A bit off-topic : Southern League

[Ian]

I tend to agree with most of that except the point Staines makes about the Trust. Making small donations to other organisations is about PR and getting the name of Slough Town FC recognised in the local community.

 

The Trust is highly unlikely to ever be in a financial position to run the club so the best way to use its finances is to raise the profile of the Club in the area. It's through raising this awareness in the local area that we'll attract new fans and hopefully, when the Club approaches local businesses, people will recall that they've heard the name, be aware of our situation and be more willing to help.

 

All the time I was involved in the Trust launch the objective was never to take over the running of the club and, as far as I'm aware, still isn't. However the formation of the Trust as a proper legal entity enables the Trust to take over IF they had to. This doesn't answer the question of where the finances would come from and nor is it meant to.

 

The Trust is not a separate body from the fans. It is OUR Trust and is only as powerful as WE make it. So, if we want the Trust to have the finances to run the Club (circa £150k per annum) then WE need to provide those funds. As that's unlikely to happen I'd prefer to see the excellent work the Trust has done continue in terms of supporting other local organisations and raising awareness in the local area.

[Staines-upon-Thames Rebel]

I put money into the trust for the direct benifit of the club and its long term future.

 

If I wanted to donate to local organisations I would do that directly.

 

I will not be renewing my trust membership.

 

I eagaly await the anouncement of the new shirt sponsors at the Windsor game on Boxing day - if it is sorted out in time! or will there be a further 2 week delay?!?!

[Ian]

Quote:

Staines Rebel1 said:
I put money into the trust for the direct benifit of the club and its long term future.

If I wanted to donate to local organisations I would do that directly.

I will not be renewing my trust membership.

So you do not agree that the club will benefit in the long term from raising its profile in the local community?

We are currently fighting a PR battle with Slough Borough Council. They would have everybody think that our fans are hooligans (untrue), who want free handouts from the council for a new ground (untrue) when we have a perfectly good one at WP we can use (untrue), are planning to build the next Wembley stadium in the centre of Slough (untrue), and that our supporters are harrassing council officials (untrue).

What do you think the people that run Slough Juniors think of us? Or the League of Friends charity? Or the people who read about us collecting for the Tsunami appeal? Or the people who run East Berkshire Womens Aid? or the Cancer Research representatives there last weekend? Or the people at Star FM to whom the Trust donated a few toys for their Christmas appeal last year?

Do you think that effort is wasted? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

[Roger Rebel]

I agree i make donations to 4 different charities each month wich is my choice, and any money we raise though the trust should be for football. Most people in Slough do not give a toss about the club Ian, no matter how many donations we make to good causes.

[GarySTFC]

I think the point Roger makes was well echoed by the Cancer Research guy who commented that most of the local schools in the area who were targeted in the recent ticketing campaign for the Harrow match didn't have a clue who we were.

 

If the Trust have been raising the profile, it's clearly missing a large chunk of the town.

 

That said, whilst the Trust have done a lot of decent work, there still doesn't appear to be much coming from them as to future plans and recruiting people to assist with fundraising and profile awareness? When's the next newsletter?

[Ian]

So you think there is greater value in keeping a couple of hundred pounds in the Trust kitty than using it "for football" through raising the profile of the club?

 

How do you think we raised £4,050 from the sponsored walk to Worthing which resulted in £2,000 going to the Trust? Do you think we'd have got even close to that amount if we'd have been raising money solely for the Trust? No offence to the Trust but it's a lot easier to raise money when it's linked to a charitable cause as well as the Trust. There was £1,000 donation from my company we wouldn't have received for a start as they only contribute to registered charities. That alone enabled us to give £500 extra to the Trust from the other money we raised.

 

If you only want money to go to the club, then give it direct to the club. That's not a criticism of your support as I know you give loads (more than most people) in player and match sponsorship etc. but I think the views on what the Trust should be seeking to achieve are a little shortsighted. Just my opinion.

[epicrebel]

roger if the money was just for the football club there would be NO coaches for the supporters. things like the walk was backed more because there was a charity ( i think ) named with it, if i'm not mistaken.

 

 

the trust is there if the board walks away, so by not rejoining doesn't help the club so who will loose in the end.

 

most of the people that conplain are not members anyway, we need as many people joining as possible. if all the old members rejoin since the trust was set up there would be over 200 members every year.

[GarySTFC]

What are the Trust doing to encourage people to resign or to get new members to sign up?

[epicrebel]

for a start slough juniors 24 new members there alone ( future adult members we hope )

[GarySTFC]

Do we know how many games they've attended? Have they paid to sign up or were they signed up automatically and what about their parents?

[A Rebel and a Saint]

the problem is a lot of people dont see contributions the trust make unless they are involved with a specific charity, its my opinion that the trust needs to get out into slough high street and promote itself and the club to the people directly, on more than just one occasion a season.

[Ian]

They do see them if they are plastered all over the local papers like the walk, Tsunami collection was. I agree though that we need to raise the presence in the town.

[brighton_rebel]

Some real christmas spirit on here.

Trust donates cash to former player who has had leg amputated.

Trust donates £50 to Rusilip to help them in their bid to stop them losing their ground.

Trust donates some money to family of Folkestone player who died while playing.

I would hope if we ever get a sniff of a having our own ground again, the good work done by the Trust would help us in raising the cash from other sources.

Not that this should stop us donating to the above causes, just never thought i would be on here having to justify the above.

[epicrebel]

they come to most games, yes they have paid to join, i think a couple of parents have. (so the juniors can only join if the parents join ? )

[Tom]

One thing about the Trust that I have picked up is the lack of direction in which it wants to take itself and also a lack of organisation.

 

OK since September it has been hard for me to attend all of our home matches, but I had been to every game before that and the odd game since and I have not once been approached about joining the Trust. Even the Trusts website is woefully updated (I know this is not a fault on Gary's part) - I cannot even download the form to apply for application. The last news report was from August - there has been no news on the recent Race Night event.

 

There is also no general consensus on what people want to do. There have been frequent mentions of people grouping together and working their around Slough in an attempt to raise the profile of the club and its trust to help raise sponsorship - has this actually happened?

 

I get the feeling being on the outside that there is a lack of co-operation from within the Trust to a degree that not alot gets done.

 

I know of a number of people who I won't mention here who feel they could run the Trust better than it is currently run and its hypocritical of me to think I could do better because I don't have the time to contribute in anyway, but i feel in its current state more needs to be done to prepare the Trust for if/when the club needs its help.

[Ian]

Re the 24 Junior Rebels. Yes they do come, they're mostly all mine! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[GarySTFC]

Thanks epic, wasn't having a dig, just wondering how many we'd managed to snare properly.

 

My own opinion on the Trust site is to close it down. There aren't regular updates for it, or enough information coming through to warrant keeping it in place (the form is my bad, and yes it needs to be done by me, so apologies) and it appears things simply get posted on here rather than released officially through the site (you could almost say the same of the club!)

[Dominic]

Quote:

Gary-STFC said:
Do we know how many games they've attended? Have they paid to sign up or were they signed up automatically and what about their parents?

Gary, all our new members have paid and were not just automatically signed up. They have been three of four times already this season as a group(after Saturday morning training) and are looking forward to their next visit early in the new year.

[epicrebel]

if you were a member since the trust was set up you would have had a letter with a form in it asking you to rejoin with a news letter in it, if these people think they can do better come on the board and prove it, the trust is well organised but the few on the board can't do every think.

[epicrebel]

gary no dig taken, sham tom doesn't know how the board is run and how it's hands are tied in some things it can do.