SUPPORTERS TRUST AGM

[Timb]

The second Annual General Meeting of the FGR Trust will take place on Saturday 27th March 2010 in the Carol Embrey Suite after the game against Altrincham.

The meeting will start at 5pm and will finish around 6pm.

It is hoped that by that day there will also be news regarding the date for the first Share Holders Meeting of the New Company.

[Freddy]

With the first shareholders meeting of the new company on 25th Feburary, and the Trusts next meeting (AGM) on 27th March.
Will the Trust be seeking to get a member on the new board, as according to the agenda of the shareholders meeting, a new board will be elected at this meeting. What are the Trusts intentions?
If the Trust have to stump up another £3,000 to achieve this, then my feeling is that the money could be best spent elsewhere. ie shares or other Trust initatives. If a price tag does not come with the opportunity, then fine. The big disappointment for me with having a board member last time, was the total lack of information coming back from our member, due to confidentiality agreements. I feel the Trust should state before the shareholders meeting if it is seeking to try to get a board member elected and make it known to other shareholders. (I know at the end of the day the board will be elected by a few individuals who have the marjority of the shares issued), but an indication of the Trusts intentions would be useful.

[nailsworthman]

Deleted

[Freddy]

This is why the Supporters Club, Grass and the Trust, need to work together to spread the load over more people and cut out duplication. Otherwise it could all fall apart.
Bob is doing a great job in his many roles at the club, I see he is "Company Secretary" of the new company (Forest Green Rovers Football Club Limited) Keep up the good work Bob.

[Tommo]

I think that is right Freddy and the latest version of Connect - the newsletter published by the Trust - had articles from all three to try to move in that direction.

The Trust, GRASS, the Supporters Club are all totally dependent on voluntary effort and that is spread very thin. The mood generated by our poor form on the pitch hasn't helped in getting new people to volunteer and those who have stepped up for Supporters Club and Trust roles in the last year or so appear to be dropping out - because of other commitments but in part because the load is too great for so few to bear.

As ever, the need is to widen the population taking that load so that no single person has to do too much. So its a shame that you/your family have dropped out of the Trust Nailsworthman.

On the money point you make, I suspect that whether the money goes into the playing squad, the day to day operations or through directors fees or share purchase, it all ends up helping the Club.

[chopsy]

My family resigned from the trust, as we were not happy about wasting cash on having a member on the BoD,

I think this is correct but I'm sure timb will correct me if its not:

All the money used for the directors fee was raised separately from the money donated for the purchasing of shares. So no money was 'wasted'.
By having a member on the board it was probably thought it would be easier to achieve the trusts aims: http://www.fgrtrust.com/#/about-the-trust/4529143883
Obviously this didn't work out but surely it was worth a try. After all any money given to the club, whether it be from share purchases, donations or directors fees, will surely be used in the same way. GRASS is the obvious exception to this.

[Pitchfork]

Good point chopsy - the director's fee came from individual donations and this money would not necessarily have gone to purchase shares.

I do think some of the Trust's aims have been facilitated by having a representative on the main board but I agree with Freddy that 2 way communication still needs to be improved to foster an overall sense of community.

Hopefully with a new board of directors, new investment and a new Trust board with new blood it will be another opportunity for the vision/strategies to be articulated.

Despite the current malaise among many supporters, there is a solid core of fans that are still very committed to keeping the FGR club at the level others have helped it achieve. It is a great shame there have been resignations from the Trust Board but we still have a very respectable membership that is well led by a dedicated chairman.

[Strips]

Why are both the boards resigning isit to start over again with new blood as you say or is there sumthing we arnt aware of??

[Pitchfork]

Hopefully most of the new directors will stay on the board - but its technically a new board because of the new company.
As for the Trust, again hopefully many will stay on after the AGM.

Its important there is continuity but hopefully new people will also step forward

[Timb]

Just to clarify a few points that are arising.

Tne Trust AGM is due before the end of April 2010 in order to comply with the FSA rules for our financial year etc. We as a Board have taken the decision to delay The Trust AGM as long as possible to allow the situation at the Club to become clear.

One of the main purposes of the Trust was to acquire shares in the New Company on behalf of supporters and another key aim was to have supporter representation on the Club Board. Both these aims have been achieved, but the overall situation at the Club (old company, new company, overall ownership etc) is not crystal clear yet, anything but.

The old company has not yet been wound up although it has alledgedly ceased trading. Two sets of accounts still need to be produced and presented to the Old Company Members and there is a Members meeting regarding this matter later this month (I received my notification letter last week).

Once the Old Company business has been settled it will then cease to exist and the members will be consigned to history, although probably not this month unless fully audited accounts are presented and signed off.

Then the New Company business can move on with some degree of clarity. There is a first shareholders meeting also called for later this month and The Trust has received an invitation to attend that meeting aswell, along with other shareholders.

Until those two meetings have taken place, I for one am certainly not sure of the situation from any perspective as to who owns what, and who is responsible for what. (assets, debts, mortgages, loans, etc)

Coming back to The Trust, the current Trust Board has 12 members and five of the current Board are resigning for various reasons, with all remaining supportive of The Trust. (Refer to the notes of the last Trust Board meeting at fgrtrust.com for further information).

In the run up to the AGM we will be asking for anyone interested in taking a more active role in the running of The Trust to step forward for nomination as a Board Member. If you are interested we would very much like to hear from you. More on that later.

Taking nailsworthman's point about "objecting to paying to go on the Board of Directors at the Club", Pitchfork is correct that the fee was paid for by a donation request just for that purpose, with a surplas going to general Trust funds. So ***, if you didnt contribute to the Directors fee request, and I assume that you didnt, all of your donations and membership fees have contributed to the acquisition of the initial £10000 share holding.

Taking Strips' point about resignations from both Boards, I dont know about the Club Board (which one ? Old Company, New Company ?), and I dont actually know who is a Director of which Company (Old and New). Hopefully all will be revealed at the forthcoming shareholders meeting, with resignations and appointments to make the situiation clear.

Are you able to buy shares so that you can attend ?

Taking Freddy's point about Bob's position on the main Club Board as Trust representative, this has been a wholly new experience for Bob, and the Trust, and the Club Board, since last May. The Trust is abiding by a confidentality code of conduct recommended by Supporters Direct, and this has restricted Bob's reporting of Club Board matters appropriately.

In terms of supporter representation at Board level, and Bob taking matters to the Club Board, this has been happening. If you have a question, query, request as a Trust Member, you can put this to the Trust Board member, and Bob will take it to the Club Board. (This has only happened on a handful of occasions).

If you are not a Trust Member you can still contact the Board by meeting personally with a Board member or writing to them.

No one is quite sure what the situation will be with the new company in terms of voting on or appointing Directors to the new Company Board, and whether a directors fee can actually be charged for this role. It remains to be seen and may become clearer after the first shareholders meeting later this month.

If you havn't bought shares yet, and are intending to do so (like me) then now is the time to buy. Similarly if you would like to join the Supporters Trust and contribute as a supporter, please join this month.

It is only really now that The Trust is getting close to what it was set up to achieve, with the demise of supporters representation, through the old company, set to disappear imminently.

[Timb]

The AGM of the Trust is to be held tomorrow after the Altrincham game in The Carol Embrey Suite at 5pm.

In light of the revelations over the past few weeks about the Club's affairs, the meeting can be a forum for members to express their views under 'Any other Business' It is important that The Trust continues to be strong in what are going to be interesting times over the close season.

If you are considering joining The Trust please come along to the meeting to hear what is to be said. Membership forms will be available in The Carol Embrey Suite.

Your membership will be highly valued and will help to ensure that supporters have a strong collective voice at future shareholders meetings.