Club1872 members report

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http://club1872.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Member-Report-260418.pdf

 

 SHARE ISSUE CAMPAIGN
Our share issue campaign continues and presents a huge opportunity for the organisation and the Rangers support in general. After excellent early progress and increases in both membership and funds available for shares, we have seen a slow down in recent weeks as issues affecting Rangers have come to the fore.
At the time of writing our membership sits at 7430 - a net increase of 380 members since the campaign began. We also have £520,000 available for shares. This is slight decrease on our last publicised estimate, due to a manual reconciliation done for the submission of the annual accounts.
Our target for shares remains at £1m and remains achievable depending on the reaction of the Rangers support in the coming weeks. Club 1872 will represent the only way for supporters to take part in the upcoming share issue.
We will continue with our online marketing, RSC engagement and podcast and media work in an effort to encourage as many Rangers fans as possible to participate.
BOARD
Iain Mullholland has stepped down from the Club 1872 Board. We thank Iain for his work and the contribution he has made to the organisation, particularly his progress on bringing two projects to the point of being put to members. These projects are detailed later in this document. Joanne Percival will take over the Projects Working Group and Euan MacFarlane will take on the Events Working Group.
All current board member biographies are on the Club 1872 website.
WORKING GROUPS
Six working groups are in place to support the organisation (Membership & Engagement, RSCs, Comms, Campaigns, Events and Projects). The members who volunteer to take part in these groups meet regularly and have been involved in the following areas of Club 1872’s functioning over the last few months:
Our Comms and Campaigns groups are working together to focus on our share issue campaign. Regular, concise updates on this campaign have gone out via email and social media. We have also been providing video content and have taken part in Q&As and podcasts on various platforms within the Rangers community. Board meeting summaries, as well as other news items, are on our website for members to view. In the presentation we delivered in January, we indicated that the organisation would be moving away from reactionary statements to more inclusive and wide-reaching forms of communication. While we have endeavoured to maintain this commitment, we value feedback from members on how we are communicating and are always seeking to improve, so we would encourage members to contact us with ideas or comments on this aspect of the organisation.
Our campaigns group has also written directly to a number of politicians seeking an explanation for false comments made by them on social media about the Rangers support. We also wrote to two Scottish political party leaders seeking explanations for the behaviour of their elected representatives. We can confirm that we wrote to Peter Grant MP, Cllr Julie McKenzie, Patrick Harvie MSP and Nicola Sturgeon FM. To date, we have received replies from Patrick Harvie MSP and Peter Grant MP and will remain in correspondence with them. We have not heard back from Cllr McKenzie or Nicola Sturgeon FM.
In addition to this, we informed members that the Scottish Government, in the aftermath of the repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, has set up a working party to examine the subject of sectarianism and make recommendations on how it should be defined in Scots law. We are extremely concerned that this process should not be a repeat of the ill-fated consultation on the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, during which a number of discredited politicians and  journalists were successful in pushing for unworkable and illiberal laws targeting football supporters. With that in mind we wrote to the chair of this group to ask about the makeup of the working party, the scope of their work and how organisations like Club 1872 can feed into the process. If positive progress is to be made then it is essential that a common sense approach is taken on this topic and as part of our ongoing efforts to defend Rangers fans and support constructive approaches to dealing with sectarianism, we look forward to engaging with the working group in the coming months.
Around the same time that we updated members on our contact with politicians, we also wrote to the Editor of the Scottish Sun, Alan Muir, seeking an explanation and retraction for a false story written by Blair Meikle which appeared online on 9th April 2018. In his haste to paint Rangers supporters in a bad light, Mr Meikle failed to carry out even the most basic of fact checks before claiming a Rangers supporter had made abusive online comments about our charity partner Autism Scotland. The Twitter account in question was not that of a Rangers supporter and it had in fact made offensive comments about the Ibrox disaster. Club 1872 called for the Editor to retract the story. We received a prompt response from The Sun and the story was removed.
Following the Scottish Cup semi-final, we had contact from members asking us to convey their concerns to Rangers about the manner in which we were defeated and the decisions at board level that led to our current situation. We communicated to the club in clear terms the serious concerns which members hold, and which we believe are reflected within the majority of the support, about what we have seen this season and the requirement for things to improve. Club 1872 met with Stewart Robertson in the past few days to discuss the current situation at the club. We once again made clear how unacceptable it is to our support that there has been very little progress on the park this year and that we once again find ourselves in a position of major uncertainty regarding the managerial situation.
We also stressed the need for Rangers to communicate with supporters. The only senior member of the club to address the situation since the Scottish Cup Semi Final has been Alastair Johnston and we expressed serious concern that his comments were not only at odds with what we had heard from Rangers in previous discussions but also that they seemed to contradict the comments made by the Chairman in his season ticket letter. This caused alarm within the support and further concern that the board is out of touch with Rangers fans.
Stewart indicated that plans are in place for next season but we stressed the point that this had to be communicated to supporters as a matter of urgency. This also led to a discussion of how Rangers need to find better ways to communicate with the support. Despite the legal and commercial restrictions that often prevent the club from communicating fully on matters that are of concern to the support, it is our belief that they could and indeed should be doing better in this regard. We expect the club to take our points on board and that they will reassure supporters of their plans to improve Rangers’ fortunes on the pitch at the earliest possible opportunity.
We also took the opportunity to reiterate to Stewart Robertson that it remains a main aim of Club 1872 to secure a place on the RIFC board and that we are making progress internally on how to address that situation. Further discussion will be required with the RIFC board and we will also be putting some proposals to members in the coming weeks.
Last week we also took the opportunity to remind people once again that Club 1872 can play a major role in taking Rangers back to the top of Scottish football. That is not to say that the current board should not take responsibility for where we are now; it is absolutely right that the people who are making decisions about our club should be held responsible for those decisions and held to account when supporters have concerns. Again, we have made this point directly to the club as it is our responsibility to do on members’ behalf. In January, Club 1872 members voted overwhelmingly that Club 1872 should have a place on the RIFC board. This is now a stated aim of this organisation, and we believe that a strong Club 1872 with the support of the Rangers fan base, can and should be part of the decision-making process at Rangers.
We previously told members that we would be moving away from reactionary statements and Q&A type interactions with the club, which have proved to be ineffective. As the second largest shareholder in the club, we believe that we should be in a position to influence decision-making  rather than just seek explanations for decisions that have already been taken. With our current shareholding Club 1872 is in a position that no previous fans groups have achieved, which means that we shouldn’t need to operate as a pressure group operating from the outside looking in. While we have a responsibility to update members on how we are communicating with the club, we also have a duty to push for what we believe is a more constructive and effective dialogue than the Rangers support has been used to in the past. Club 1872 directors are Rangers fans first and foremost, and offer our personal assurances to members that as a matter of priority, we have communicated their and our own concerns directly to the club.
Our Membership & Engagement group has been working with our RSCs group to engage potential members and develop stronger links with Rangers Supporters Clubs. Over the last few weeks we have delivered presentations to various RSCs across the UK, including Greenock Britannia Loyal, London Branch and Surrey True Blues, Grapes Bar Loyal and Granite City. A number of the RSCs we’ve been in contact with have donated generously to our share issue campaign and are now taking part in spreading the word about Club 1872 by sharing sign-up forms with their members and contacts. We have other events planned for the coming weeks, and are always looking for more contacts within the RSC community. If your RSC would like to speak to us about getting involved or to organise a presentation, please email us at engagement@club1872.co.uk.
   EVENTS
In December we hosted a Christmas Fayre that was attended by Rangers Supporters Erskine Association (RSEA) and RYDC representatives. A Club 1872 sign-up stall was also in place.
Since then Club 1872 has maintained a match-day presence. Our volunteers have been getting out around the stadium on match days to hand our sign-up forms and speak to supporter about Club 1872.
 PROJECTS
Our projects group has been investigating a number of potential projects. Iain Mulholland, the director who has been co-ordinating our projects group has stepped down from the Club 1872 board but not before completing a walking football proposal on which members will shortly be asked to vote.
Walking Football provides the opportunity for fans aged 50 + to take part in the sport that they love. It targets socially isolated individuals using the hook of the club to bring people together for some physical exercise and the chance to build their network of people in the local community.
The session lasts 2 hours, the first hour is activity helping with participant’s well-being both physical and mental through enjoyable structured walking football, whilst the second hour is for socialising and building positive relationships which can be carried forward out with the sessions.
Walking Football would take place at the Ibrox Complex with the social time taking place in the Ibrox Community Hub.

 Our projects group has also been working on a proposal to fund a vehicle to transport disabled supporters to the stadium on match days. Details of this proposal will be sent to members in the next few weeks, with a view to this project potentially being delivered for the beginning of next season.
ACCOUNTS
Accounts for the Club 1872 Shares CIC were submitted to Companies House by The Houston Partnership in March. At the time of writing this update, those accounts have not been updated on the Companies House website, but they should be available to view in due course. Accounts for the Projects CIC are due at the end of May.
ADMIN/SOCIAL MEDIA
Our admin team has replied to 820 emails (114 per week) since the beginning of this year. Our social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram) are managed by Club 1872 volunteers and collectively are reaching over 100,000 people. You can follow us here
Twitter - @club1872rfc
Facebook - www.facebook.com/club1872rfc/
YouTube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKx9wlrUO3QWyg_y95HOrKA Instagram - instagram.com/club1872rfc/
FANSBET
In March, we polled members on the following questions:
Do you: 1) agree that the Board of Club 1872 Limited should pursue the negotiations with FansBet outlined to members and seek to conclude a deal between Club 1872 Limited and the companies trading under the FansBet name 2) authorise the Board of Club 1872 Limited to finalise and conclude the terms of an agreement or agreements with the companies trading as FansBet?
75.2% of members voted in favour and 24.8% against.
The Club 1872 board will now progress discussions and seek to conclude a deal between Club 1872 Limited and the companies trading under the FansBet name, and will update members of any progress on this.
POLICE SCOTLAND
Club 1872 remains in discussions with Police Scotland regarding the treatment of Rangers supporters and are seeking changes in the way we have been policed in certain circumstances. This has so far been a healthy dialogue and we hope that it will lead to some substantive changes in approach. We will meet Police Scotland again following the Celtic v Rangers game on Sunday 29th April.
SLO
We have met a number of times with Greg Marshall, the club’s Supporters Laision Officer to discuss various topics including match day experience and communication between supporters and the club.
RANGERS CHARITY FOUNDATION
Club 1872’s relationship with the Rangers Charity Foundation remains very positive. We have met with them a number of times to discuss potential projects, and are pleased to be at the point of asking members to vote on the walking football project mentioned above. Further details on how to vote will be sent to members following this update.
   

 

 

 

[buster. 4,969]

The most constructive, complete and detailed communication I've seen come from Club1872 since it started.

 

Signs that crucial issues, teething problems, etc. have been identified and are being addressed.

[aweebluesoandso 290]

I like the idea of a vehicle to pick up disabled supporters, simple but effective.With the new parking restrictions coming in next season it definitely could alleviate some problems for our disabled brethren.

[rbr 1,254]

Last night was a very decent meeting IMHO , this current club1872 spoke as one and were different to previous boards in that there is a decent amount of joined up thinking and adult thought going into the way forward .

However one serious issue remains , the funding of the next share issue is going to be a problem unless there is a serious take up in either membership or donations , its currently sitting at £520 000 with a target of £1 million ( there is a possibility of £1.7 million being needed ) , we must avoid dilution of club1872s shareholding , and it may be that the money in the projects accounts is possibly used towards the share issue .

 

I must stress that this would need to go to a members vote for this to be able to happen , however I would hope this would get passed if asked by the board . 

[Bill 13,717]

1 hour ago, aweebluesoandso said:

I like the idea of a vehicle to pick up disabled supporters, simple but effective.With the new parking restrictions coming in next season it definitely could alleviate some problems for our disabled brethren.

It's a no-brainer really, perhaps more than one vehicle, but it needs to be matched with a vast improvement in facilities and support once disabled fans arrive at the stadium. 

[Bluedell 5,417]

32 minutes ago, rbr said:

However one serious issue remains , the funding of the next share issue is going to be a problem unless there is a serious take up in either membership or donations , its currently sitting at £520 000 with a target of £1 million ( there is a possibility of £1.7 million being needed ) , we must avoid dilution of club1872s shareholding ,

Although I'm becoming a broken record on the subject, that should have been thought about before the decision to buy shares on the open market was taken. There was always the strong possibility that it would result in a future dilution.

[Bill 13,717]

2 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

Although I'm becoming a broken record on the subject, that should have been thought about before the decision to buy shares on the open market was taken. There was always the strong possibility that it would result in a future dilution.

I'd say it was more of a probability than a possibility. I question long ago the wisdom of a strategy that couldn't be funded to a conclusion. The shareholding board members are never going to relinquish any control to a supporters group and I fear a seat on the board is a pipe dream. 

 

I only throw this out for debate but, rather than see the value of it's current investment go down the toilet, either at this share issue or the next, perhaps Club1872 would be better liquidising all or part of its shareholding and using the funds to pursue more appropriate and realistic agendas.

[buster. 4,969]

4 minutes ago, Bill said:

I'd say it was more of a probability than a possibility. I question long ago the wisdom of a strategy that couldn't be funded to a conclusion. The shareholding board members are never going to relinquish any control to a supporters group and I fear a seat on the board is a pipe dream. 

 

I only throw this out for debate but, rather than see the value of it's current investment go down the toilet, either at this share issue or the next, perhaps Club1872 would be better liquidising all or part of its shareholding and using the funds to pursue more appropriate and realistic agendas.

Why should it be ?

 

The shareholding percentage corresponds with what is wanted and the importance of this particular group (fans) is fundamental to the business going forward.

 

If pursued vigourously, I see no alternative for the club but to provide a seat at the table.

[rbr 1,254]

20 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

Although I'm becoming a broken record on the subject, that should have been thought about before the decision to buy shares on the open market was taken. There was always the strong possibility that it would result in a future dilution.

Though I can see where your coming from , I don't think they could have passed on those shares especially given who owned them .

[Bluedell 5,417]

Just now, rbr said:

Though I can see where your coming from , I don't think they could have passed on those shares especially given who owned them .

They didn't know where the shares were coming from when the decision to buy them was made.