[Archived] Rovers Trust

[Al]

Williams was chairman of Rovers but a supporter of Southampton.

[Mike E]

Andy Cryer (very much on our side while reporting in the LET) is a Bristol City fan.

[Ozz]

Another (rather good) example of what a Supporters Trust can do. Rovers Trust, like others secured an ACV for Ewood last year, but the Luton Trust (Trust In Luton-who have a shareholding in the club)-now have legal right to veto any proposed changes to the club name, nickname, kit colours, club crest or mascot.

http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/Sport/Luton-Town-FC/Football-Luton-Town-hand-clubs-name-and-image-rights-to-fans-20140314092538.htm#ixzz2w16G9xgT

[Stuart]

I notice my annual renewal payment has been requested today (PayPal). It's reminded me, I've not had an email from you guys for a wee while. What are you guys up to at the moment?

[Paul]

Speaking personally I've been helping Blackpool with their, successful, ACV application. On April 5th I'm speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Blackpool Trust. I've also attended a couple of SD meetings. Not directly Rovers related but building relationships and contacts.

We have a board meeting on the 24th and members will be hearing from us shortly with regard to future direction.

[Leonard Venkhater]

Speaking personally I've been helping Blackpool with their, successful, ACV application. On April 5th I'm speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Blackpool Trust. I've also attended a couple of SD meetings. Not directly Rovers related but building relationships and contacts. We have a board meeting on the 24th and members will be hearing from us shortly with regard to future direction.

Good luck and thanks, by the way

[Stuart]

Anything on the horizon Rovers-wise, or even Blackburn-related? Or are we simply in limbo waiting for any kind of announcement from Venkys?

[Leonard Venkhater]

Anything on the horizon Rovers-wise, or even Blackburn-related? Or are we simply in limbo waiting for any kind of announcement from Venkys?

I always assumed the sole purpose was to prepare an entity and have a ready plan to come into being when The V's cut and ran?

[Stuart]

Yes, but the Trust have been doing a lot of good in the area as well. With very little fanfare - much like the Action Group.

A lot of people don't realise how lucky we are to have people like these around.

[AndyNeil]

looking forward to hearing what both the Rovers Trust and Action Group have been upto in recent months - seems to have gone quiet on the 'western front' on late...

[Ozz]

Well Andy-we have been working on a number of things, mostly in the background. I outlined some of our plans for 2014 at the AGM, but off the top of my head some of these include...

-Providing help and passing on experience to new supporters trusts (As per Paul's post)

-Organizing fund raising events for the Trust

-Made contact with Alan Myers

-Been in regular contact with Greg Dyke with regard to ownership issues in the Football League

-Working on compiling a member survey

-Sponsoring Rudy Gestede!

-Kits For Kenya Project

-Working on a Grass Roots football playing surface project

One of the difficulties any Trust faces is complacency. The last few months have seen, in relative terms for Rovers a lot more stability in the running of the club-And what I really mean by that is there has been no Shebby Singh and no revolving door manager policy. Previously we saw huge amounts of interest in the Trust, both from the fan base and from those looking in from the outside, such as the media and other people in football. We looked destined to be the next Portsmouth/Rangers/INSERT DISASTER CLUB HERE.

But since the last set of financial results were published there has been little off the field negativity to stir supporters into thinking about alternatives to the current ownership model/set up. Remaining relevant has become more difficult, and we knew this would be a challenge at some point. For the record, and to balance this,our charitable arm is active and is still working on projects as I type-This will not change, and local sporting clubs and facilities are benefiting form this now, and will do so in the future.

But in the meantime , membership still grows and our preparations continue for when the opportunity to have a shot at full or part ownership arrives-we will be ready for this when it comes,

Sorry for the slow reply-Day jobs do get in the way of these things.!

[AndyNeil]

thanks for the reply Ozz and don't worry about the speed of the reply - we all have jobs/families which come first. I agree about the complacency given the relative calm of this season both behind the scenes and in the stands.

Am I right in thinking the last date to go into admin this season, without it having an impact on next season, is the 27th March?

[Guest Norbert]

Apologies as this has probably been stated 1,000 times, but if the club was to go into administration, are there any rules to say that the Raos can't cook up another 'Venky's London' holding company with different executives and take it back off the administrator on the cheap?

Oh, and I think the Trust members might be getting a call from Leeds pretty soon now the Italian guy has been convicted of fraud, and that sale has gone a bit weird.

[Paul]

Andy it is the 27th

[PAFELL]

Apologies as this has probably been stated 1,000 times, but if the club was to go into administration, are there any rules to say that the Raos can't cook up another 'Venky's London' holding company with different executives and take it back off the administrator on the cheap?

Oh, and I think the Trust members might be getting a call from Leeds pretty soon now the Italian guy has been convicted of fraud, and that sale has gone a bit weird.

Interesting question.

[RevidgeBlue]

Fingers crossed, looks like the March 27th (?) deadline date long mooted by Paul is going to pass completely without incident?

[yoda]

Fingers crossed, looks like the March 27th (?) deadline date long mooted by Paul is going to pass completely without incident?

8 days yet, someone completed a bigger job in 6 days

[Paul]

Fingers crossed, looks like the March 27th (?) deadline date long mooted by Paul is going to pass completely without incident?

I think all I ever said was it is a key date in our season. In my view if administration is going to happen it will be by then.

I've always thought if promotion was an outside possibility then nothing would happen.

Given our league position if next Thursday passes without incident I think we can take it as a positive indication of continued financial support for the club. Realistically only promotion or the Raos appear ready to provide that.

[ABBEY]

There is nothing positive regarding the VENKYSCUM nothing . Until they go amd only then can the club move on ... From where ever that hat lays.

[Paul]

I didn't say there was anything positive about the Raos.

[Paul]

Rovers Trust welcomes message from the owners

A message to the fans, published this week by Blackburn Rovers has been welcomed by the club’s official supporters trust.

The Rovers Trust said this first open communication in several years was an important step forward in engaging openly and honestly with the fan-base.

The club statement, signed off by the four co-owners from India, has been published on the Blackburn Rovers website and been picked up by the Lancashire Telegraph and the Blackburn Rovers FC Supporters website.

It follows a series of meetings and communications between the Rovers Trust and directors of Blackburn Rovers that took place in the latter half of the season just ended.

The Rovers Trust has offered to work closely with the club to help rebuild trust amongst supporters, help bring back fans to Ewood Park and act as a conduit through which the owners could engage with supporters in a meaningful and respectful way.

The owners are now being urged to quickly follow up this positive communication by meeting with the Rovers Trust to discuss how it can help the club move forward and bring back the disaffected fans.

And the trust warned the club its latest initiative was in danger of being interpreted as a PR stunt by angry and distrustful fans who feel they have been largely ignored by the hierarchy at Ewood Park.

In their message to fans, the owners admit to learning “some very valuable and costly lessons”, but thank the fans for their support and say the management teams on and off the pitch have their backing and they continue to commit to the club for the next season.

However, the statement is short on actual detail of how success will be achieved (other than supporting Gary Bowyer while struggling to comply with Financial Fair Play) and says nothing about how the club can repair its relationship with large sections of the fan-base.

Wayne Wild, co-chair of the Rovers Trust, says: “We have met the top team and we have drawn up detailed plans and ideas to reconnect with Rovers fans everywhere.

“These were received positively and we asked that they were passed on to the owners for their consideration and a meeting set up with the owners to discuss how the official supporters trust can work with the management team day-to-day to rebuild trust in the club.

“Now this statement has been published in an attempt to draw a line in the sand and start afresh, the club must be hoping the majority of supporters will forgive and forget past mistakes.

“The reaction on fans’ message boards and in the media tells the owners there is a long way still to go to win back trust.

“We can help them in this and, as we have been saying for three years now, all we ask is a meeting to discuss all the issues that concern supporters about their ownership of our club.

“The worst thing now would be that their open letter to fans is dismissed as simply an attempt to placate fans at a time when season tickets need to be sold.

“They have to build on the positivity this communication brings and really engage with us on a meaningful level.”

Wayne added: “The Rovers Trust remains the one clear way they can do this.

“We are the only officially recognised supporters trust for Blackburn Rovers with more than 1,000 paying members who look to us to try everything we can to set up clear honest lines of communication between the owners and the supporters.”

The Rovers Trust was set up in 2012 to give fans a voice in the face of increasing uncertainty and chaos at Ewood Park caused by the change of ownership from the Walker Trust to the Desai and Rao family.

The Rovers Trust exists to safeguard the long-term future of Blackburn Rovers and its assets on behalf of fellow supporters and is committed to acquiring a stake in the club at any opportunity.

The not-for-profit organisation is one of the UK’s largest supporters trusts and is backed by many of East Lancashire’s biggest and most prominent companies.

The trust is working on a number of community and grass roots football initiatives in and around Blackburn as part of its charitable ethos.

Last year, the trust was also instrumental in ensuring that Ewood Park was protected by law as an asset of community value.

The Rovers Trust is on record as seeking a meeting with the owners of Blackburn Rovers any time and place to discuss ways of helping them reconnect with supporters and rebuild lost commercial revenues.

[perthblue02]

Personally think the above release from the trust is very fair, although feel that if they are the slightest bit interested the meeting should be in Blackburn (get somebody on the committee called Prince or King they will be over in a shot )

[glen9mullan]

Good statement and perfect response from the Trust .

Will they ignore the invite to talk as they have throughout this mess , or man up and come to the table .

Meeting the queen is one thing , but meeting the lifeline of the club which is the supporters is far more admirable

[roverzee]

So glen9mullan is now secretary of the Rovers Trust - http://www.roverstrust.com/2015/03/12/glen-joins-the-rovers-trusts-forward-line-as-fans-groups-latest-signing/

Sneaked that one in through the back door didn't you guys??

Personally that's my subscription cancelled and my pledge withdrawn. Even if I didn't dislike the individual for his actions in the recent past, you can't just make appointments of this nature whilst completely ignoring the people you need to make the thing work.

The Rovers Trust has fired off email like confetti when it suited - so where were all the emails about this divisive recruitment decision??

[Andyblue2]

Ha ha you couldn't make it up. Mullan was slagging the trust back in the day and now he's joined them....duplicitous is the word that springs to mind.