Trust Quarterly Review

[acombred]

TRUST NEWS
The Trust Board would like to thank everyone who has provided support for York City during what has been a difficult season. The supporters are the Club’s most valuable asset. Going forward, please do continue to support the Club in whatever way you can. This is Your Trust and Your York City. When the good times come, we will really enjoy it!
This Trust News is the latest summary of YCST matters covering the period from 1 January to 31 March 2005. Last year, as part of its governance review, the Trust Board formalised and published designated roles and responsibilities for each Trust Board member. This structure aims to improve the effective operation of the Trust Board, working relations with the Club Board and provide more clarity to, and better communication with, Trust members. The quarterly update forms part of that framework. This is the fourth such quarterly report issued by the Trust – feedback from supporters is very much welcomed. All the matters described below are a result of the efforts of lots of Trust volunteers, not necessarily just Trust Board members.

COMMUNICATIONS (Paul Rawnsley, Mike Grant and Kirsten Gillies)
* The primary outlets continue to be the Trust’s dedicated website, the match programme, other supporter-run websites and the local media.
* In the quarter to 31 March 2005 there were over 40 articles posted to www.ycst.org.uk and 9,000 unique visitors to the website, that peaked in January. There are also supporters’ enquiries dealt with one-to-one by Ian Hey via (over 40 email enquiries dealt with in the quarter).
* The most significant development in the quarter – and in the recent history of York City! - was the legal completion of the Trust/Club gaining ownership of Bootham Crescent and the Training Ground. The Trust produced a detailed newsletter for supporters helping to explain the process, the legal arrangements and the resulting situation – this is available on the website or on request. One of the founding principles of the Trust is openness and communication, albeit the insatiable demand for immediate information is a recurring challenge/pressure.
* With the assistance of a Trust Member volunteer, a York City Fan Survey has been developed and 2,000 copies will be distributed in April. The feedback will be used by the Trust and Club and published in due course.
* Sophie McGill has been on the panel for a Radio 5live 3-part series called the Football Think Tank with David Conn.

COMMUNITY
Local Business (Mike Shannon)
* One of the main objectives of the Trust and the Club is to generate a better level of support for York City from the local business community.
* The Club’s most notable achievement in the quarter was the £100,000 partnership announced with Nestle Rowntree. With the assistance of Peter Davies – a marketing and sponsorship consultant – relationships with local business are now being developed at a number of levels. The new Commercial Director will be tasked to develop further important relationships with local business.
* Several local businesses were present at the Happy Wanderers event. At the end of April will be held the York City Corporate Golf Day & Dinner.
* Mike is also representing York City on the ‘Active York’ initiative. Active York is a partnership of various sporting bodies and York City Council who are developing a strategy for sports facilities and participation in the local community.

Youth (Graham Kilby and Steve Beck)
* Youth development is an important aspect of the Club’s role. Currently, the Club has 15 YTs undertaking the full scholarship programme. During this season, 8 of the scholars have made 1st team appearances. In addition, all 15 scholars are playing regularly for the Reserves. In addition, around 90 local youngsters are part of York City’s Centre of Excellence Programme, which has teams from U11 to U16.
* During the last quarter, Steve has been reviewing the youth set-up and funding issues that surround it. The Club is looking to make both the Youth and Centre of Excellence department self funding, and additional fundraising will be needed. The central funding of youth football is an area of concern throughout the game.
* As well as being a Trust Board member, Graham leads the work of City’s YDF, which supports City’s vibrant Youth system, promotes links with local junior football and initiatives for young supporters
* Feeder clubs Poppleton and Copmanthorpe were invited guests for the match on 2 April. Copmanthorpe presented a cheque to YCFC from a fundraising dinner. On 16 April, Wiggington and Rawcliffe were also officially welcomed, bringing the total number of Feeder Clubs to eight. The YCFC Annual Feeder Club 6-aside competition is organised for 1 May.
* The Youth Development Fund continues to provide financial support to the Club, in effect donating over £10,000 in the last year.
* Junior Reds football training sessions before every Saturday home match continue, as do the monthly club nights (usually at BC; trip to Megabowl in April).


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (Paul Rawnsley, Mike Shannon, Richard Snowball and Mike Grant)
* Support provided to the Club Board with regard to matters relating to the BC deal, which legally completed in mid-February. In addition, discussions with the Club Board regarding financing matters.
* On 11 January 2005, Messrs Craig, Swallow and Webb resigned as directors of BCH. Michael Shannon, Jason McGill and Terry Doyle were appointed as directors.
* Following completion of the Bootham Crescent arrangements, the Trust’s corporate governance review (Project Spirit) is now being progressed towards conclusion and publication. The member’s resolutions supported at the AGM have been integrated into the governance framework. An update report to members was included in the match programme and website.
* The Trust Board has determined a process for the appointment of a new Commercial Director for the Club. Two people (including one Trust Board member) indicated that they would be prepared to volunteer to undertake the role. The decision of the Trust Board is expected to be communicated shortly.
* On the football-side of things, the most significant development was the appointment of Billy McEwan as Manager. Since his appointment, we have seen an improvement in the professionalism of coaching and training at the Club. He has strong organisational skills and we hope that the players and supporters enjoy football under his stewardship.
* Keith Usher (Chief Executive) has left the Club. Nigel Pleasants has joined as the new Club Secretary, to supervise all administrative matters at York City.

FACILITIES
Bootham Crescent (David Cocker and Steve Ovenden)
* Volunteers are being sought to assist with the refurbishment of KKC during the closed season. If you are interested in helping York City, please telephone 0870 777 1922 and provide your details to a members of staff.

Planning and development for a new site (Mike Shannon)
* The Club’s work on this front is being led by Ian McAndrew (Stadium Development Director). COYC have acknowledged the requirement for a new stadium in the Local Plan, which itself now alters under new planning legislation and will be replaced by a Local Development Framework.
* The Club has drawn up a short list of potential sites – from over 30 possible locations - and is in discussions with planning officers. In a city tightly constrained by green belt and with traffic operation a constant problem, a critical look at all sites is essential. Our new home will need to be more than a pitch and four stands and non-football activities will be essential.
* It is important for people to understand that this is going to be a long process. There will be no quick answers and at times it may seem as if there is little being said. The planning system can be both technical and slow.
* The Club is working closely with the members and officers of COYC, who are being helpful. The Trust Board engaged in the process.

FINANCE (Peter Rookes)
* Pete continues to assist in the preparation of the Club’s budgets and monthly management accounts and works closely with Terry Doyle (the Club’s Finance Director).
* The Club has provided an initial indication that a financial loss will be reported for the 2004/05 season (the financial year end is 30 June). As the figures are finalised for the season, further information will be provided in due course.
* The arranged monthly payments by the Club in relation to the CVA of the ‘old’ York City entity finally ended in April 2005, over 2 years after completion of the Trust’s Rescue Package.

FUNDRAISING
Events (Kirsten Gillies, David Potter and Steve Ovenden)
* The completion of the Bootham Crescent arrangements brings with it new costs. The Club will have to bear the annual interest cost on the £2m loan from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund – which is calculated on an annual basis at 0.5% above the bank’s base rate – which equates to around £100,000
* In February, the Trust issued a fundraising appeal to supporters and a public meeting was held. A further meeting was held in March and a more systematic approach to supporters’ fundraising is being implemented. There is an encouraging amount of fundraising activity amongst the supporter base and it is hoped that this can be sustained and developed further.
* Through the efforts of volunteers, the Social Club has been open for a variety of non-match day events – quiz nights, darts team, televised matches, etc – if you can volunteer for the bar please contact Dave Potter and/or email
* The Tribute to the Happy Wanderers on 30 March – primarily organised by Graham Bradbury - was attended by over 300 people and received wide praise.
* City’s fans again demonstrated their support for their Club, pledging over £10,000 in just a few weeks to help provide funds for the Reserve Team for next season. To help achieve the target, following requests from Trust Members, a bucket collection was organised.
* Spring Raffle draw – organised by Ian Tyssen - took place in the Social Club on 11 April and raised £2,500.
* The Trust has launched an affinity scheme in conjunction with The Phone Co-op that could both save people money and provide income for the Trust/Club.
* The Malton Minstermen and Harrogate Minstermen have joined forces for the 24 hour challenge fundraiser, and on 7 May will be attempting an epic 1,250 mile journey to visit all 22 Conference Club grounds.
* The 14th David Longhurst Supporters’ Challenge will take place at the BC Social Club on 28 April. All supporters welcome.
* Prospect of a celebrity football match at KKC is being worked on and this year’s YC Open Day is being planned for Summer.
* Overall, during the nine months to 31 March, supporters fundraising efforts and donations have generated around £60,000, in addition to the ‘normal’ revenue streams of a football club.

Schemes (David Cocker)
* David oversees the operations of the York City lotteries and is a York City Vice President.
* The lotteries include the 50/50 match day cash draw, the weekly Minstermen Draw and the Saturday Yankee Draw. The new Saturday draw is proving very successful and has many members beyond York City’s usual audience. The Lotteries Office are looking for extra helpers in the York area (please contact Sue on 0870 7771922 – ext 5).

IPS TREASURER (Terry Herbert, not a Board member, plus support from Pete Rookes)
* Whilst no longer a Trust Board member, Terry Herbert has kindly agreed to continue to maintain the Trust’s accounting records.

IPS SECRETARY (Stan Collins; not a Board member)
* The Trust Board meets on a regular basis. Between 1 January and 31 March there were three Trust Board meetings. Attendance records were as follows Steve Beck (2), David Cocker (3), Kirsten Gillies (3), Mike Grant (3), Ian Hey (3), Graham Kilby (2), Sophie McGill (3), Steve Ovenden (3), David Potter (3), Paul Rawnsley (2), Pete Rookes (3), Mike Shannon (2), Richard Snowball (3).
* In addition to the above, there are certain Board sub-groups have been set up that deal with specific matters. Also, Steve and Sophie attend the regular Club board and management meetings.

MEMBERSHIP (Richard Snowball, who is also Trust Chairman)
* As at 31 March 2005, there were 476 Life Members and 904 Annual Members (Total 1,380). The average membership of the 100 supporters’ trusts in the UK is around 600.
* The Trust has recently established a number of discount arrangements for Trust Members with local businesses F1 Racing (Monks Cross), The Golf Company (Low Petergate), Monk Bar Chocolatier, Fulprint, Frankie & Bennys (Clifton Gate), Premier Sports (Goodramgate), Pizza Hut, Villa Italia (Micklegate), Moss Tyres (Kettlestring Lane) – check Trust website for details and other businesses to be added to the list.
* The Trust’s annual membership year runs to 30 June. In May/June, the Trust will be seeking annual renewals. Please continue to support the Trust and encourage others to do so.

SUPPORTER LIAISON
Local (Steve Ovenden and Steve Beck)
* The Club now has a thriving network of regionally based ‘Minstermen’ groups including Harrogate, York, Towton, London, Malton, the Midlands and the North West. Members of the boards of both the Trust and the Club have been providing support to these groups. The Arthur newsletter and Red & Blue also act as useful sounding boards for City fans’ views.
* The York City Fan Survey is being conducted in April/May. Another important opportunity for supporters to have a dialogue with their Club

National (Ian Hey)
* Discussions and assistance to other trusts in the last quarter include Cambridge United (bottom of league and financial difficulties), Stockport County (the subject of attention from a Mr J Batchelor), and Carlisle United. Also, discussions with Chairman of Exeter City Supporters Trust, in particular about governance issues.
* Liaison with Supporters Direct for the provision of representatives at forthcoming workshops for North West and East Midlands areas of Supporters Direct.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR (Ian Savage; not a Board member)
* If you are able to give any of your own time to help the Trust/Club with anything from arranging a fundraising event to helping on a matchday, please get in touch at the usual address.


CLUB DIRECTORS
Elected Trust Board directors Steve Beck and Sophie McGill also serve in a separate role as Directors of York City Football Club Limited. Steve has specific responsibility for representing the Club at local and national events and meetings and acts as a catalyst to all supporter groups related to the Club. He is also the Director responsible for youth football development at the Club and in the Community. Sophie is the Club’s Communications and Community Director, responsible for the Club’s Communications Strategy and relationships with local and national media. Also responsible for managing relationships with the Council, key community organisations and football industry bodies for community matters. The other current Club Directors – Terry, Jason and Ian – are each Trust members and were selected and appointed by the Trust Board to their positions as Club Directors. Through a series of mechanisms, there is regular communication between the Club and Trust Boards.
The last quarter of 2004 was particularly challenging for the Boards of both the Trust and the Club, largely due to the team’s poor results. In the first quarter of 2005 there have been a number of key developments including the (eventual) conclusion of Project Gold, the Nestle Rowntree deal, the appointment of Billy McEwan, a number of employee changes, etc. The Trust and Club Boards are focussed on providing the foundations for significant improvement in the team’s performances and results.

The Club's Community Vision
In addition to the myriad of events summarised above, during the quarter to 31 March there were various other initiatives that help demonstrate the ways in which the supporter-owned York City is building better relationships with the local community. Recent examples include:
* Work is progressing to try and put in place a major new community scheme involving COYC and the Football Foundation.
* Half term football courses by City’s FITC and City's players participated in children’s fun day at Next Generation Gym and at the Junior Reds bowling night.
* York City nominated the following local charities to each receive £2,850 from the Club’s allocation from the FA’s Community Shield game – Arclight Project for the homeless, York Against Cancer and the York & North Yorkshire Community Foundation.
* During the last quarter there were charitable collections at KKC for Tsunami and The Heart Foundation. During the season, match-day collections have been made for seven different charities.
* As part of the Supporters of Tomorrow initiative, a girls football team will be training with the Club and appearing at the final match of the season.
* As part of the Trust's sponsorship of the Ryedale Junior League, each of the member clubs has been offered 20 junior tickets for the last match of the season (that’s up to 600 kids).
* KKC will host a series of local junior cup finals on each day of w/c 25 April.

Thank you to all those people who continue to provide positive support to the Club and the Trust. Without you, the Club would not survive. For further information about the work and role of the Trust please visit www.ycst.org.uk , write to the Trust at Bootham Crescent or contact any Trust Board member.

Your Trust. Your York City. Keep the faith.



The role of York City's Supporters' Trust:
i) Acting as the guardians of the Football Club and its home ground
ii) Ensuring that the interests of the local community and supporters are represented in the way in which York City is operated
iii) Promoting York City within the local community and within the wider football community
iv) Activities to provide funds to help the Football Club's finances
v) Helping and organising for volunteers to work for the benefit of York City
vi) Carrying out the operations of the Trust itself, as a separate legal entity with around 1,500 members