03 July 2009 - address to members by the Trust Chairman

The Devils Trust AGM took place on 30th June 2009

I welcome you all to the AGM. The Trust has seen a year of steady progress and we have much to be proud of. But before we start to look to the future we need to consider the lessons that the past has taught us.

This Spring the man who was once the owner and chairman of Crawley Town FC was sent to jail for serious financial irregularities including a period that covered the first 18 months of his tenure at the football club. During that time it was the Trust alone who highlighted the incompetence, deviousness and nastiness of his families regime. By our approach we gained the support and respect nationally of football fans and the football authorities. The town of Crawley was given the facts by us and offered a free choice whether to attend matches or not. The populace overwhelmingly voted with their feet.

But it was not always easy being part of the Trust during those times, we suffered abuse intimidation and ridicule, but that court decision has proven beyond any doubt that we were right, you were right and the town was right to back our approach. As chairman I thank all of you.

However being right does not always make you popular.

With new owners at the club our members asked us to cautiously engage with the new board. It has been a long slow and at times frustrating process. But we are now at a stage where we have a decent working relationship with them.

Basically the club have an inner and outer sanctum. The outer sanctum contains elements of the operating board, but also looks to include fans and others who can contribute in terms of fund-raising and mobilising the community. We have been in extensive dialogue with this section of the club executive covering such subjects as fun-days, legends match and promotional activities. It is still early days, but relations are constantly improving and we remain cautiously optimistic.

While we were developing this relationship we decided to concentrate our efforts on strengthening ties with other football groups, the media and delivering our major flagship project, the Community football schools scheme. The pilot scheme was an unqualified total success. We were overwhelmed by the level of enthusiasm and interest shown by all concerned and in particular the comments of the parents and the deputy head at our Xmas end of season tournament. They believed that we had developed something unique, that now needs to be offered to all schools in the area.

Based on the success of the pilot scheme we have now approached two funding bodies with grant applications, but times are hard and we can never be certain that funds will be forthcoming. Nontheless we have trialled, modelled and continue to operate an excellent scheme. We are rightly proud of last years accomplishment of taking an idea and making it exceed all expectations.

We were also asked to re-build relations with the Supporters Club. When they proposed funding the segregation barrier at the ground we offered to help them with a grant application (in the event they declined as they were constrained by time) and we have also approved a £500 donation towards the project.

We have also contributed to the community by small donations to a variety of local initiatives and sponsorship. We joined with the Trusts of Oxford and Manfield in putting pressure on the football authorities through correspondence and a petition, highlighting that the level of punishment they had imposed for breaches of the player registration process were extreme. In the event the clubs appeal recovered most of the points and while we cannot claim any specific credit for that achievement, we are still justly proud of the pressure that the joint-Trust initiative applied.

We are presently devising a scheme – negotiations with the club have been very positive and they welcome the idea - for the new season, which provides for two nominated persons per match, chosen by the community at large, to be the joint guests of ourselves and the football club at home games. We see this as a way of recognising and rewarding the work of volunteers, public servants and those deserving a break and at the same time helping the club to re-engage with the community of Crawley. This concept is absolutely in line with our community objectives and has a tangible benefit to a club that has tainted it’s image within the community in recent years.

And we were also asked at the last AGM to involve our own people more. It has not really been possible in the last year as it was a slow process of rebuilding relationships, but this year the board have agreed that we will have an open-meeting every quarter to encourage more ideas and input from you all, we are looking to replenish our funds through some creative schemes.

There are many unsung heroes at the Trust, such as David Morley and Phil Townshend who have both worked on the accounts, Ian our membership secretary and Peter our webmaster who both deserve a mention.

And I conclude by a few comments about changes within the Devils Trust board, We are to expand the board to seven members and I offer congratulations to Simon, Mervyn and Ian who have joined us, they will be happy to answer any of your questions about who they are and what they have to offer.

And it is perhaps a sign of changing times that Phil Agius and Jeff Thaddeus are not standing for re-election. They are two people who were never afraid to voice their opinions. They were prominent in standing up, not only to corrupt owners but also to those who blindly and ignorantly endorsed the actions of those owners. They both feel that with the changes so far at the football club and the prospect of even further changes, the Trust need board members with a fresh approach to take things forward. I thank them both for the contribution and enthusiasm they have given to the Trust cause.

And at the end of a year of consolidation and achievement I thank you all too and look forward to working more closely with you in the forthcoming months.

Mark Ogbourne

The Devils Trust