

[High1ander]

[Robert]

Good to see the club supporting the Trust by encouraging new members:

https://ictfc.com/supporters-trust-recruitment-drive 

Hopefully it gets a positive response. 

[+DoofersDad]

It is great news that the Club's Board is stating publicly that a strong and active Supporters Trust is good for the club, and that they are supporting the Trust's Board in its campaign to increase membership numbers in order to better support both the Club and its supporters.  For ease of reference, I have copied the Club's statement  below.  

Please note that the Trust are holding an open meeting at the Caley Club at 12noon this coming Saturday.  Board members will be present and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the Trust as well as listen to your views of what you think the Trust should be discussing with the Club.  We expect the meeting will go on for about an hour giving folk plenty of time to get something to eat and drink before heading off to the Cove game.  

Representatives of the Trust will also be at the Supporters Trust desk in the Sports Bar prior to the game, so please come along and say hello.  We hope to have a regular presence at the desk prior to games in the future.

 

The Board of Directors of Inverness Caledonian Thistle are happy to support a fresh bid by the Supporters’ Trust to increase its membership and play a key role in enhancing the match day experience of fans, through fund-raising activities.

Gordon Fyfe, a club director and Supporters’ Liaison Officer, said: “The Board of Directors recognise fully the importance of our loyal support. The Supporters’ Trust has a 10 per cent voting stake in the club and therefore has a ready-made platform for representing the voice of fans.

“To play a more meaningful role in the development of the club and become truly representative of our fans, the Trust needs to engage with the wide base of our support, including our enthusiastic and growing band of younger supporters and those who provide terrific vocal support at away games.

“We are happy to support the Supporters’ Trust in their efforts to boost not only their Board but the wider membership and wish them well in their campaign. A strong and active Trust can only be good for the club.”

New Trust Chair Jennifer Aitchison said: “An active Supporters’ Trust can do so much to help the Club in providing a better matchday experience for fans and in raising funds for specific projects.    We want fans to join the Trust to help us support the Club and to better represent the views of you, the supporters, of our great club.”

Anyone wishing to join the Trust should visit www.ictsupporterstrust.org.  Annual membership is just £5 for adults and £1 for U16s.

 

 

[STFU]

Other than a generic, cliché riddled statement (which commits them to nothing) what are the club actually doing to support the trust's efforts to increase member numbers?

There's talk of getting involved in projects and improving the matchday experience that we've been hearing since the club came into being, but what does that actually involve?

It's easy to do nothing and keep kicking it down the road on the back of the excuse that there's not enough members to give a representative view on what should be done, or to support what you want to do....but I for one haven't got a clue what you are actually asking fans to back.

Give us something with some substance that we can buy into.

You may not have as many members as you like, but there's nothing to stop you polling non members.  If the club wanted to support you then they could actively work with you on doing that.

Aside from coming up with more ways to extract the fans hard earned cash to funnel it in to the club to pay for the basics that should be covered by our matchday/season ticket, what can we expect?

[High1ander]

Everyone is welcome to register their interest for the open meeting to be held at the Caley Club midday this Saturday by visiting the event page https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/events-1/open-meeting

[Robert]

11 hours ago, STFU said:

Other than a generic, cliché riddled statement (which commits them to nothing) what are the club actually doing to support the trust's efforts to increase member numbers?

There's talk of getting involved in projects and improving the matchday experience that we've been hearing since the club came into being, but what does that actually involve?

It's easy to do nothing and keep kicking it down the road on the back of the excuse that there's not enough members to give a representative view on what should be done, or to support what you want to do....but I for one haven't got a clue what you are actually asking fans to back.

Give us something with some substance that we can buy into.

You may not have as many members as you like, but there's nothing to stop you polling non members.  If the club wanted to support you then they could actively work with you on doing that.

Aside from coming up with more ways to extract the fans hard earned cash to funnel it in to the club to pay for the basics that should be covered by our matchday/season ticket, what can we expect?

I joined the Trust last year but am not on the Board, so other than bolstering the membership I’ve not had the opportunity to make a positive contribution, largely due to other commitments.

However, and just a thought, with your clear passion for the club, if you are going to Saturday’s game, why not go along to the Caley Club or the Sports Bar before the game and discuss your thoughts and concerns with Board members.

Why not join up and look to join the Board at the next opportunity, allowing you to influence the direction of the Trust and the relationship with the club?

[+Fraz]

I've been on the board of CJT/Trust in the past and was delighted to be part of it during some of our most successful seasons. However, I've not been involved for some years,  stepping back mostly due to work and growing family commitments. That's unchanged.

I've no idea about STFU or anyone else and everyone is entitled to their opinions regarding the club or The Trust but I do agree it's very easy to go online be it here, P&B, Twitter, Facebook etc and complain. It's much more difficult to give up some time and come up with constructive and realistic solutions to the issues.

The Club don't seem to want to make it easy either much of the time as they appear to have a select group of folk they listen to. They shouldn't be picking and choosing whose views are worthy and whose aren't. Hopefully that's changing. 

For the record I am a born and bred Invernessian

[highlandexile]

Like Fraz I too have been on the trust board and was chair for a while a few years ago.  It can be a thankless job with people quick to criticise but not so quick to help improve things!

The Trust has been stagnant for a few years now  due to many things including lack of active members and not having a great relationship with the club.  Covid didn't help neither! 

I really welcome the statement from the football club now showing a willingness to work with the trust and I  hope that our supporters will get on board and join the trust to make it a strong voice for the fans.  At the end of the day with around a 12% shareholding the trust should have a much stronger voice within the club.

The only one concern that I do have is that the current football club directors and CEO have a better understanding of what a trust can do and how it can benefit the football club and not expect the trust to be a cash cow for the football clubs running costs.

There is a lot of work to do and this is only the start of re launching the supporters trust.  So get behind them, join the trust and have a voice to make things better.

And finally yes I'm also  born and bread Invernessian too (not that this should really matter).

 

[+DoofersDad]

Many thanks to those of you who have responded positively to the Club's recent statement and have joined the Trust.  It is a positive start for the rejuvenated Trust and a growing membership will increasingly help the Trust Board to make the fans' voice heard.  The Trust Board met last night and we will be putting out a newsletter to members old and new sometime next week to update them on progress following the events of a very busy and important weak for the Trust.

For those who remain sceptical about the Club's support for the Trust, the need for a major increase in Trust membership and the reasons why they should join, I would make the following points:-

• The club is supporting the Trust by putting the statement out and saying publicly that an active Trust is good for the club.  Issuing such a statement is in sharp contrast to pulling the plug on the Fans Focus Group without explanation and is a reflection of work gone on behind the scenes.  The statement is a recognition from the Club Board both that working with the Trust will be useful to the club and that the current Trust Board consists of people the Club can work constructively with.
• Short, medium and long term goals are detailed on the Trust's website and they are what we are asking the supporters to buy into.  
• The detail of what projects the Trust will get involved with in the future will be influenced by what the Club wants to do and what our members want the club to do. It is not an excuse to say we need more members in order to be more representative and to do the work.  It is a harsh reality.  Why should the Club choose to engage with a group who might be seen as an unrepresentative clique pushing their own personal agenda?  It is absolutely vital that the Trust Board is seen to be as representative as possible and accountable to the members who voted for them.  
• It is also vital that more members get actively involved because the level of input required to make meaningful progress on our goals and to successfully engage in joint projects with the club is far more than the small number of current volunteers can possibly achieve. 

The open meeting at the Caley Club at 12.00 this coming Saturday is an opportunity to meet the Trust Board members and to raise issues that may be of concern to you.  There is also the opportunity to come and raise issues with us and to discuss how you can get involved at the Trust's desk in the Sports Bar prior to home games.  Together we can make the fans' voice heard.  You can join us on this journey here.

[STFU]

18 hours ago, Robert said:

I joined the Trust last year but am not on the Board, so other than bolstering the membership I’ve not had the opportunity to make a positive contribution, largely due to other commitments.

However, and just a thought, with your clear passion for the club, if you are going to Saturday’s game, why not go along to the Caley Club or the Sports Bar before the game and discuss your thoughts and concerns with Board members.

Why not join up and look to join the Board at the next opportunity, allowing you to influence the direction of the Trust and the relationship with the club?

Work commitments mean that I am usually one of the last in to the ground on a matchday so, even if I were inclined towards attending, it wouldn't be an option.*  I'm quite happy discussing my thoughts and concerns on this open forum.

I've no interest in joining boards or committees, but I am happy to support any events or initiatives if they appeal to me and/or provide added value for supporters.  If only we had some idea as to what these were?!

*FWiW, I stopped spending money in the Caley Club when it was sold into an ex Directors hands and the club stopped getting any benefit from the income it produces.

15 hours ago, Fraz said:

I've no idea about STFU or anyone else and everyone is entitled to their opinions regarding the club or The Trust but I do agree it's very easy to go online be it here, P&B, Twitter, Facebook etc and complain. It's much more difficult to give up some time and come up with constructive and realistic solutions to the issues.

The Club don't seem to want to make it easy either much of the time as they appear to have a select group of folk they listen to. They shouldn't be picking and choosing whose views are worthy and whose aren't. Hopefully that's changing. 

For the record I am a born and bred Invernessian

I keep seeing this idea that people should join the board to bring forward their ideas and solutions.  I'm guessing that's why the current board members joined.  Where are their constructive ideas and realistic solutions?  Put them out there and at least give the fans something to get behind...or not!  Right now it feels like I'm being asked to buy cinema tickets where we don't know what the movie is.  We'll try and decide what the movie is after we get 1200 people to turn up, but if they don't show up then there's no movie and no refund.

I agree with your point about the club choosing who they want to listen too, and it's generally people who tell them what they want to hear.  I'm not holding my breath on that changing any time soon.

9 hours ago, highlandexile said:

At the end of the day with around a 12% shareholding the trust should have a much stronger voice within the club.

The only one concern that I do have is that the current football club directors and CEO have a better understanding of what a trust can do and how it can benefit the football club and not expect the trust to be a cash cow for the football clubs running costs.

You are correct, the trust should have a much stronger voice within the club, unfortunately the trust fail to recognise that and think they need members to realise it.  Having a representative voice and having a strong voice are not the same thing.  Maybe if they used the latter to build the former then they might get on a bit better.  Or they can keep repeating what the trust has always done and getting where the trust has always got....nowhere.

I too share your concerns that the club only view the trust as a cash cow.  Coincidence that after huge losses from the concerts that they suddenly want a strong, active supporters trust?

5 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

Many thanks to those of you who have responded positively to the Club's recent statement and have joined the Trust.  It is a positive start for the rejuvenated Trust and a growing membership will increasingly help the Trust Board to make the fans' voice heard.  The Trust Board met last night and we will be putting out a newsletter to members old and new sometime next week to update them on progress following the events of a very busy and important weak for the Trust.

For those who remain sceptical about the Club's support for the Trust, the need for a major increase in Trust membership and the reasons why they should join, I would make the following points:-

• The club is supporting the Trust by putting the statement out and saying publicly that an active Trust is good for the club.  Issuing such a statement is in sharp contrast to pulling the plug on the Fans Focus Group without explanation and is a reflection of work gone on behind the scenes.  The statement is a recognition from the Club Board both that working with the Trust will be useful to the club and that the current Trust Board consists of people the Club can work constructively with.
• Short, medium and long term goals are detailed on the Trust's website and they are what we are asking the supporters to buy into.  
• The detail of what projects the Trust will get involved with in the future will be influenced by what the Club wants to do and what our members want the club to do. It is not an excuse to say we need more members in order to be more representative and to do the work.  It is a harsh reality.  Why should the Club choose to engage with a group who might be seen as an unrepresentative clique pushing their own personal agenda?  It is absolutely vital that the Trust Board is seen to be as representative as possible and accountable to the members who voted for them.  
• It is also vital that more members get actively involved because the level of input required to make meaningful progress on our goals and to successfully engage in joint projects with the club is far more than the small number of current volunteers can possibly achieve. 

The open meeting at the Caley Club at 12.00 this coming Saturday is an opportunity to meet the Trust Board members and to raise issues that may be of concern to you.  There is also the opportunity to come and raise issues with us and to discuss how you can get involved at the Trust's desk in the Sports Bar prior to home games.  Together we can make the fans' voice heard.  You can join us on this journey here.

See my point above about the strong voice vs representative voice.  Pandering to the clubs view that they are both the same thing and you can't be at the table unless you have a representative voice is a crock of smelly stuff.

I see from the website that a long term goal is a fans rep on the club board.  Given the information provided by CaleyD, you could have that by the end of this year.  Why not pursue it now?  It is absolutely an excuse to say that you can't reach this goal without more members.  Can we stop this mindset that a place on the board is the clubs gift to give?  It's not, and it's not even within their power to stop it happening.

The club board are the biggest clique of them all.  Not a single one of them voted in and they are trying to dictate to a sizeable voting rights/shareholder who they will allow into the boys club?

As, like the club, you seem to only be interested in speaking to/thanking people for positive contributions which fit with your thinking, I shall make this my last post on the matter.

[+DoofersDad]

STFU, I note you say that was your last post on the matter and therefore I will not prolong this debate further.  What I would say, is that we do appreciate thoughtful contributions such as yours.  Even when we disagree with the content, it gives us food for thought about what our strategy to build the Trust up should be and how we communicate it.  I thank you for your contribution and hope that progress in the coming months may provide initiatives you feel you can support.

[dougal]

I’m not trying to throw the current supporters trust board under the bus in fact I’m wishing them all the best as they hopefully grow and prosper.

Doofersdad to me is one of the most level headed and sensible posters on here, a marked improvement on some of the lunatics who were on the  supporters board in previous guises.

My point regarding the Invernessian still stands though.

The lack of involvement by locals in ICT whether that being on the Supporters Trust Board, Mods on CTO or  for that matter the most prolific posters on here is quite staggering and I don’t believe anyone can argue with that as these are hard facts.

I’d even go as far as saying our neighbours up north have got as much Inverness support/involvement as ICT.

How they have managed that I don’t but you have to tip your hat to their marketing department despite what you might think of them as a club.

Dougal

 

 

 

[Robert]

Got my renewal for the Trust today and have renewed.

I know there are mixed feelings on the Forum but, for me, the greater the membership the greater the opportunity for it to be listened to.

I know money is tight right now, but £5 is a small price for membership. 

[High1ander]

16 hours ago, Robert said:

Got my renewal for the Trust today and have renewed.

I know there are mixed feelings on the Forum but, for me, the greater the membership the greater the opportunity for it to be listened to.

I know money is tight right now, but £5 is a small price for membership. 

Thank you Robert you will be hearing from us very soon.

[+jagster]

Holidaying in Menorca but checked my phone saw the email and paid my renewal   2 pints of Estrella cost a fiver over here. A years membership the same. Both good value IMHO