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Supporters' Trust - Next meeting 15 September.

edited August 2009 in General Charlton
Can now confirm that Kris Stewart, a Director of Supporters Direct and the former Chairman of AFC Wimbledon, will be one of the guests at the open public meeting to decide on the setting up of a Charlton Athletic Supporters' Trust.

Meeting is 15th September at the Conservative Club in Charlton Church Lane.

All Charlton fans are invited.


Please pass on to friends and other sites.

Comments

  • Will pass the details on, but won't be there myself................
  • Also hoping to have Tony Hudd there as well.

    I know we are most of us on a high at the moment and that might get even higher if the takeover happens but don't let that cloud the underlying reasons for having a Trust and potentially a greater influence on how the club is run.
  • If the former Chairman of AFC Wimbledon will be there, I won't.
  • Absolutely agree with Chizz. Kris Stewart was the man responsible for the Kingsmeadow screwjob. The guy is the last person any potential supporters' trust should be taking advice/wisdom from. Big mistake inviting him imho.
  • Fair enough. Why not come along and say that to him on the night?

    This is about Charlton and our trust so we don't have to take what he says as gospel but he, and there will be other people there as well, has been through the process so we can find out more.
  • Your going to have to explain how Kris did such a bad job on Kingsmeadow, unless it's the line trotted out by a small minority of Kingstonian fans
  • Rothko, having a soft spot for Kingstonian (spent my 30th birthday watching them win the FA Trophy in one of the last games at the old Wembley) through knowing a few of their fans, I know some of the intricacies. Basically, a dodgy businessman - hated throughout non-league - called Kholas (sp?) bought out the club/ground. Kingstonian fans arranged a meeting to set up a Trust to buy the club/ground off him. A few days before the meeting, AFC under Kris Stewart went behind Kingstonian fans' back and did a deal with Kholas to buy the ground. Hints of Gliksten/Noades and all manner of other dodgy ground deals. Also, ironic in terms of the Milton Keynes move that AFC have 'stolen' a ground that's several miles from Wimbledon and their supposed support base. It's not just amongst "a small minority of Kingstonian fans" that AFC and Kris Stewart's name are mud, this is a widely held feeling throughout non-league football fans (an admittedly easily embittered lot!). Given Charlton's own history of homelessness, someone who made a club tenants in THEIR OWN stadium is persona non grata in my book.
  • From my point of view, it goes back further than that.

    Picture this: a football club desperately short of cash is forced (in part because of local government restricions on its ground) to move home and share with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. This story then plays out in either of two versions.

    In version one, the club's fans rally round, amalgamate, campaign, work hard and, over a period of several years, help the club get back on its feet and back playing games at its traditional ground.

    In version two, the club's fans give up, the club is forced to move again and, instead of campaigning to get them "home", they take their ball home, set up a new team and go and support them instead.

    I think therein lies the fundamental issue between Charlton and the fans of Wimbledon/AFC Wimbledon. One set of fans rolled their sleeves up and worked hard for their own club, the other set gave up.
  • All very interesting but this is about Charlton and our Trust, if we have one.

    If other Trusts made mistakes then we can learn from that.
  • I am all for Charlton fans finding out more about a Supporters Trust and using a vehicle like that to engage with the club and work through opportunities. And I would encourage anyone with Charlton's interests at heart to attend, find out more and ask questions. It's a brilliant, positive idea and could provide some of the stability and grounded-thinking that might be missing at the moment. However, I for one could not face listening to the (former) Chairman of that "club" lecturing on what Charlton fans should or shouldn't do.

    Please don't take this as a call to boycot what will probably be an interesting, useful and enlightning meeting.
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  • Throw into the mix the fact that Kris Stewart is a Socialist Workers Party activitist (he stood for them in the last London assembly elections) and it's an odd choice on any number of levels!
  • What has that got to do with anything?

    He's a director of Supporters' Direct and was invited as such.
  • edited September 2009
    That doesn't deflect from the fact that he's a Trotskyist ground stealer.

    Your argument is like saying "Yes we invited Nick Griffin, but only to talk about marketing."
  • Not similar at all but OK have it your way. I'm not getting drawn into an argument about someone who is only a speaker at a meeting.

    As I said and Chizz very very much better this is about Charlton, it's future and the role that fans can play in that future.

    ""I am all for Charlton fans finding out more about a Supporters Trust and using a vehicle like that to engage with the club and work through opportunities. And I would encourage anyone with Charlton's interests at heart to attend, find out more and ask questions. It's a brilliant, positive idea and could provide some of the stability and grounded-thinking that might be missing at the moment."

    That is what matters here.
  • [cite]Posted By: floydandharvey[/cite]That doesn't deflect from the fact that he's a Trotskyist ground stealer.

    Your argument is like saying "Yes we invited Nick Griffin, but only to talk about marketing."
    Go along. Listen to what he has to say. Then ask him questions at the end. Like, for instance, "what's it like to be a Trotskyist ground stealer?" or even "how would you suggest Charlton fans can best contribute to the the on-going success of the club and help to build a firm foundation of growing support and a secure future for the club, you Trotskyist ground stealer?"
  • Ben...If youre not actively involved in the supporters trust, can I ask why you are the one who seems to be pushing it along with these threads...just a question...call me nosey if you like.
  • [cite]Posted By: Telnotinoz[/cite]Ben...If youre not actively involved in the supporters trust, can I ask why you are the one who seems to be pushing it along with these threads...just a question...call me nosey if you like.

    If some one else wants to come along and push they will have my blessing. Just now I could do without the whole bloody thing to be honest.

    I arranged and publicised, with others, the first meeting and I'm doing the same for the second. With luck the second meeting will agree to proceed with the Trust idea and enough people come forward to form an interim board and other committees to make that happen. That will be the end of my involvement beyond being a member.

    What I said from the first was that I didn't want to have an on going involvement with a Trust. I don't want to be and won't be on the board if and when that is set up. I've done my stint and rightly or wrongly some people will see my involvement as a negative and use it as an excuse not to get involved themselves. So I'd rather just walk away and do the stuff I do for Bromley Addicks.


    Chizz, good suggestion. C'mon Floyd, I'll back you up and make sure you get to ask the question. For the same reason though Chizz, you should come as well : - ) Both of you come up and say hello on the night.
  • Ok, thanks for the answers.
  • If this guy is a member of the SWP what guarantee is there that he'll attend a meeting in a Conservative club?
  • What time is the meeting on the 15th?
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  • Just a reminder for those going...........
  • Were any leaflets distributed before games for this? is there any enthusiasm at all?
  • I support this fully, just can't go to the meetings at present.
  • edited September 2009
    Maybe we should give Kris a break here and listen to his "version" of what AFC Wimbledon have done and are still trying to do to provide a football club for their own locality. Kingstonian as I understand the situation still have first call on their "own" ground and AFC still have every intention of returning at some stage ( opportunity arising) to their original homeland ? We of all clubs and supporters must realise first and foremost what it actually feels like to have our club taken away from it's own doorstep !
    JAT but "maybe" AFC being in a position to purchanse the lease to Kingsmeadow, and groundshare, prevented the landowner from selling it for development and in turn prevent Kingstonian from leaving ? the ground itself is still very much decorated in Kingstonian red & white and AFC will one day be able to return to SW19 ?
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