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So sorry if this is a Spackman (copywright .org) but just in case anyone missed it.
QPR1st Supporters Trust AGM 22nd October 2009: Chairman’s report
Committee
Firstly I would like to express my thanks to the Trust Committee for their hard work over the past year. Since the last AGM, Leon Stent resigned from the Committee. Leon’s work for the Trust was greatly valued and I personally would like to express my appreciation for the support he gave me when I took over the role of Chairman. Tina is a new addition to our Committee and is already making a great contribution.
The Committee elections will be held next month. My understanding is that all current members intend to re-stand but we would very much appreciate other candidates putting themselves forward.
The Season Ticket Issue
The announcement of the 2008-09 season ticket prices linked to a divisive banding scheme was a Pearl Harbour moment for the Supporters Trust, having received previous reassurances that any increases would be moderate. QPR1st vehemently opposed these changes because we believed that they broke up established groups of fans and forced many to stop going at all, with families being especially affected. We also believed that the changes did not make financial sense as they were based on a flawed perception of the demand for season tickets whilst QPR remain in this League.
We took immediate action to write to the Club to express our opinion and Ali Russell was kind enough to accept our invitation to our AGM so that our members were provided with the opportunity to raise questions and express concerns to him directly. The trust’s stance was also explained with passion and conviction by Neil Jackson on the local radio and we also spoke to journalists from both local and national publications.
We believed that it was important that fans presented a united face to the Club and for this reason the trust joined forces with other QPR fans organisations to form the ‘One QPR’ Campaign. I would like to thank our colleagues in other supporters groups for being willing to work together with the Trust on this important issue.
It was as ‘One QPR’ that the Club agreed to meet with QPR1st and other supporters representatives in a series of meetings. I would like to thank Anit Bhattia, Ali Russell and Gianni Paladini for been willing to represent the Board of Directors at these meetings and in the case of Mr. Russell for arranging the meetings. Mr. Russell and Mr. Paladini receive a certain degree of criticism on the message boards but even their harshest critics have to acknowledge that they were at least willing to defend the Board’s actions in what were sometimes difficult and challenging face to face meetings with supporters representatives. As for Amit Bhatia, I was impressed with his willingness to accept that the Club had indeed made some mistakes and the impression he gave that he was genuinely interested in supporters’ views and opinions. I look forward to Mr. Briatore and Mr. Ecclestone taking the opportunity to demonstrate the same level of empathy and interest.
I would also like to thank the Club’s employees who attended these meetings or were required to address concerns and issues raised by the Trust. I think that the ticket pricing policy created a schism between the Club and the Fans and because they were on the front line it was often the Club employees who felt the brunt of the anger and frustration supporters felt towards the Club. Yet in these difficult times the Club employees have conducted themselves in a professional and dedicated manner and I hope the Board of Directors recognise and celebrate what a great team they have working for them.
The trust was disappointed when the 09-10 Early Bird Scheme was announced as whilst we had requested the re-introducing of an Early Bird Scheme the version in which it appeared seemed more of a marketing ploy than a genuine attempt to reward loyalty. As we had done the year before we wrote again to the Club to express our views but on this occasion we actually got a reply and what is more the Club acted on our requests to extend the Early Bird deadline and for the VAT reduction to be passed onto Supporters. We hope that this is an indication that the Club has started to learn from past mistakes and will in future enter into genuine consultation with the trust and other supporters groups before implementing any more radical changes to the season ticket prices. Certainly we appreciate the need to be vigilant in this matter and we will be writing to the Club in the New Year to instigate consultation regarding the 2010-11 Season Ticket Prices.
QPR in the Community
On a more positive note, I would like to congratulate our new owners for the way in which the ‘QPR in the Community’ Scheme has flourished since they took over.
In previous years, the Supporters Trust have given our full support to Andy Evans and his team for their hard work in linking the name of QPR with high quality provision within our local community. We regret that the Club itself has not always given the ‘QPR in the Community’ Scheme the recognition and backing that we think it deserved but are pleased that with the creation of the newly formed QPR in the Community Trust, under the Chair of Amit Bhatia this no longer appears to be the case.
I was honoured to be invited to represent QPR1st at the high profile launch of ‘QPR in the Community’ as a charitable trust and also to be asked to join a strategic fund raising committee. QPR1st also supports QPR in the Community through our kit sponsorship of our highly successful ladies team and I was pleased to accept a trophy awarded to QPR1st from the ladies team management in recognition of our commitment..
I am convinced that QPR!st Supporters Trust and QPR in the Community Trust are natural partners, with similar ideals and aspirations and I look forward to seeing that partnership strengthen.
Disabled Supporters
QPR1st believe that Loftus Road should be an inclusive environment which is accessible and welcoming to all fans. For some time, facilities for fans that use wheelchairs have fallen behind that offered by comparable Clubs and may even fallen below the requirements of the law.
Together with other supporters representatives and disabled fans themselves we have campaigned for the Club to improve these facilities and in particular create wheelchair accessible seating closer to the Home End. We are again happy to congratulate the Club for investing significant funds in this area and whilst we believe there is still room for improvement recognise the progress that has been made.
Our long-term view is that the Club itself needs to take a greater responsibility for ensuring that the opinions of disabled fans are obtained and acted upon rather than expecting the trust or other supporters groups to take this lead in this area. For this reason, we have asked the Club to instigate the creation of a disabled supporters association, in keeping with guidelines issued by the National Disabled Supporters Association. The trust will of course offer them any assistance they require in this matter and will continue to advocate for the whole fan base included those with disabilities.
Acceptance of Gifts and Hospitality
In the past, some supporters representatives including Trust Committee members have been accused of been effectively bribed by the Club. Even when these allegations have been unproved and unfounded, they are potentially damaging to the reputation of the individuals and organisations concerned In consideration of this, we have introduced a Policy on the acceptance of Gifts and Hospitality which we hope will protect the Trust from such allegations and will also ensure greater transparency and accountability to our members.
Our policy does not require committee members to decline or declare gifts and hospitality of a notional value (such as tea and biscuits at a meeting) and I am sure that our members would agree with this common sense approach. Nevertheless I am required to declare in this report any gifts and hospitality offered to and/or accepted by Committee members which exceed a nominal value and the only declaration I have in this respect relates to my attendance at a pre-match meeting hosted by QPR in the Community Trust for supporters representatives I enjoyed the very nice meal we were offered but declined an invitation to stay on to watch the match from the corporate standards, not perhaps for any other reason that I think the R block atmosphere is better suited to me.
Unlike our MPs, I can reassure our members that our Trust Committee are unpaid volunteers who this year have put their hands in their own pockets for any costs they have incurred for their work for the Trust without claiming any expenses!
The Way Forward
As was the case last year, our members have been very slow in renewing their membership and this is impacting on our membership figures. The impression I get is that this does not reflect on any great dissatisfaction with the work of the Trust but more a perception that the Trust has less relevance now we enjoy the backing of some very rich individuals and the days of bucket shaking and threats of administration seem behind us.
In a way a Supporters Trust is a bit like passengers on a big ship. Whilst the ship is passing through safe waters, they are more interested in mealtimes and entertainment that they are about who maintains and looks after the lifeboats. But if the ship starts sinking, boy do those lifeboats seem important now! .
But I also think that the trust itself needs to improve our systems so that it is easier for people to renew their membership but also to ensure that our members and those who might be interested in joining are better informed. I think the committee has worked hard and done a tremendous job this year but I don’t think we have done enough to inform our members what we are up to, to seek their views and help them feel involved.
Times have changed and the old days have gone when people were happy with a quarterly newletter arriving in the post, a once a year AGM and a rarely updated website. We need to make better use of modern technology so that people have up-to-date information about what we are doing and greater opportunities to interact and get involved even if they don’t want to leave the comfort of their living room.
We have already made huge progress in this area. Peter Gridneff , with support from Neil Dejython, has done a tremendous amount of work to create a new website which we are committed to ensuring is kept regularly updated and we encourage fans to take a look around, all news items have been transferred from the old site and are now searchable. We are developing a QPR1st Facebook and QPR1st Twittter and we welcome advice, support and ideas on what more we can do to improve communication and engagement between the Committee and its members.
The other important area for development for the trust is our relationship with the Club. When the new owners took over there was a honeymoon period between the Club and the supporters groups while we basically got to know each other. This honeymoon period ended dramatically with the season ticket announcement which left the Trust forced to adopt a reactive and oppositional position in relationship to the Club. I believe that this was the right if not the only strategy for the trust but I think in terms of being the Club’s ‘critical friend’ I suspect the Club might be inclined to view us as just being critical and not very friendly!
I think there is now an opportunity for us to develop the more positive relationship with the Club which I think is vital to achieving our role as the voice of the responsible fan. This does not mean that we should not continue to challenge the Club and if they just want to talk to ‘Yes Men’ then that isn’t us! But I think we will be more successful if mutual respect is developed between the Club and the Trust so they stop viewing us merely as ‘customers who like to have a moan’ and more as trusted colleague, partners and stakeholders.
Stephen Dedridge
Chair QPR1st
QPR1st Supporters Trust AGM 22nd October 2009: Chairman’s report
Committee
Firstly I would like to express my thanks to the Trust Committee for their hard work over the past year. Since the last AGM, Leon Stent resigned from the Committee. Leon’s work for the Trust was greatly valued and I personally would like to express my appreciation for the support he gave me when I took over the role of Chairman. Tina is a new addition to our Committee and is already making a great contribution.
The Committee elections will be held next month. My understanding is that all current members intend to re-stand but we would very much appreciate other candidates putting themselves forward.
The Season Ticket Issue
The announcement of the 2008-09 season ticket prices linked to a divisive banding scheme was a Pearl Harbour moment for the Supporters Trust, having received previous reassurances that any increases would be moderate. QPR1st vehemently opposed these changes because we believed that they broke up established groups of fans and forced many to stop going at all, with families being especially affected. We also believed that the changes did not make financial sense as they were based on a flawed perception of the demand for season tickets whilst QPR remain in this League.
We took immediate action to write to the Club to express our opinion and Ali Russell was kind enough to accept our invitation to our AGM so that our members were provided with the opportunity to raise questions and express concerns to him directly. The trust’s stance was also explained with passion and conviction by Neil Jackson on the local radio and we also spoke to journalists from both local and national publications.
We believed that it was important that fans presented a united face to the Club and for this reason the trust joined forces with other QPR fans organisations to form the ‘One QPR’ Campaign. I would like to thank our colleagues in other supporters groups for being willing to work together with the Trust on this important issue.
It was as ‘One QPR’ that the Club agreed to meet with QPR1st and other supporters representatives in a series of meetings. I would like to thank Anit Bhattia, Ali Russell and Gianni Paladini for been willing to represent the Board of Directors at these meetings and in the case of Mr. Russell for arranging the meetings. Mr. Russell and Mr. Paladini receive a certain degree of criticism on the message boards but even their harshest critics have to acknowledge that they were at least willing to defend the Board’s actions in what were sometimes difficult and challenging face to face meetings with supporters representatives. As for Amit Bhatia, I was impressed with his willingness to accept that the Club had indeed made some mistakes and the impression he gave that he was genuinely interested in supporters’ views and opinions. I look forward to Mr. Briatore and Mr. Ecclestone taking the opportunity to demonstrate the same level of empathy and interest.
I would also like to thank the Club’s employees who attended these meetings or were required to address concerns and issues raised by the Trust. I think that the ticket pricing policy created a schism between the Club and the Fans and because they were on the front line it was often the Club employees who felt the brunt of the anger and frustration supporters felt towards the Club. Yet in these difficult times the Club employees have conducted themselves in a professional and dedicated manner and I hope the Board of Directors recognise and celebrate what a great team they have working for them.
The trust was disappointed when the 09-10 Early Bird Scheme was announced as whilst we had requested the re-introducing of an Early Bird Scheme the version in which it appeared seemed more of a marketing ploy than a genuine attempt to reward loyalty. As we had done the year before we wrote again to the Club to express our views but on this occasion we actually got a reply and what is more the Club acted on our requests to extend the Early Bird deadline and for the VAT reduction to be passed onto Supporters. We hope that this is an indication that the Club has started to learn from past mistakes and will in future enter into genuine consultation with the trust and other supporters groups before implementing any more radical changes to the season ticket prices. Certainly we appreciate the need to be vigilant in this matter and we will be writing to the Club in the New Year to instigate consultation regarding the 2010-11 Season Ticket Prices.
QPR in the Community
On a more positive note, I would like to congratulate our new owners for the way in which the ‘QPR in the Community’ Scheme has flourished since they took over.
In previous years, the Supporters Trust have given our full support to Andy Evans and his team for their hard work in linking the name of QPR with high quality provision within our local community. We regret that the Club itself has not always given the ‘QPR in the Community’ Scheme the recognition and backing that we think it deserved but are pleased that with the creation of the newly formed QPR in the Community Trust, under the Chair of Amit Bhatia this no longer appears to be the case.
I was honoured to be invited to represent QPR1st at the high profile launch of ‘QPR in the Community’ as a charitable trust and also to be asked to join a strategic fund raising committee. QPR1st also supports QPR in the Community through our kit sponsorship of our highly successful ladies team and I was pleased to accept a trophy awarded to QPR1st from the ladies team management in recognition of our commitment..
I am convinced that QPR!st Supporters Trust and QPR in the Community Trust are natural partners, with similar ideals and aspirations and I look forward to seeing that partnership strengthen.
Disabled Supporters
QPR1st believe that Loftus Road should be an inclusive environment which is accessible and welcoming to all fans. For some time, facilities for fans that use wheelchairs have fallen behind that offered by comparable Clubs and may even fallen below the requirements of the law.
Together with other supporters representatives and disabled fans themselves we have campaigned for the Club to improve these facilities and in particular create wheelchair accessible seating closer to the Home End. We are again happy to congratulate the Club for investing significant funds in this area and whilst we believe there is still room for improvement recognise the progress that has been made.
Our long-term view is that the Club itself needs to take a greater responsibility for ensuring that the opinions of disabled fans are obtained and acted upon rather than expecting the trust or other supporters groups to take this lead in this area. For this reason, we have asked the Club to instigate the creation of a disabled supporters association, in keeping with guidelines issued by the National Disabled Supporters Association. The trust will of course offer them any assistance they require in this matter and will continue to advocate for the whole fan base included those with disabilities.
Acceptance of Gifts and Hospitality
In the past, some supporters representatives including Trust Committee members have been accused of been effectively bribed by the Club. Even when these allegations have been unproved and unfounded, they are potentially damaging to the reputation of the individuals and organisations concerned In consideration of this, we have introduced a Policy on the acceptance of Gifts and Hospitality which we hope will protect the Trust from such allegations and will also ensure greater transparency and accountability to our members.
Our policy does not require committee members to decline or declare gifts and hospitality of a notional value (such as tea and biscuits at a meeting) and I am sure that our members would agree with this common sense approach. Nevertheless I am required to declare in this report any gifts and hospitality offered to and/or accepted by Committee members which exceed a nominal value and the only declaration I have in this respect relates to my attendance at a pre-match meeting hosted by QPR in the Community Trust for supporters representatives I enjoyed the very nice meal we were offered but declined an invitation to stay on to watch the match from the corporate standards, not perhaps for any other reason that I think the R block atmosphere is better suited to me.
Unlike our MPs, I can reassure our members that our Trust Committee are unpaid volunteers who this year have put their hands in their own pockets for any costs they have incurred for their work for the Trust without claiming any expenses!
The Way Forward
As was the case last year, our members have been very slow in renewing their membership and this is impacting on our membership figures. The impression I get is that this does not reflect on any great dissatisfaction with the work of the Trust but more a perception that the Trust has less relevance now we enjoy the backing of some very rich individuals and the days of bucket shaking and threats of administration seem behind us.
In a way a Supporters Trust is a bit like passengers on a big ship. Whilst the ship is passing through safe waters, they are more interested in mealtimes and entertainment that they are about who maintains and looks after the lifeboats. But if the ship starts sinking, boy do those lifeboats seem important now! .
But I also think that the trust itself needs to improve our systems so that it is easier for people to renew their membership but also to ensure that our members and those who might be interested in joining are better informed. I think the committee has worked hard and done a tremendous job this year but I don’t think we have done enough to inform our members what we are up to, to seek their views and help them feel involved.
Times have changed and the old days have gone when people were happy with a quarterly newletter arriving in the post, a once a year AGM and a rarely updated website. We need to make better use of modern technology so that people have up-to-date information about what we are doing and greater opportunities to interact and get involved even if they don’t want to leave the comfort of their living room.
We have already made huge progress in this area. Peter Gridneff , with support from Neil Dejython, has done a tremendous amount of work to create a new website which we are committed to ensuring is kept regularly updated and we encourage fans to take a look around, all news items have been transferred from the old site and are now searchable. We are developing a QPR1st Facebook and QPR1st Twittter and we welcome advice, support and ideas on what more we can do to improve communication and engagement between the Committee and its members.
The other important area for development for the trust is our relationship with the Club. When the new owners took over there was a honeymoon period between the Club and the supporters groups while we basically got to know each other. This honeymoon period ended dramatically with the season ticket announcement which left the Trust forced to adopt a reactive and oppositional position in relationship to the Club. I believe that this was the right if not the only strategy for the trust but I think in terms of being the Club’s ‘critical friend’ I suspect the Club might be inclined to view us as just being critical and not very friendly!
I think there is now an opportunity for us to develop the more positive relationship with the Club which I think is vital to achieving our role as the voice of the responsible fan. This does not mean that we should not continue to challenge the Club and if they just want to talk to ‘Yes Men’ then that isn’t us! But I think we will be more successful if mutual respect is developed between the Club and the Trust so they stop viewing us merely as ‘customers who like to have a moan’ and more as trusted colleague, partners and stakeholders.
Stephen Dedridge
Chair QPR1st
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