Membership Numbers
I’m happy to report that within the space of the last fortnight, the Trust has gained no less than 182 new members. The online membership facility has been proving a big success and we have also had plenty of new members signing up either by mail or in person at the Trust base within the new stadium.
I would therefore like to offer a very warm welcome to all of the new members who have signed up within the last couple of weeks. Your support is very much appreciated, as is the continuing support of the rest of our members.
Membership Secretary Dave Sugarman told me earlier today that we currently have 858 registered members, and he reckons there are around 20 more applications pending that have arrived during the last couple of days. They will be processed early next week. Dave said the last of the online membership packs were posted out this morning, and they included new members in Spain, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. We know there are thousands of Bluebirds dotted all over the world, so hopefully plenty more exiles will be signing up through our online system in the near future.
I want to offer my sincere thanks to Dave and Tracey Marsh, who between them have managed to register the new members and get all of the membership packs out in such a short space of time. It’s been a terrific effort from both of them.
General Meeting
As you may have read in the South Wales press this week, Trust Secretary Geraint Jones has written to Cardiff City Football Club (Holdings) Ltd Secretary Alan Whiteley and requested that enough time be allocated for a discussion about the club’s financial situation during the forthcoming General Meeting at the new stadium. Geraint wrote:
“Thank you for your letter dated 5th February informing us of the decision of Cardiff City Football Club (Holdings) Limited to call a General Meeting of the company on 24th February. We welcome this decision, since as you are aware the Cardiff City Supporters’ Society Limited has been campaigning for the staging of such an event during the last few weeks.
“However, we note with concern that Cardiff City Football Club (Holdings) Limited has not called the meeting to clarify the company’s financial situation, but instead seems to have been forced into this position as a result of the decision to sell a valuable asset to an existing Director (Mr Steve Borley), this being the only item in the order of business for the meeting.
“The Cardiff City Supporters’ Society Limited hereby calls upon the Directors of Cardiff City Football Club (Holdings) Limited to ensure that sufficient time is made available during the General Meeting for a full and open explanation of the Directors’ plans to ensure the financial future of the club in the short, medium and long-term. This would help to placate the concerns that have recently been expressed by shareholders and supporters alike.
“If this time is not available, then I would advise that the Cardiff City Supporters’ Society Limited will continue to campaign to achieve support from 5% of the shareholders in order to call an additional General Meeting to discuss the above. We feel that the best course of action for the company’s Directors would be to allow sufficient time at the meeting on 24th February to discuss the club’s financial position, rather than having to spend more time and money on organising a second meeting, when all attention should be focussed on the team achieving promotion.”
As and when we get a response from the club to Geraint’s letter, we will let you know.
Letters to Shareholders
As I mentioned in my last news bulletin, Dave Sugarman and Tracey Marsh recently sent out letters to the club’s top 100 shareholders in a bid to gain support for the Trust’s campaign to force a General Meeting. I’m very pleased to report that 25 shareholders replied positively and offered their support, and that was despite the club announcing a General Meeting in the meantime. It is clear that a good percentage of shareholders want some answers about the club’s financial position, so hopefully they will get them at the forthcoming meeting. If they don’t, then the Trust’s board will review the position and carry on with the campaign for another General Meeting if our members feel one is necessary.
Trust Board Meeting, 17/02/10
The Trust’s board is holding a meeting at the Duke of Clarence in Canton, Cardiff, on Wednesday 17 February (7:30pm start) to discuss our plans for the club’s General Meeting a week later. The meeting at the Duke is open to any Trust member or club shareholder who wishes to attend, but as it will be staged in the pub’s lounge area, numbers are limited to 50.
If you would like to join us next Wednesday evening, please confirm as much by dropping me a line at members@ccfctrust.org
Many thanks for your support.
Paul Corkrey
Chairman