Sky Blue Trust

Minutes of the Coventry City Supporters Forum 3rd December

Details: Published: 08 December 2020

1. Welcome – Including meeting protocols CH

Colin Henderson - CH(Coventry City London Supporters Club),

Ray Stephens - RS(Diamond Club),

Simon Champion - SC (Leamington & Warwick Supporters club),

Chris Holliday - CH (Southam Supporters Club),

Pete Griffiths - PG (Sky Blues Talk forum – Notetaker),

Dave Boddy - DB,

Mark Hornby - MH,

Tynan Scope - TS (CCFC),

Kevin Greenfield - KG (Disabled Supporters),

Dave Eyles – DE (Sky Blues Trust),

Dave Buust - DBU (SBITC)

CH – Advised PG taking the minutes – All were happy for CH to record the zoom to help PG record what was said accurately.

CH – Asked people to raise their hand to ask a question

2. Apologies for Absence CH

Jim Brown (Former players association), Pat Raybould (Family Zone), Colin Power (Welsh supporters), Mike Garlick (Corporate Supporters), Steve Harding (Bedworth and Nuneaton Supporters)

3. Dave Boddy up-date (inc feedback on questions received in advance of the meeting)

Notes recorded on separate sheet for questions raised with DB before meeting. This included a preview of the shirt for those who took out a membership this season. All agreed it looked really good.

4. Deputy Chairman – Nomination process & Timetable. CH

CH – Explained that the idea was that we would have a deputy chairman and that we wouldn’t change the chair and deputy in the same year. CH will look to set the timetable and suggest a process of how this will work for the deputy in time for the next meeting - AP1 – Add this to the next agenda

5. Family Zone CH

CH gave a report from PR who thinks it will be a long time before the family zone is back up and running. She has been working hard on line and social media to keep youngsters engaged with the club. She wanted the notes to reflect her thanks to MH and Dom Hyam for their support of a soon to be held raffle for offering prizes to include.

No Christmas party will be happening this season. MH advised that he is in regular contact with PR and he doesn’t think there will be a family zone at any games this season, but both are looking to ensure everything is back up and running for the 21-22 sesason.

6. AOB

DE – Trust have been contacted by AFC Bury who are completing a documentary of the effect of Covid on people’s mental health. DE has forwarded email to CCFC. DBU is happy to take part in any capacity and talk about his curtailing of his career through injury. DB is happy to have a discussion with AFC Bury to understand what they envisage him adding about the club playing away from Coventry.

DB – Advised that the Supporters representation to the Safety Advisory Group should come from this supporter’s forum rather than from just the Sky Blues Trust as has been happening with Frank Smith being in attendance. DE explained FS background in safety and would want to nominate him from this forum.

AP2 – We need to agree who will attend the SAG from this forum

Date of next meeting (Zoom call)

CH suggested a couple of dates for the next call, all agreed to the 7th January 2021.

Action points

AP1 – CH will include nomination for deputy chair and process for elections for the post and the post of chair on the next meeting agenda

AP2 – Supporters forum to decide who will represent us on the SAG

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The Sky Blue Trust back the FSAs Sustain the Game Campaign

Details: Published: 23 August 2020

Supporters’ groups from across the country have joined forces with politicians and pundits to launch “Sustain The Game!”

- a new campaign which calls for urgent action from the authorities to protect the existence of clubs throughout

the game.

The financial strains caused by Covid-19 have threatened many clubs and fans say urgent action is needed from the football authorities to help them survive.

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) is coordinating Sustain The Game! and says that while the current pandemic has brought many issues to an immediate head, these are long standing finance and governance matters which need to be fixed.

The Government’s 2019 manifesto committed to a “fan led” review of football governance and the FSA says it wants to demonstrate the support within football for that to happen.

The campaign is backed by fans’ organisations from almost all of the 92 Premier League and EFL clubs alongside those in the women’s game, non-league and high profile ex-pros and pundits such as Jamie Carragher, Henry Winter, Colin Murray, Amy Lawrence, Guy Mowbray, and FSA Commentator of the Year Peter Drury.

Political support comes in the shape of ex-sports minister Tracey Crouch MP, Labour’s shadow sports minister Alison McGovern MP and Liberal Democrats’ Daisy Cooper MP, the party’s sports spokesperson.

The campaign is also backed by the cross-party All-Party Parliamentary Group for Football Supporters and many community-owned clubs including the newly- formed Bury AFC.

Campaign backers say the football authorities and government cannot sit back and watch as dozens of historic clubs are under immediate threat and could disappear altogether.

FSA chief executive Kevin Miles said:

“Football occupies a special space in our society as clubs carry huge cultural and local economic importance. Sustain The Game! will demonstrate the need for urgent action as the very existence of many clubs is under threat. If we don’t act now we might lose some forever.

“We call on everyone with an interest in the game, from clubs and leagues to players and managers, to come together and work in partnership to support Sustain The Game! The time for action isn’t next week, next month, or next year - it’s now.”

Ex-Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said:

“The FSAs Sustain The Game! campaign can play a massive role in protecting clubs throughout the game. This is a difficult time for the game but its also a chance to make real changes. Supporters; have to be involved in that as well.”

Sustain The Game! is built around five key principles and aims to protect clubs, increase transparency, implement strong independent financial controls, strengthen the football pyramid, and increase supporter engagement.

Sustain The Game! Principles:

1. Protect our clubs - football clubs are community assets and an important expression of individual and local identity, they deserve legal protection and urgent support to secure their future;

2. Transparency - everyone has a right to know who owns their club, and how clubs and the authorities operate. Owners are custodians of clubs on behalf of all of us;

3. Financial controls - fans want rules with real teeth which are independently enforced, clubs and leagues cant be left to regulate

themselves;

4. Strengthen the pyramid - football as a whole is wealthy, but we need a smarter and fairer use of the money in the game to encourage

sustainability;

5. Supporter engagement - fans are the lifeblood of the game, they need a voice in their clubs and on all issues that affect them and their

communities.

To find out more about Sustain The Game! and see all signatories visit:

www.thefsa.org.uk

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Sky Blue Trust AGM Highlights

Details: Published: 04 August 2020

The Annual General Meeting of the Sky Blue Trust was held at the Albany Social Club, Earlsdon, on Tuesday 3rd August. The meeting elected and warmly welcomed four new Board Members – Jamie Gordon, Geoffrey Gulzar, Luke Harris and Grace McKenna. Their pen portraits will appear on the Meet the Board section of the website in due course.

Suffice it to say here that the range of skills and interests that they have, individually and collectively, will greatly enhance the skills and abilities of the existing Board. These new members will be replacing Neil White, David Johnson and CJ Joiner who have retired or resigned from the Board during the year. The AGM also wholeheartedly endorsed the continuing appointment of Rachael Brown, our Treasurer, to the Board.

The AGM also agreed to the co-option of Lionel Bird and Ian Devoy to assist with the work of the Trust, and was pleased to hear that Frank Smith has agreed to continue with his co-option to the Board to continue his role in the areas of stadium accessibility and ground safety.

The Trust wishes to express their gratitude for all the hard work that Neil, David and CJ have put in on behalf of the Trust and we hope to have their continuing support, in different ways perhaps, in the future.'?

The AGM concluded with a wide ranging and often passionate discussion of the current crisis at the City, and backed the Trust’s current objective which is to get Coventry City playing back in the City now. How that objective is to be pursued will be the first task of the new Board in consultation with our members.

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