Latest Posts

Kristina Hedges, Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust board member and an educational worker for Show Racism The Red Card writes about the charity vital work to tackle racism, a scourge on football and society in general.

What comes to mind when you visualise ‘Show Racism the Red Card’?

With its football-themed name and links to clubs, it’s hardly surprising that many people think ‘football charity’.

Actually, SRtRC  is an educational charity. The majority of work is in schools and other educational centres, delivering workshops on the topic of anti-racism.

 I’m delighted to be linking the Trust with the charity, thereby, strengthening the charity’s links with the club.

The support of clubs is a key part of how the charity engages with young people –offering up relatable role models in a bid to help tackle racism in society.

The annual SRtRC matchday, where supporters can see players and officials warming up in our shirts and holding up the red cards, is great for raising awareness in the charity and its work and we’re always grateful when players agree to be interviewed about their experiences.

Check out last season’s video interview with Neil Etheridge https://www.theredcard.org/showracismtheredcardpodcastand the podcast interview with Sol Bamba https://www.theredcard.org/showracismtheredcardpodcast.

Alongside SRtRC’s work with young people, we have recently been providing anti-racism training for Cardiff City FC stewards during their pre-match training sessions.

The Trust is very keen to support the charity in its work and has been represented at the annual creative competition awards ceremony and a recent educational event held in the stadium.

Local schools are also invited to attend these club events where SRtRC staff and sessional workers (including former City defender Steve Jenkins) deliver workshop activities to explore racism and stereotypes. A report of the event and pictures can be seen on the charity’s website here: https://www.theredcard.org/news/2019/11/8/cardiff-city-fc-educational-club-event.

Recent media reports show that racism is on the rise once again in the game of football and sadly, according to the charity’s research, this rise is mirrored in our schools and colleges.

So now more than ever it’s vital that we all work together to Show Racism the Red Card.

One month today the brain injury association Headway Cardiff & South East Wales will carry out a bucket collection at the Swansea City game on Sunday, January 12.

 Headway Cardiff & South East Wales was chosen by the Trust as its charity for the current season after Trust members were asked to nominate a deserving cause.

Trust chairman, Keith Morgan, said: “Cardiff City fans are known for their generosity and I’m sure they will give support to the bucket collection for this very worthwhile charity.

“We’d also like to again thank Cardiff City and chief executive, Ken Choo, for agreeing to the collection at the derby game. Thanks also to Supporter Liaison Officer Adam Gilliatt for helping Headway Cardiff & South East Wales with the organisation of the collection.”

Headway Cardiff & South East Wales Chief Executive Officer, Rebecca Pearce, explains the work the charity carries out. “Headway Cardiff & South East Wales help people affected by acquired brain injury to rebuild their lives. Acquired Brain Injury can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Lives can be changed in an instant.

“At Headway Cardiff & South East Wales we support individuals with Acquired Brain Injury to regain their independence and we help their families, friends and carers adapt to a new way of life. We offer social groups, life skills sessions, counselling, an Information & Outreach service and an Independence & Wellbeing Centre based at Rookwood Hospital.

“Our aim is to increase awareness of acquired brain injury and its consequences. We also want to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy sport, while being better protected from the risks of concussion. A lot has been achieved in the past few years to improve concussion protocols, but we believe everyone who plays sport should be concussion aware.

“Thank you to the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust for choosing to support us this season. It will go a long way in helping us to promote understanding of all aspects of acquired brain injury and to provide information, support and services to people with acquired brain injury, their families and carers.”

You can show your support for Headway Cardiff & South East Wales by following them on Twitter, Facebook (@HeadwayCardiff) and Instagram (headway_cardiff) or visit our website at www.headwaycardiff.com.

Trust chair Keith Morgan was a member of the organising committee involved in this year’s Homeless World Cup. Keith takes a quick look back at the tournament, won by Mexico in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

The end of July and early August 2019 saw the HWC World Cup Tournament hosted in Wales for the first time in its 17 year history, with over 50 countries and over 500 players from across the globe taking part.

The tournament was set up to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness and the wider issue of social exclusion.

Hollywood actor Michael Sheen was a key patron of the event as part of the organising committee. He did a remarkable job in giving of both his time and his money to ensure that the event went ahead as planned.

The tournament , held in a specially constructed tournament site in Coopers Fields just behind Cardiff Castle walls , proved to be a great success with large crowds watching games throughout the week on all three pitches and over 30,000 visitors to the site over the week to both watch the football and take part in various family activities.

Also on site was a marquee at which several debates were held about homelessness and related issues. Most such debates attracted capacity audiences. On some evenings, entertainment was provided on stage by a number of local bands, including musicians like James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers.

Feedback received since the event from countries all across the world has been extremely positive , with so many people saying how well they were received and treated not just at the tournament by the people of Cardiff generally . This is a great tribute to our city.

In 2020 the next tournament will be held in Tampere, Finland, in June where Cardiff will certainly prove to be a hard act to follow.

The Homeless World Cup was awarded the Great Sport Story of the Year award at BBC Wales’ Sports Award event at the Celtic Manor in Newport.

Over the last few months we all will have seen stories in the news about how we need to act against climate change, but does football have a role to play? 

Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust Board member, Richard Lewis. went along to a talk by League Two’s Forest Green Rovers FC to find out more.

With Dale Vince – owner of the electricity company ‘Ecotricity’ – as a major shareholder and chairman, the Cotswolds-based club was recently described by FIFA as ‘the greenest football club in the world’.

Forest Green Rovers FC has ‘greening up football’ as its ethos, and it demonstrates this to its players, staff, fans, visiting-supporters, and local community through a range of environmentally friendly projects looking at food, transport and energy.

First up are the vegan burgers, served in sugar cane containers and washed down with refreshments in compostable cups. 

Fellow Trust members Phil Nifield and David Craig watched Rovers’ recent match against Plymouth Argyle. David said: “My three visits to an FGR home game are memorable for the hot spicy and more importantly healthy vegan burgers I had.

“The visits were also memorable for the high level of the football played although on every occasion FGR lost! I am thinking of staying away but the draw of the vegan burger is too strong. Let’s hope that FGR beat Carlisle in their FA Cup Replay and they will come to Cardiff for the FA Cup 3rd round bringing carloads of those famous burgers with them. Perhaps we can adopt themas we did with Chasetown………as brothers and sisters in football with a few burgers thrown in, of course.”

The club’s car park has charging points for electric vehicles, and the playing squad have road-tested the NissanLeaf electric car.  Fans who are keen gardeners will notice the green spaces around the stadium, alongside an organically grown pitch.As you would expect given the club’s owners, the stadium gets its power from green electricity and recycled water.

These are just some of the innovative things happening at the ‘Green Devils’, with other highlights being eco-paint for pitch-markings, a 50% bamboo playing-kit, and an alternative range of corporate sponsors to the type of companies currently supporting many of our football clubs.

Off the pitch, Rovers and their fans are benefiting from an academy programme and community trust, with exciting plans for a new 10,000-seater stadium off the M5, and the pursuit of promotion, of course!

Your Cardiff City Supporters Trust is keen to hear your views on how green you think are the Bluebirds, andif there are environmental improvements which you would like to see in and around the stadium?  Please get in touch and let us know: members@ccfctrust.org / @CCFC1927.  We plan to discuss ideas with Cardiff City FC over the coming months.

Trust member Charlie Brown of Llanishen, Cardiff, collected his £50 prize as the winner of the quiz in our latest magazine.

Charlie is pictured, right, with the latest Trust magazine alongside Rob Jeffery, who compiled the quiz.

Congratulations to Charlie Brown of Llanishen who successfully cracked the quiz published in the Trust’s newsletter.  Thanks to all those that entered.

So, how did you get on with the quiz? Here are the questions again with the answers.

Q1.  In 2009 from which club did the City sign Nigerian footballer Solomon Taiwo ?

On 11 August 2009 Cardiff City played  Dagenham and Redbridge in the Carling Cup. Despite finishing on the wrong end of a 3-1 defeat, Solomon impressed City Manager Dave Jones enough to sign him for a fee rising to £250,000. His 3 year contract period at Cardiff City was somewhat undistinguished only managing 9 appearances although persistent injuries were a factor. He also gained notoriety later when he appeared on the BBC in the 2017 series of Masterchef. Sadly, his performance on that programme probably reflected his Cardiff City career. He was knocked out after producing only one dish of chicken and pasta. Unfortunately for him, his early departure from Masterchef did not go unnoticed and he received considerable abuse on Twitter from some of his former Cardiff team mates.

Q2. Who took over as Caretaker Manager of the City after the sacking of Malky Mackay in 2013 ?

When Malky Mackay signed a 3 year contract to manage the City in June 2011 he brought with him from Watford his first team coach David Kerslake to carry out the same role with us. Citing issues with signings, transfer budgets, results and style of play Vincent Tan told Malky to resign from the club or be dismissed. Malky refused and looking back on it now it seems an age between the controversy arising and his eventual dismissal after a 3-0 home defeat to Southampton on Boxing Day 2013. This paved the way for David Kerslake to take over in a Caretaker capacity starting with a 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland with a Jack Colback equaliser in the 95th minute. That brings back painful memories ! Kerslake lasted one more game – a 2-0 defeat away to Arsenal and then the OGS era started. David Kerslake is now Assistant Manager at Lincoln City.

Q3. Which Cardiff City footballer had the nickname “Nookie Bear” due to his resemblance to ventriloquist Roger DeCourcey  ?

Derek Showers also known as “Danny”. He first came to my attention in the 1970/71 FA Youth Cup campaign where his goals helped the City to a 2 leg final with Arsenal. Quite an achievement.  However, an injury sustained in the semi final ruled him out for both legs of the final and, at the time, was regarded as significantly diminishing our chances. He was fast tracked into the first team squad in 1970 at the tender age of 17 after the sale of John Toshack. Never a prolific scorer his commitment was never questioned. He was sold to Bournemouth in 1977 and it is believed that at his next club, Portsmouth, he gained the nickname “Nookie Bear” when his rapidly receding hairline rendered him a Roger DeCoucey lookalike.

Q4. He has a famous father and he made the first of only 6 City appearances against Wrexham in 1991 – who is he ?

Cameron Toshack. There aren’t that many father/son partnerships to have played for Cardiff City and John Toshack is the most distinguished father. Cameron Toshack had tried his hand at  Swansea City and Bristol City before joining us. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes at the age of 21 which made life difficult in trying to cope with the physical demands of professional football.  He is now a very successful coach in the youth structures of a club further down the M4……. errr I forget which one !

Q5. This goalkeeper had a long and curious career which consisted of 19 different spells at different clubs including 13 on loan, one of them being 7 appearances for the City in 2001 – who is he ?

When I looked up Carl Muggleton on Wikipedia I thought, Blimey, this bloke has got about a bit. When he joined us on loan in 2000/01 season his substantive club was Stoke City although he had been playing on loan for Chesterfield.  He was backup for Mark Walton during his short spell with us. He has forsaken football and is now a qualified driving instructor.

Q6. Who were the City’s opponents when they won the FA Charity Shield in 1927?

Now known as the FA Community Shield. The City played Corinthian Casuals on 12 October 1927 at Stamford Bridge in front of 16,500 spectators. The City won with 2-1 with  late goals by  Hugh Ferguson and Len Davies after trailing since the 49th minute.  This match took place in the days long before it was automatically between the FA Cup winner and the League Champions. The previous 4 Charity Shield matches were between an England Amateur XI and an England Professional XI. It would be interesting to find out why there was a change of heart to let the FA Cup Winners in against a famous Amateur XI. Answers on a postcard please.

Q7. The last hat-trick scored by a City Player in the European Cup Winners Cup was in 1988 against Derry City – who was it ?

In the 1988/89 ECWC competition City were drawn against Derry City in the 1st round. We drew 0-0 in the away leg and won comfortably the home leg 4-0  with a hat-trick by Jimmy Gilligan and a goal by Brian McDermott ( as a manager  he replaced Neil Warnock as permanent  manager of Leeds United).We were knocked out in the 2nd round comfortably 6-1 on aggregate to AGF Aarhus of Denmark.  Sadly the heydays of Cardiff City in Europe were now over. We only competed in 2 more seasons of the ECWC getting knocked out in the first round on both occasions the last one being a salutary experience losing 8-3 on aggregate to Standard Liege.

Q8. Who scored the City’s first goal in their second stint in the Premier League ?

It came in the City’s 4th Premier League appearance against Arsenal when Victor Camarasa equalised just before half time.In the second half City went 2-1 down with a build up and finish we could only dream of by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.  Danny Ward equalised with a header only for Alexandre Lacazette to lose Sol Bamba ( not for the first time in the match) and finish clinically for the winner. I thought we made a decent fist of a performance in that game and deserved a point. However class told in the end.

Q9 Which City player missed penaltieis in the shoot-outs of both the semi-final and final of the 2011-12 League Cup Competition?

In the semi final we beat Palace 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw over 2 legs. Kenny Miller being the only one of the 4 City penalty takers who missed. The final is still difficult to recall as the disappointment comes flooding back. Kenny Miller’s miss in the final minute which could have won it for us was hard to bear. As a seasoned striker you would have thought he could have done better with his penalty in shoot out but no, he hit the upright. I’m not entirely sure I’ve forgiven him.

Q10. In January 2011 which Israel International did the City sign from Blackpool ?

Dekel Keinan joined the City from Blackpool in January for the dreaded “undisclosed fee”. He did  not make much of an impact being kept out of the team by the likes of Paul Quinn. However, his debut was very memorable in that it was at the Liberty Stadium on 6 February when Craig Bellamy scored a dramatic 85^th minute winner. Loans to Crystal Palace and Bristol City took place but a permanent move to Palace fell through.  Eventually he rejoined his former club Maccabi Tel Aviv after being released by us.