GJJW
Well-known member
Notice the guys at BST have written to the FA to express concerns re: the handling if the FA Cup game. Good on em.
Tuesday 19th December 2023
"for Blackpool Fans, our Club and our Community"
Blackpool Supporters’ Trust
December Newsletter
Dear Member
Welcome to the last of our monthly newsletters for 2023. We write after Saturday’s disappointing loss at Cambridge, all the more so after a comfortable home win against Carlisle. Sitting as we are on the fringe of the play-offs; we approach this busiest time in the football calendar with lots to play for.
What have BST been doing for Blackpool fans?
This is also one of the busiest times of year for BST, with a great deal going on, and an ambitious programme of work ahead of us for 2024. Since we last wrote to you in November, we have:
• donated £2512.23 to the BFC Festive Fundraiser
• written to the FA to raise concerns about their handling of our second-round cup tie
• met with BFC Chief Executive Julian Winter to discuss the club’s approach to fan engagement
• held our AGM and confirmed the outcome of our annual elections
• made big improvements to our website
• co-opted a BST Member to lead our effort on engaging with younger fans
Festive Fundraiser
This initiative was introduced by BFC shortly after Mr. Sadler took control of the club, with the simple aim of making sure that the children from Blackpool’s most disadvantaged families get at least some presents this Christmas.
Mr. Sadler has pledged that he will match donations from Blackpool fans, so your support for the Committee in allocating £2512.23 to the appeal will effectively be worth twice as much.
We would like to thank you again for your generosity; we know that colleagues at the BFC Community Trust have been bowled over by it. It is not too late to donate - and you can find out more here:
FA Cup Round 2
You will no doubt have shared our disappointment that our tie was called off at around 24 hours’ notice by the FA, with only the briefest of announcements about the reasons why.
In our view this was discourteous to the three clubs involved, and their supporters. Many people will have made expensive plans to travel to matches; all the clubs will have incurred a great deal of inconvenience and cost in responding to the FA’s decision.
A proper, clear explanation of the circumstances, and the reasons for the decision really is the least which we think you are entitled to. We have therefore written to Polly Handford at the Football Association to put some of your concerns to her.
If you want to read the letter, it is on our website here:
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
AGM & Elections 2023
We can confirm that a recording of the event can be viewed here:
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
…. and a summary of the outcome of the Election, and Committee motions endorsed by you is set out in our note of 14th December. Thank you once again for your support.
Meeting with Julian Winter – 13th December
Andy Higgins, Tom Ghee (more on Tom below) and Mark Turner met with BFC CEO Julian Winter on 13th December, as part of our regular dialogue.
On the agenda this time were two closely related topics:
• fan engagement generally, including the club’s plans for a Fan Engagement Charter, more detail on which will be shared with fans shortly
• more specifically, BST’s ambitions around getting greater active involvement from younger fans in the 16-30 age range, in both what WE do, and in dialogue with the club
There will be a lot more to be said on all these issues in the New Year. We are due to meet Julian again in February.
Our website has been relaunched
You will recall that we told you this work was underway a couple of months ago, and several of you helped us to test the new features of the site as we developed them. We thank all of you who did so; your feedback and suggestions were very helpful, and will continue to be when we make some improvements to the site in the New Year.
If you haven’t had time to study the new look yet, you can do so by following the link here:
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
Look out in particular for brand new sections on BST Jobs, exile groups, frequently asked questions and a new “Did you Know” area containing some of the quirkier facts (and otherwise) about our extraordinary club.
If you have ideas about content, or presentation, you can tell us about them by contacting us at:
listening@blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
We already have some very good suggestions from you, and these will be incorporated into a new iteration of the site in the New Year.
Engaging with younger fans
You will recall that we asked for Blackpool fans to come forward to help us to improve the way in which we engage with younger fans, particularly those in the 16-30 age group. We thank all of you who have expressed an interest, and we are constantly looking for new people to become involved.
Tom Ghee is one of the people who have done so, and we are very pleased to tell you that he has (on 12th December) been co-opted onto the Committee to lead our effort in this area. One of Tom’s first jobs was to represent us and the FSA at a “Future of Football” event in Brussels on 15th-16th December. This event was concerned with sharing ideas and good practice in getting young people involved in running their Supporters Trusts and working directly with their clubs.
Tom is keen to speak to as many Blackpool fans as possible about his work; you can share ideas with him in the usual place:
listening@blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
And now to the commercial……
You’ve given us a powerful mandate at the AGM to go out and deliver on the things that matter to you. We are very grateful to you for that.
You can help us further in several ways:
• visit our Jobs Page, and see if there is any way you can help us. The more help we get, the more professional we can be. Details are here:
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
• if you can afford to do so, subscribe to the 1953 Sweepstake. We are raising thousands of pounds a year via this route, but the more we raise, the more we can achieve. The attached link tells you more:
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
• recruit new Members on our behalf. The more Members we have, the stronger our mandate to represent Blackpool fans is. Why not give a BST Membership to a family member or friend for Christmas, especially where you have young Seasiders in your life? Visit the website here:
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
Finally….
This may be the last time we write to you before the festive period. We thank you again for your support; and the whole Committee wish you a merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
BST Committee
Tuesday 19th December 2023
"for Blackpool Fans, our Club and our Community"
Blackpool Supporters’ Trust
December Newsletter
Dear Member
Welcome to the last of our monthly newsletters for 2023. We write after Saturday’s disappointing loss at Cambridge, all the more so after a comfortable home win against Carlisle. Sitting as we are on the fringe of the play-offs; we approach this busiest time in the football calendar with lots to play for.
What have BST been doing for Blackpool fans?
This is also one of the busiest times of year for BST, with a great deal going on, and an ambitious programme of work ahead of us for 2024. Since we last wrote to you in November, we have:
• donated £2512.23 to the BFC Festive Fundraiser
• written to the FA to raise concerns about their handling of our second-round cup tie
• met with BFC Chief Executive Julian Winter to discuss the club’s approach to fan engagement
• held our AGM and confirmed the outcome of our annual elections
• made big improvements to our website
• co-opted a BST Member to lead our effort on engaging with younger fans
Festive Fundraiser
This initiative was introduced by BFC shortly after Mr. Sadler took control of the club, with the simple aim of making sure that the children from Blackpool’s most disadvantaged families get at least some presents this Christmas.
Mr. Sadler has pledged that he will match donations from Blackpool fans, so your support for the Committee in allocating £2512.23 to the appeal will effectively be worth twice as much.
We would like to thank you again for your generosity; we know that colleagues at the BFC Community Trust have been bowled over by it. It is not too late to donate - and you can find out more here:
FA Cup Round 2
You will no doubt have shared our disappointment that our tie was called off at around 24 hours’ notice by the FA, with only the briefest of announcements about the reasons why.
In our view this was discourteous to the three clubs involved, and their supporters. Many people will have made expensive plans to travel to matches; all the clubs will have incurred a great deal of inconvenience and cost in responding to the FA’s decision.
A proper, clear explanation of the circumstances, and the reasons for the decision really is the least which we think you are entitled to. We have therefore written to Polly Handford at the Football Association to put some of your concerns to her.
If you want to read the letter, it is on our website here:
Letter to FA re the handling of the Blac | Blackpool
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
AGM & Elections 2023
We can confirm that a recording of the event can be viewed here:
Video - AGM 9th Dec 2023 | Blackpool
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
…. and a summary of the outcome of the Election, and Committee motions endorsed by you is set out in our note of 14th December. Thank you once again for your support.
Meeting with Julian Winter – 13th December
Andy Higgins, Tom Ghee (more on Tom below) and Mark Turner met with BFC CEO Julian Winter on 13th December, as part of our regular dialogue.
On the agenda this time were two closely related topics:
• fan engagement generally, including the club’s plans for a Fan Engagement Charter, more detail on which will be shared with fans shortly
• more specifically, BST’s ambitions around getting greater active involvement from younger fans in the 16-30 age range, in both what WE do, and in dialogue with the club
There will be a lot more to be said on all these issues in the New Year. We are due to meet Julian again in February.
Our website has been relaunched
You will recall that we told you this work was underway a couple of months ago, and several of you helped us to test the new features of the site as we developed them. We thank all of you who did so; your feedback and suggestions were very helpful, and will continue to be when we make some improvements to the site in the New Year.
If you haven’t had time to study the new look yet, you can do so by following the link here:
Home | Blackpool Supporters Trust
Open to all supporters and dedicated to making Blackpool Football Club the best it can be for the fans and the town of Blackpool.
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
Look out in particular for brand new sections on BST Jobs, exile groups, frequently asked questions and a new “Did you Know” area containing some of the quirkier facts (and otherwise) about our extraordinary club.
If you have ideas about content, or presentation, you can tell us about them by contacting us at:
listening@blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
We already have some very good suggestions from you, and these will be incorporated into a new iteration of the site in the New Year.
Engaging with younger fans
You will recall that we asked for Blackpool fans to come forward to help us to improve the way in which we engage with younger fans, particularly those in the 16-30 age group. We thank all of you who have expressed an interest, and we are constantly looking for new people to become involved.
Tom Ghee is one of the people who have done so, and we are very pleased to tell you that he has (on 12th December) been co-opted onto the Committee to lead our effort in this area. One of Tom’s first jobs was to represent us and the FSA at a “Future of Football” event in Brussels on 15th-16th December. This event was concerned with sharing ideas and good practice in getting young people involved in running their Supporters Trusts and working directly with their clubs.
Tom is keen to speak to as many Blackpool fans as possible about his work; you can share ideas with him in the usual place:
listening@blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
And now to the commercial……
You’ve given us a powerful mandate at the AGM to go out and deliver on the things that matter to you. We are very grateful to you for that.
You can help us further in several ways:
• visit our Jobs Page, and see if there is any way you can help us. The more help we get, the more professional we can be. Details are here:
Jobs@BST | Blackpool
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
• if you can afford to do so, subscribe to the 1953 Sweepstake. We are raising thousands of pounds a year via this route, but the more we raise, the more we can achieve. The attached link tells you more:
1953 Sweepstake | Blackpool
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
• recruit new Members on our behalf. The more Members we have, the stronger our mandate to represent Blackpool fans is. Why not give a BST Membership to a family member or friend for Christmas, especially where you have young Seasiders in your life? Visit the website here:
Join us | Blackpool Supporters Trust
Joing the largest Blackpool FC supporters group.
www.blackpoolsupporterstrust.com
Finally….
This may be the last time we write to you before the festive period. We thank you again for your support; and the whole Committee wish you a merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
BST Committee
- totally hacked off with the treatment their club and supporters have received from the FA …. 
