Player Meeting - Statement

Representatives from We Are The Rovers joined other fan groups and individuals to meet with a delegation from the club, including 5 senior players on Wednesday 7th February. This was arranged with less than 24 hours notice.

This meeting was never intended to be secret, but the fact that a breech in GDPR led to immediate speculation amongst the wider fanbase meant issuing a collective and comprehensive review by attendees became difficult. We were still sat round the table when CCTV footage started circulating and speculation began.

We have a platform to put questions and suggestions to the club on a regular basis. Our next meeting with the Club on the basis of our Memorandum of Understanding is scheduled for next week. The discussions and outcomes will be comprehensively minuted and publicly available, we continue to seek input and questions to pose from our members.

Other groups/individuals in attendance do not have that mandate, and this meeting presented them with an opportunity to voice concerns that many of their members, followers and fellow supporters have been raising.

All supporters and players were given opportunities to speak, and there was a frank discussion around current form and morale in the squad. Nobody in the room was happy with current results and agreed they need to improve as a matter of urgency. The players were critical of their own performances.

There was naturally discussion about the atmosphere at the QPR fixture. It was made very clear that any booing and chanting was not simply a result of that performance, but a culmination of anger and frustration at current events at board and ownership level that have been prevalent for many years.

We Are The Rovers have repeatedly challenged the club to work with supporters on improving the match day experience and atmosphere. The players were in agreement with us that this should be addressed. Simply, a lively atmosphere is preferable to a lack of atmosphere, and a toxic atmosphere can be demoralising.

A more in depth review from other perspectives will be shared by the respective attendees, but some takeaway points from us:

- It was interesting to see players questioning Steve Waggott on ticket pricing. A drum we constantly bang.

- Players were as vocal, disappointed and angry as anyone round the table regarding the Duncan McGuire transfer saga.

- The players and the fans share the same opinion that current results have not been good enough, and a strong desire to see them improve

- There was no attempt to try to silence voices, quash criticism, or avoid issues from anyone involved. Everyone did however express a desire to come together and ensure the season does not end in relegation.

- There has been speculation about certain elements of the meeting not being shared with the wider fanbase. We were made aware that there would likely be upcoming media speculation, which occurred before we left the venue.

https://www.roverstrust.com/news/player-meeting-statement

Newsletter: October 2023   All change in the hot seat: After five years at the helm of the Trust, during which he has overseen some major changes, John Murray has decided to retire as Trust Chair to enable more time for his business ventures and his family life. He leaves the Trust in a strong position. The Board elected Mike Graham as interim Chair and thanked John for his time, effort and enthusiasm while wishing him well in his next venture.   Next Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Agenda: We have already decided on the following agenda items for our next meeting with the Club. If any member has any suggestions as to other items please email the Chair on chair@roverstrust.com 'Fans Takeover' v Watford 23rd December 2023 Safe Standing Club Finances (including the impact of Owner funding following the asset seizure) and Communications (eg Cardiff Carabao Cup Game 26th September 2023) 150th Anniversary Celebrations 2025 Trust Open Meeting Post meeting joint communications Season Ticket prices 2024/25   Sponsorship of Blackburn Rovers Women: We are THE Rovers are pleased to have sponsored two of the women players. We also plan to have a Trust stall at their game at Leyland on the 15th October.   'Fans Takeover' We Are THE Rovers have just formally agreed with the Club to work on another 'Fans Takeover' on 23rd December v Watford.  We have a planning meeting with the Club on 19th October and we plan to extend a welcome to brfcs.com along with RoversChat, the South Asian Supporters Group and Proud Rovers.   The theme will be a "Blue & White Christmas" and it will be supplemented with flags and banners and we encourage fans to also bring their own. WATCH THIS SPACE!!   150th Anniversary Celebrations: We have impressed on the Club the need to involve supporters at an early stage in the planning for 2025.  This has been agreed albeit the details of involvement need to be agreed.  We have a Trust Board member, Steve Williams, who leads on heritage issues, if you have any ideas on recognising and promoting our 150 years of heritage please contact him via heritage@roverstrust.co.uk   Trust Open Meeting: Our last Newsletter erroneously stated a meeting would be held involving either Steve Waggott and / or Gregg Broughton in October. This has not been agreed and was news to the Club; our discussions however are now focussed on a Trust open meeting hopefully with John Dahl Tomasson around February 2024.   Safe Standing: We are attending a meeting with the Club on 3rd October to discuss a Safe Standing section. Key issues include: where; when; licensing authority agreement; consultation with fans and of course financing. The Trust have produced a brief paper for the meeting and copies are available to members on request.   BBE Closure: The Trust have expressed our disappointment and disapproval at the closing of the BBE for the Cardiff Carabo Cup game. We expressed concern at the lack of effective communications for the reasons and the fact the closure was 'hidden' in the ticketing announcement. We do not feel the financial case is a strong one and that the decision has sadly alienated a good number of the Rovers fanbase.   We Are THE Rovers Website and Membership System We are acutely aware of the ageing look and navigation of our website and the long term failings in our membership system. We have agreed to invest in a new site and a new membership system which should enable us to better communicate with members. Work starts on this in October. If you have any membership queries about your membership please contact our Membership Secretary Janet Rutter on membership@roverstrust.co.uk

Just a reminder that our AGM will take place this Thursday in the Red Rose suite at Ewood Park, starting at 7:15pm.

Existing and potential members are welcome to attend and we’d love to see as many of you there as possible. No tickets are required and you can just turn up on the evening. There’ll be refreshments and members attending will receive a free raffle ticket for the chance to win a special prize!

Not only do we want to share our recent activities and achievements with you, we want your input on the future direction of your Supporters Trust. This is particularly important for us at the moment as we enter a new phase of increased supporter influence at the club.

If you would like to become more involved or have any questions, we’d love to hear from you so please feel free to reach out for more information. We hope to see you on Thursday.

12 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Rovers Trust conveys a meaning.

We Are the Rovers could be anything.

It conveys different things to different people though. To some Rovers Trust is a protest group. To others it’s an entity trying to buy BRFC. Rovers Trust also leads to a lot of confusion with the Community Trust

We want it to convey that the Supporters Trust if open to absolutely all of our fans, and that supporters are the lifeblood of the club.

June 2023 is an important month in the lifetime of Rovers Trust. Above is our new name. Very soon you will see publicity about the Trust signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Club and on Thursday June 22nd we hold our 2023 AGM this time in the Red Rose Suite, Ronnie Clayton end at Ewood Park.

The Blackburn Rovers Supporters Trust was founded on the belief that supporters are the one constant at any club. Without fans, football serves no purpose and as such our interests should be at the forefront of any club’s decision making and supporters should hold influence at the highest level. The recent Fan Led Review on Football Governance, to which The Blackburn Rovers Supporters Trust contributed significantly, represents an opportunity for supporters to finally have their voice heard and recognised by our club.

Having operated under the Rovers Trust banner for over a decade, we believe now is the ideal time to move forward with a new identity:
WE ARE THE ROVERS.

We believe that all fans are equal and deserve their say in how our club is run. Players, managers, CEOs and owners come and go but supporters remain the one constant. It’s our club, and WE ARE the Rovers.

We are immensely proud of our club’s rich history and heritage. The first and original Rovers, our team have been at the forefront of the game for almost 150 years. We are the most successful town team in world football. We are the only team to have won major honours in three centuries. We are THE ROVERS.

We are not a supporter group, and remain a Trust in practical terms. We are still registered as BRSIT CBS LIMITED and remain regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are open to all regardless of location or background.Any person aged 18 or over can join and will receive the same voting power and say in the direction we take as any other Member.

As a member of WE ARE THE ROVERS, you also become a minority Shareholder in Blackburn Rovers Football Club! And an opportunity to serve on any future ‘Shadow’ Board.

MOST IMPORTANTLY the AGM is a key event of the Year. 4 Board Members have shown their keenness to serve another term: John Murray (Chair); Duncan Miller (Communications); Peter Bolton (Fans Forum and Finance); and Andy Young (National Issues inc White Paper). Mike Graham (currently co-opted) and Linda Chelton have indicated their wish to become Board Directors – this allows us to co-opt up to 6 more Board Members. The AGM will explain what in practical terms the MoU and the White Paper will lead to. We will also explain the ‘reasons’ to re-brand and the Membership drive.

The more members we have, the more likely we will be to succeed in our collective aims. Recent positive discussions with the club, coupled with upcoming legislative change, mean we want to increase not only our core membership but our board and working parties too. We are moving   into an exciting new phase – and we’d love you to be part of it.

AGM: Thursday 22nd June @ Ewood......starts 7pm with Celebrity Mastermind featuring our Guest, Tim Farron MP.

WE ARE THE ROVERS

Finally, the Govt has published its White Paper on football governance. Rovers Trust welcomes this. Our initial impressions are generally favourable. The key recommendation of the Fan Led Review: the creation of an independent regulator.

Now that this has been endorsed and we believe this to be vitally important. Our hope is that legislation is brought forward as soon as possible to ensure the recommendations are brought in. We believe this to be good for supporters and football clubs in general.

Annual General Meeting: Wednesday 22 June 2022 at Billington& Whalley Brass Band Club, from 7.30pm.

Present: Chair John Murray and 19 Members

Guest: Josh Boswell(brfcs)

Apologies: Andy Young(via Zoom), Anthony Green, Tracey Crouch MP  

1/Welcome & Introductions 

In welcoming all attendees,John Murray referred to the following matters which would be discussed at the AGM and in which the Trust were involved:

Fan Led Review 

Football Supporters Association AGM on 16 July 2022

Membership of the Trust 650 members 

Asset of Community Value (ACV) on Ewood Park to be renewed in 2023

Marketing Prospectus, 2nd Edition sent to Club in April 2022

Role of the Trust as a “critical friend” to ensure the long-term health of our Football Club.

2/Fan Led Review  

A Zoom Slide presentation from Andy Young outliningthe 36 recommendations published by the Review body.The Trust had submitted its views to the Review Committee, which had been chaired by Tracey Crouch MP, who unfortunately had been unable to attend the AGM. She had submitted her Report to the Government ( currently Secretary of State for Media Culture & Sport Nadine Dorries). The Government has promised a White Paper this summer with it largely endorsing most of theReview

The Trust had written to all local MPs and havingreceived a reply from Kate Hollern, MP for Blackburn also had a Zoom meeting with her.

Q& A’s 

The EPL and EFL are lobbying MP’s regarding the Review. The EPL are against the proposal of an independent regulator but it will be in the White Paper.

The Government would select members to theindependent regulator.

Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL has proposed alternatives to the current method of parachute payments.

Gender and ethnicity included in the Review.

The importance of strategic discussions between the Trust and BRFC was stressed. The Club was supportive of the Review. Needed to be taken to the

Fans Forum and any Fans Consultation Meetings to be discussed with BRFC. Members were still sceptical of liaison with the Club, especially the Consultation Event.

It was agreed that a key aim of the Trust was to be professional and strategic in order to be the key body to be representative of the fans on any future structure, whether Rovers Board or Shadow Board.

3/AGM Formalities  

Financial Position:

Bank Account £15,521 

Paypal              £  1,547

Sponsorship has been provided to 4000 Holes fanzine, brfcs website and Rovers Radio. The Trust is keen to eliminate ’in fighting’ amongst the fans and fan groups

Josh from brfcs requested content from the Trust for the website.

Confirmation that the Trust is a Community Interest Society and it is mandatory to charge an annual membership fee. Of its 650 members( up slightly since 2021) up to 200 thought they were automatically paying the annual fee, and the Trust was trying slowly to sort this out.

2022/23 Board

Elected from 2021 were J.Murray(Chair); D.Miller; M. Ellison; A.Young

Standing for Election were A. Green(from 2020 Board) and P.Bolton(for re-election). This brought the Board up to 6, plus M.Graham as co-opted Board member. The Board therefore has the ability to co-opt 5 more Members.

Officers for 2022/23 were: P.Ridehalgh(new Secretary); P. Dickinson(  Treasurer); and M.O’Neill (IT Support). John Murray said he had other persons to meet re skills in Crowdfunding and liaison with Members

9 Newsletters had been produced by the Trust since the last AGM.

5 Board Meetings had been held during an Omichron-affected year. The Trust Board meeting in May had included Rovers CEO, Steve Waggott. After considerable discussion on the CEO’s role and performance, it was agreed that the Trust needed to meet with BRFC staff to properly be the ‘critical friend’!

Life membership was presented to OZ Jones who had been a founder member of the Trust and a Board member until 12 months ago.

4/ Inter-Action with Club

Slide presentation from Duncan Miller outlined research  findings on the fall in attendances and season ticket sales.

This led to a lengthy Q & A session

- Output of meetings with Club officials including Paul Fielder and Steve Waggott

- A general consensus that their is little understanding of the community and the clubs place within it

- Need for better engagement from the Trust and a more diverse board if we are to be truly representative 

- Discussion around long term aims re ownership/board representation 

Marketing Prospectus to be updated and presented to BRFC again in October 2022. The current Edition on Trust web-site: - Comments  and ideas still requested

5/Trust Priorities 

Fan Led Review 

ACV on Ewood Park

Increase social media content of Trust

Continue support of 4000 Holes to attract membership

Consideration on streaming 2023 AGM

Increase membership to 1000

Safe Standing was debated, especially in a 2/3rds empty stadium. It was coupled with the State of the Riverside as a priority. The Chair suggested that US stadia had ‘bleachers’ areas, and with the rise in prices on the decaying Riverside, this needed to be pushed –linking it to pricing issues and Safe Standing.

6/Any Other Business

Trust should develop plans for 150th anniversary of BRFC in 2025. It is believed that an unofficial group has already been formed by BRFC. This was linked to the Heritage Agenda the Trust was taking leadership on, but we do need ‘early wins’.

Discussion re season ticket offering and specifically the costs for Under 25’s and Under 11’s ., with comparisons to PNE mentioned.

AGM ended at 2145 and adjourned for informal discussions.

It seems an opportune time for this…

For a tenner (or a third of the Waggott tax on a current season ticket) you can become a member of The Rovers Trust.

What’s in it for you? 
 

You get an equal say in what we do, you can elect or stand for the Trust board, you can help us try to influence things at the club, you become a minority shareholder in BRFC.

Whats in it for us?

We want to represent as many members as possible, we want to hear ideas, we need to utilise skills, we want a bigger voice.

There’s a lot more detail on our website, you can sign up there too.

Many of you on will have got a flavour of some of the recent discussions we’ve been having with the club from posts on this forum. We’ve said for a while this will be a pivotal summer. We want to be in as strong a position as possible… the more members we have, the stronger we are.

https://www.roverstrust.com

Our AGM is scheduled for June 22nd and will be held at Billington Brass Band Club. It would be great to see some of you there.

We’ve made some decent strides over the last couple of years, particularly our contributions to the Fan Led Review, and we continue to attempt to represent our members views to the club.

We remain disappointed with the lack of clear structure at the club, and the continued silence we are met with in our attempts to communicate with and engage the owners. We will however continue to attempt to open these channels and meet with club representatives on a regular basis.

As we approach what will no doubt prove to be a pivotal time in the clubs recent history, we are looking to expand the Rovers Trust board. We currently have a small but committed group, but would like to supplement this with new individuals with fresh ideas. 

We need a board made up of people with a wide range of skills, but perhaps more importantly we require people who are passionate and able to commit time and effort to the cause. We wish to be representative of the entire fanbase, and as such recognise a need for more diversity among the board. We would particularly welcome interest from supporters who are female, from minority ethnic backgrounds, and of different ages. There is also a specific need for somebody with experience of crowdfunding projects.

The board will ultimately be elected by our members, but we intend to actively co-opt additional members in order to maximise our productivity.

If you are interested in discussing this further, please feel free to make contact via direct message on here, or by emailing enquiries@roverstrust.co.uk

You can find out more about the Trust and out work at https://www.roverstrust.com

Seems an appropriate time to share this again…

https://www.roverstrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/UPDATE-BRFC-MARKETING-PROSPECTUS.pdf

We are trying. The Trust are always on the look out for new members and ideas, so please feel free to get in touch.

For reference, our updated Marketing Prospectus can viewed from this page on our site:

https://www.roverstrust.com/2022/04/12/newsletter-updated-marketing-prospectus-april-2022/

Thank you for the feedback @1864roverite. We agree that the board and members involved can be proud of it, and we hope the club engages with it.

There is some hope as they did begin to engage properly with our original prospectus (Jan 2020) last Summer. Better late than never.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1035900/v6_Football_Fan_led_Governance_Review_WebAccessible.pdf

The Rovers Trust fully endorses the recommendations put forward by the fan-led review of football governance being led by Tracey Crouch MP. Many of these proposals chime with those put forward in the Rovers Trust’s own evidence submission in June. The Championship financial model is broken and the vibrancy of the football pyramid must be maintained. The financial redistribution proposals, when tied in with an effective regulatory regime and more sensible profit and sustainability accounting rules for EFL clubs, should help to remove some of the current distortion. We look forward to working towards implementing the recommendations of this final report of the fan-led review.

Just a quick update:

Covid dominated our lives and many of our projects were sidelined and put on hold, even some real basics.

There is a backlog of new registrations to work through, which I will be doing between now and Christmas. This will comprise a welcome email containing an additional confirmation (after the automatic process) of your membership, details of how to engage with our social media platforms, and a PDF of your Rovers Trust Membership certificate (we've gone paperless, so that we don't upset Sir David Attenborough too much). If you would like a physical copy, however, just reply to said welcome email and I will make a start on those in the New Year.

We've also really got a proper handle on our social media platforms recently, as well as gradually updating the website to make it more user-friendly and make content clearer.

In addition, having taken control of the Facebook Page it is far too basic and restrictive for our purposes. It will remain as a useful tool for public engagement, however, I will be looking to create a Facebook Group (with the same name) strictly for Rovers Trust Members for easier direct engagement with Trust projects.

The Facebook Page and Twitter feed will remain Public.

Just now, Rovers Trust said:

It’s been quite the week so far. While today sees the club celebrate another anniversary, we are less than 48 hours removed from the worst result ever witnessed at Ewood Park.

Today’s comments from the manager only serve to highlight the disconnect between the supporters and those entrusted with the running of the club and their bosses.

Every single Rovers fan is acutely aware that it is no longer 1995, and of the clubs current state and the wider financial landscape of football. But on a day where the club are actively encouraging us to celebrate our illustrious 146 year history, we are also being instructed to be happy with our lot, to curb our expectations, to accept mediocrity.

Every Rovers fan wants to see us right the wrongs of the Fulham debacle this Saturday when Sheffield United visit Ewood. Unfortunately the clubs pricing initiative seems to have been met more enthusiastically by the away fans than those of the Rovers, as the steady erosion of the supporter base continues. The events of this week will not have done anything to halt this.

Recent happenings have only heightened our concerns around the lack of transparency, slow decision making processes, and absence of any clear strategy or vision. We would once again call for the Rao family to respond to our concerns highlighted in our letter dated May 14th.

Happy Birthday Rovers(!)

4 hours ago, PeteJD13 said:

Great idea by the club lets hope this encourages more supporters back to Ewood

Yeah 'the club's idea 😉