Am not sure what to make of this.There is an expression keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer still.I am going to reserve judgement on this to see how it develops going forward.I must admit that I am a bit disappointed at the number of fully paid up members of the Trust.At this stage I was expecting a lot more.
350 members in four and a half months isn't bad at all.
I know Rochdale is a smaller club but their trust has been going years and only has about 500 members.
The trick now, in my inexpert opinion, is to get the 1800 odd subscribers who have not to take the plunge and become members.
Am not sure what to make of this.There is an expression keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer still.I am going to reserve judgement on this to see how it develops going forward.I must admit that I am a bit disappointed at the number of fully paid up members of the Trust.At this stage I was expecting a lot more.
good news but why are so many fans holding back from joining
I haven't joined up as I am yet to be convinced , I'm not saying I won't join, I just don't know how it all works?
How many members as such does the trust need to be a success?
If I gave a fiver ( or more) where would it go?
I have heard Swansea Supporters Trust being held up as a beacon in terms of how they do/ have done things , but I don't know what they've achieved?
Sorry for sounding ignorant , I applaud Barnie and others for having the balls to try and get something like this off the ground, and he's got to start somewhere, i'd just like a few certainties of what the trust will achieve, I know it's a chicken and egg situation, sorry for sounding difficult, don't know if other non members feel the same way?
Am not sure what to make of this.There is an expression keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer still.I am going to reserve judgement on this to see how it develops going forward.I must admit that I am a bit disappointed at the number of fully paid up members of the Trust.At this stage I was expecting a lot more.
good news but why are so many fans holding back from joining
I haven't joined up as I am yet to be convinced , I'm not saying I won't join, I just don't know how it all works?
How many members as such does the trust need to be a success?
If I gave a fiver ( or more) where would it go?
I have heard Swansea Supporters Trust being held up as a beacon in terms of how they do/ have done things , but I don't know what they've achieved?
Sorry for sounding ignorant , I applaud Barnie and others for having the balls to try and get something like this off the ground, and he's got to start somewhere, i'd just like a few certainties of what the trust will achieve, I know it's a chicken and egg situation, sorry for sounding difficult, don't know if other non members feel the same way?
Swans Trust rescued their club, as a consortium owning 19.9%, and have just recently reaped their share of £1m dividend
Am not sure what to make of this.There is an expression keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer still.I am going to reserve judgement on this to see how it develops going forward.I must admit that I am a bit disappointed at the number of fully paid up members of the Trust.At this stage I was expecting a lot more.
good news but why are so many fans holding back from joining
I haven't joined up as I am yet to be convinced , I'm not saying I won't join, I just don't know how it all works?
How many members as such does the trust need to be a success?
If I gave a fiver ( or more) where would it go?
I have heard Swansea Supporters Trust being held up as a beacon in terms of how they do/ have done things , but I don't know what they've achieved?
Sorry for sounding ignorant , I applaud Barnie and others for having the balls to try and get something like this off the ground, and he's got to start somewhere, i'd just like a few certainties of what the trust will achieve, I know it's a chicken and egg situation, sorry for sounding difficult, don't know if other non members feel the same way?
Swans Trust rescued their club, as a consortium owning 19.9%, and have just recently reaped their share of £1m dividend
We have been told by various sources close to home that a Trust with a network of 3-4000 and 800-1000 paid would be desireable
What can a Trust achieve?
Look elsewhere at Swansea, Pompey, Arsenal, Barcelona, etc,
Look closer to home and we have already achieved something today, we have given Charlton fans a voice that the club has acknowledged.
We put on a main fan event at the Valley before we had even properly formed celebrating BTTV 20!
We have begun scientifically surveying fans views, something that will continue in the next week or so, with some decent prizes as an incentive.
We have researched football and Charlton finance and put together an excellent website and publication, which this edition is Free of charge and is about to reach 5000 circulation similar if not bigger than the match day programmme, available at the Bristol City game mainly from club outlets.
We believe we can help CAFC fill the Valley in the Championship on a regular basis, which has never been done at this capacity level in modern times. We will work with them to decrease catering queues and host of other initiatives.
But we need people to join so we can build the network and increase our volunteers from foot soldiers, donors, officers etc
Congrats to Razil and everyone else who have worked so hard on this - a very important step forward.
To all the Lifers who haven't yet joined - come on, take the plunge. It's only a fiver ffs; that wouldn't even buy you a pint in London boozers, if I recall another thread correctly. Joining up shows respect and support for other fans who are trying (and starting) to get the fans voice heard in the way our club operates. That's got to be worth a punt, just a fiver, isn't it. Take the step, show some faith.
We believe we can help CAFC fill the Valley in the Championship on a regular basis, which has never been done at this capacity level in modern times. We will work with them to decrease catering queues and host of other initiatives.
Raz, if you can eliminate catering queues at the Valley you will be an all-time folk hero, because that is something that seems to have eluded everyone responsible since before Moses was a season-ticket holder. Best of luck with that one mate (my fiver's already in...looking forward to my share of OUR first £200k divi...!)
talking of walls of money, if anyone does want to donate and or sponsor Trust News right now, please let me know, the more we can produce and distribute the more we can reach every Addick
People query the numbers - We are building slowly but surely... First 100 joined at the launch, then another 100 and as we launched TNT#2 with 1,000 copies and a road show around supporters branches, then another 150... the committee have put in many miles and many hours going around Kent.
At the same time we gathered 600 emails and twitter followers at the launch and our first survey. That figure is now 1,800 - or 10% of the home gate! So we are looking to double that straight away with this initiative.
You stand there in the rain before Millwall selling Trust News or 2 degrees in February and the typical fan says "is that the Voice" or "what's the trust?"
All that is going to change next week - with TNT#3 print run going up to 5,000 with the club giving out 3,500 of these free with the programme. And survey#3 being promoted by email to the fan base.
Lets see what the numbers are like in August and how the Trust can help the club. From there, with thousands of contacts we can genuinely say that we are listening to the fans. As Razil states I expect a few hundred more will pay their fiver and we will get to 1,000 before our first birthday on 5th December 2013 when we are back at the Valley 21 years.
And all this is when we might go into the final game with a stupid chance of 6th place so it isn't the final game!
So the question will be WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO BUILD THE TRUST ? There are some simple and some ambitious plans being developed which will allow ALL fans to participate in pushing the club forwards - much better than being helpless or moaning at the latest loan signing - more laters! Right now if anyone has ideas or time to help then please inbox Razil
The acknowledgement of Trust by the Club will surely put to bed any fears harboured by those previously suspicious of the aims of the former. If this doesn't bring many more supporters on board and signed up as members , then nothing will.
At this week's Fans'Forum meeting, I gained the impression that a positive relationship had begun and this statement on the OS has confirmed it.
As Chair of a current Supporters' Group I welcome the Trust and its aims with open arms. Whilst NWKA and like minded Groups work hard to provide a service /social calendar etc for our members and raise much needed funds for charities as well as for the Club via shirt sponsorship, VG memberships and direct donations to the Academy, the Trust's agenda is of a wider nature and once again, the channels of communication between fans and Club are well & truly open. This can only be good news for the future of both parties.
Now is the time to make your commitment and let your voice via the Trust be heard. There is only one direction that this will lead ..
Great post as usual Fanny. This time last year the supporters trust didn't exist. Yet there were well over 100 others out there that did exist because up and down the land supporters have seen their trusts as potentially a lot more than social vehicles for like minded fans, but rather as a robustly structured method of having real influence, and indeed significant grown up involvement with their clubs. Our trust exist for very similar reasons, not as bandwagon jumping, or to take pugnacious stances against the club, but in an attempt to make steps towards the secure future of Charlton. It is an organic start, and I suspect it will be an organic growth, but in less than a year it has sprung into existence, and its credibility can be judged by its actions as listed by razil above. There will always exist in any grouping those who are almost professionally negative about anything, but we're talking glass half full stuff here, not glass half empty. I would love to think that some more supporters would, yes, put themselves out enough, and cough up a fiver, to be associated with what is a positive initiative started by fans just like them.
Add South Africa to the overseas list if it wasn't already there. Proudly joined the trust. Thanks for all the work done by Razil and the other board members. I always thought we had the best fans and here's another example. Thanks all
Comments
To be serious that must be the way to go. Talk to those around you etc which I've tried with varying degrees of success.
I know Rochdale is a smaller club but their trust has been going years and only has about 500 members.
The trick now, in my inexpert opinion, is to get the 1800 odd subscribers who have not to take the plunge and become members.
How many members as such does the trust need to be a success?
If I gave a fiver ( or more) where would it go?
I have heard Swansea Supporters Trust being held up as a beacon in terms of how they do/ have done things , but I don't know what they've achieved?
Sorry for sounding ignorant , I applaud Barnie and others for having the balls to try and get something like this off the ground, and he's got to start somewhere, i'd just like a few certainties of what the trust will achieve, I know it's a chicken and egg situation, sorry for sounding difficult, don't know if other non members feel the same way?
http://www.castrust.org/news/newsletters/
check out tnt 2 here for an article
What can a Trust achieve?
Look elsewhere at Swansea, Pompey, Arsenal, Barcelona, etc,
Look closer to home and we have already achieved something today, we have given Charlton fans a voice that the club has acknowledged.
We put on a main fan event at the Valley before we had even properly formed celebrating BTTV 20!
We have begun scientifically surveying fans views, something that will continue in the next week or so, with some decent prizes as an incentive.
We have researched football and Charlton finance and put together an excellent website and publication, which this edition is Free of charge and is about to reach 5000 circulation similar if not bigger than the match day programmme, available at the Bristol City game mainly from club outlets.
We believe we can help CAFC fill the Valley in the Championship on a regular basis, which has never been done at this capacity level in modern times. We will work with them to decrease catering queues and host of other initiatives.
But we need people to join so we can build the network and increase our volunteers from foot soldiers, donors, officers etc
follow this link and sign up http://www.castrust.org/join and yes phone a friend and get them to join
Pretty good value for a fiver?
We are truly a world-wide organisation:
New South Wales
The Netherlands
Switzerland
Sweden
Czech Republic
Paris
Canada x 2
Vale of Glamorgan
Isle of Wight
ask the membership secretary? It's not just me ya know..
To all the Lifers who haven't yet joined - come on, take the plunge. It's only a fiver ffs; that wouldn't even buy you a pint in London boozers, if I recall another thread correctly. Joining up shows respect and support for other fans who are trying (and starting) to get the fans voice heard in the way our club operates. That's got to be worth a punt, just a fiver, isn't it. Take the step, show some faith.
Raz, if you can eliminate catering queues at the Valley you will be an all-time folk hero, because that is something that seems to have eluded everyone responsible since before Moses was a season-ticket holder. Best of luck with that one mate (my fiver's already in...looking forward to my share of OUR first £200k divi...!)
I seem to recall that the Treasurer had some difficulty tracking my wall of money as it overwhelmed the bank account
:-)
First 100 joined at the launch, then another 100 and as we launched TNT#2 with 1,000 copies and a road show around supporters branches, then another 150... the committee have put in many miles and many hours going around Kent.
At the same time we gathered 600 emails and twitter followers at the launch and our first survey. That figure is now 1,800 - or 10% of the home gate! So we are looking to double that straight away with this initiative.
You stand there in the rain before Millwall selling Trust News or 2 degrees in February and the typical fan says "is that the Voice" or "what's the trust?"
All that is going to change next week - with TNT#3 print run going up to 5,000 with the club giving out 3,500 of these free with the programme. And survey#3 being promoted by email to the fan base.
Lets see what the numbers are like in August and how the Trust can help the club. From there, with thousands of contacts we can genuinely say that we are listening to the fans. As Razil states I expect a few hundred more will pay their fiver and we will get to 1,000 before our first birthday on 5th December 2013 when we are back at the Valley 21 years.
And all this is when we might go into the final game with a stupid chance of 6th place so it isn't the final game!
So the question will be WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO BUILD THE TRUST ? There are some simple and some ambitious plans being developed which will allow ALL fans to participate in pushing the club forwards - much better than being helpless or moaning at the latest loan signing - more laters! Right now if anyone has ideas or time to help then please inbox Razil
November 10 hits a day... Feb/March 5,000 hits a month (and not all Razil)... and now 1,000 in one day!
The acknowledgement of Trust by the Club will surely put to bed any fears harboured by those previously suspicious of the aims of the former. If this doesn't bring many more supporters on board and signed up as members , then nothing will.
At this week's Fans'Forum meeting, I gained the impression that a positive relationship had begun and this statement on the OS has confirmed it.
As Chair of a current Supporters' Group I welcome the Trust and its aims with open arms. Whilst NWKA and like minded Groups work hard to provide a service /social calendar etc for our members and raise much needed funds for charities as well as for the Club via shirt sponsorship, VG memberships and direct donations to the Academy, the Trust's agenda is of a wider nature and once again, the channels of communication between fans and Club are well & truly open. This can only be good news for the future of both parties.
Now is the time to make your commitment and let your voice via the Trust be heard. There is only one direction that this will lead ..
Onwards & upwards.
Quick update is
1300 hits today and counting
This time last year the supporters trust didn't exist. Yet there were well over 100 others out there that did exist because up and down the land supporters have seen their trusts as potentially a lot more than social vehicles for like minded fans, but rather as a robustly structured method of having real influence, and indeed significant grown up involvement with their clubs.
Our trust exist for very similar reasons, not as bandwagon jumping, or to take pugnacious stances against the club, but in an attempt to make steps towards the secure future of Charlton.
It is an organic start, and I suspect it will be an organic growth, but in less than a year it has sprung into existence, and its credibility can be judged by its actions as listed by razil above.
There will always exist in any grouping those who are almost professionally negative about anything, but we're talking glass half full stuff here, not glass half empty. I would love to think that some more supporters would, yes, put themselves out enough, and cough up a fiver, to be associated with what is a positive initiative started by fans just like them.
Come on ! You know it makes sense !