Author Archive: admin

Dozens of Trust members took advantage of the chance to ask questions to the club’s Chief Executive, Gethin Jenkins, at our routine meeting with the club. Trust Chair, Tim Hartley, and fellow Board members, Phil Nifield, Tracey Marsh and David Craig met Gethin and his team on Monday evening to put your questions directly to them. Here is a round up of the answers they gave us.

‘Bubble Trips’

We asked the club what it was doing to reduce or eliminate so called ‘bubble trips’ to away matches. It was noted that the recent game at Coventry was Cardiff City’s first police free away game for 30 years. The club also opposed the recent bubble trip to Bristol but reluctantly had to agree. It is worth noting that these kinds of trips are linked to the behaviour of fans, and that we are still paying the price for poor behaviour in the past. Therefore going forward the club is looking for agreed exit plans with the visited club and police based on good behaviour following a bubble trip to their football ground.

Media issues

Members expressed their concern that there have been leaks of sensitive information from the club to internet message boards. The club is aware of ‘so-called’ leaks but says just because its presented as fact doesn’t mean it is  and that fans should actually look at what is being said and question if it is really true or just speculation or gossip being presented as fact. Some people may be posting on message boards to push a particular agenda and the club says it will not comment on speculation and rumour.

We also received a question raising concern at the relationship between Dave Jones and the local media. This is an ongoing issue but the club says it still maintains a good relationship with most reporters and media outlets in South Wales. For example, it worked very closely with the Echo recently to provide 150 free tickets to the youth club in Merthyr Tydfil which had been broken into.

Finances

We asked the club about its long and short term finances. The Langston debt was not repaid by the end of last year but the club says talks are ongoing as regards this debt. We asked whether the club’s day to day income was sufficient to cover operating costs. The club says it could not go into details as this information was commercially sensitive. However, it did say that income and outgoings will change from month to month so a simple calculation like this is not possible.

Ticketing

In answer to a question about nominating other people to use season tickets when you can’t attend a match, the club says there is no problem with doing this, though there may be an issue if you have a concessionary ticket. Some people have been trying to use children’s tickets to get into the Family Stand but the light system shows stewards inside the ground what kind of ticket you have. If you have a child or senior citizens season ticket you can go to the Ticket Office before the game and ‘upgrade’ it for that single match by paying the difference. You can do this well in advance of the game itself.

The away section is often not full and the club could be losing money on unsold tickets which could go to home fans. A Trust member suggested that a flexible partition could allow the club to increase the number of tickets for home fans and maximise revenues. The club says that if it did allow more home fans in that area there could still be an issue as the concourse would still be shared by both sets of fans. A serious amount of work is needed to allow for such flexibility but they are looking at the feasibility of doing this.

Cardiff City Stadium

There are likely to be further developments in and around the ground over the coming months. One member suggested we have a ‘Next Fixture’ display board erected near the stadium to advertise football and rugby fixtures. The club says it hopes to place the boards, similar to the ones we used to have at Ninian Park, either side of the memorial gates on Sloper Road by the start of next season. It was also suggested that the club should get high powered artificial lights to help the grass grow inside our stadium. This equipment apparently costs some £300,000 and the cost is simply prohibitive at the moment. You know, we ask this question every time we meet the club so I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Members have asked about the inconsistent quality of food at the ground and the lack of choice. The general standard of food is monitored but of course the quality of chips or whatever is a subjective matter and can depend on what time you get to the kiosk. Baguettes were trialled in some sections of the ground but the suppliers say that a football crowd is pretty conservative and most of us actually prefer pies and pasties! The club says it does offer a fruit option to children in the Family Stand.

The queue for food at half time in the Ninian Stand is also a concern as it goes back towards the outer wall and stops the free passage of people along the concourse and in and out of the toilets. The club has trialled new barriers in the away section, which seem to have helped this problem and they hope to put similar barriers under the Ninian stand soon.

A number of people have been asking about progress on the memorial garden at the stadium. Wayne Nash told us that this is the wrong time of the year to be conducting any ground works but that work will get underway during the summer and the fenced garden and seating should be ready by Armistice Day this year. The garden will be located near where the old gates stand opposite Ninian Park. Fred Keeenor’s original headstone has been refurbished and will be placed in the garden and supporters will have a chance to help with the planting at the start of the new season.

One member saw money changing hands for parking spaces at the stadium on a match day. The club is happy to clear up any misunderstanding of this. There are 40 spaces left for diamond members on Level 3 and these unused places are sold on a first come first served basis on match days. Stewards are provided with tickets expressly for this purpose.

We asked the club whether bars around the ground could be named after famous City players. The club says that as we share the ground with the Blues it would be impossible to satisfy both sets of fans. However, they are prepared to consider the possibility of sponsorship for the bars if anyone wishing to sponsor a bar comes forward.

Reserve Team

Another question which we regularly ask is why the club has no reserve team. Dave Jones made it clear during our open meeting in November that he was concerned at the quality of opposition we might hope to meet in any reserve league. There was also the possibility of top players getting further injuries in those games and he prefers to organise a suitable game when and as we need one.

Club Shop

Queuing outside the club shop on match days is an issue for some Trust members, particularly on wet and windy days. The club has an optimum number of fans it can get into the shop at any one time and there is a safety issue here, so please be patient as the stewards try to manage the numbers going in and coming out of the shop. There have been a number of promotions at the club shop recently, and we were reminded that Ambassadors get 10% off merchandise in the club shop all season long.

Plans to increase the take up of seats in the Premier Club could lead to congestion according to one of our members as ticket holders from level 3 and 4 meet for a drink before the match and at half time. The club says that the rooms were designed to meet the needs of all those seated outside and they have added blinds to screen off the windows to give additional capacity in the lounges. However, the offering on Level 3 and 4 is different and the prices charged reflect this.

Trust issues

The Trust has been working with the club on a scheme to build a permanent office for the Trust at the Cardiff City Stadium. This will be situated between entrances 5 and 6 and will allow Trust members to meet volunteers on match days to discuss any issues they have and for members to make suggestions as to what the Trust should be doing next. We hope to have the room ready by the end of this season.

We also had a chance at our meeting to thank the club for their support of the Trust over the last few months. We had a cracking open meeting with Tg and Dave Jones in November and they have been very supportive of the Trust’s work in the community and in fundraising for the Fred Keenor statue appeal. We hope to be able to arrange an evening with some of the current squad before the end of the season.

The Trust’s relationship with the club seems to be working well and I believe Gethin and his team understand the need to communicate to fans through your Supporters Trust. Let’s keep the questions coming and remember it’s your Trust, so get involved and help the Bluebirds fly even higher!

Tim Hartley

Chair

Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust is heading out of Cardiff to stage a general knowledge quiz.

The event takes place at the Rose and Crown pub High Street, Pontypridd, on Friday January 28th (7.30pm).

A raffle will be held on the evening and prizes include a signed Cardiff City shirt.

Tickets for the event cost just £2.50 per person with a maximum of up to six people per team.

All are welcome with entry fees to be paid on the night.

Tan U-Jiun, a director of Cardiff City Football Club and son of Vincent Tan, the main man behind the Malaysian investment, has allowed us to reproduce a letter he has written to a Trust member. Writing before the Leeds game, in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Board, he gives his backing to Dave Jones and says funds will be made available to strengthen the team. U-Jiun also asks us the fans to keep faith with the team and is confident we can regain the form of earlier this season.

Happy New Year to you and I hope this email finds you well.
I share your concerns on the recent performance of our team and 8 points out of a potential 30 does not bode well. However I still feel that we are in a good position regardless of how our present form has been. We are only 3 points from second place with a game in hand (after tonight) against Swansea, and there is still half a season to go. (Also I forgive Bristol for kicking our backsides as they drew away with QPR.)

After all this league is a marathon, not a sprint and while it may be great to lead from the front all the time, this may not be a practical possibility considering the size of our squad and the backup/reserve players that we have, especially after years of squad attrition due to our finances.

We have been keeping constant contact with Dave Jones regarding this situation and he continues to receive our support during this period. I know it can be a bit unnerving, trust me it is even worse to have to deal with the uncertainty when we are so far away as well. Having said that this has been an intense period of games for our players and maybe they have not had sufficient mental and physical rest to see them through these tough times. The wear and tear, and attrition that they have had to deal with will undoubtedly take its toll. After all our back four have been more or less the same guys since the start of the season, and they will no doubt go through loss of form, it is just unfortunate that they have switched off at the same time.

We are committed to giving Dave the resources necessary to see us through this marathon and ultimately that is what a January transfer window is for, to tweak or improve the squad. It is apparent that our defence needs a big boost and even Dave had no doubts about that at the start of the season. However, it was felt that reinforcements up front we more necessary than in the back during that period.

I’m also quite excited with the arrival of Jon Parkin, as he really looks like a beast and I think he will suit our style of play very well. With a lot of luck our targets for centre back will come through, it would have been nice to get Andy O’Brien, but not everything can happen the way we want it.

I personally believe that once we shore up our defence, we will be raring to go again, as it will relieve some pressure on the midfield and allow them to open up and play our kind of attacking football.

I ask that you continue to support Dave Jones through these testing times, and that you try your best to get the fans behind him. At this moment, I feel the players and management should know that everyone is behind them. We have also made clear to Dave that the funds necessary to get suitable centre backs are there for him and hopefully that will help us regain our form.

Thank you and may this year bring good fortune and happiness to you and your family

Regards,
U-Jiun

After eight months of intensive fundraising, some £40 000 has been collected and pledged – almost halfway to the £85,000 cost of the special statue tribute to Cardiff City legend Fred Keenor.

The official launch – on April 23rd, the 83^rd anniversary of Cardiff’s 1927 FA Cup Final triumph over Arsenal – provided the catalyst for a wide range of fundraising initiatives to be organised during 2010.

There has been fantastic support, in particular from ordinary fans, who have organised events to bring in funds as well as staff at Cardiff City, notably Stadium Manager Wayne Nash and Customer Services & Ticketing Manager, Julian Jenkins.

There have many highlights during 2010. Among them have been:

• More than £9,000 raised at the Ricky Tomlinson evening at the Cardiff Stadium.
• The Stand – Jonny Owen and the lads – recorded I’ll Be There with all royalties going to the statue appeal.
• A football match between rival message boards brought in more than £1,000.
• Dilwar Ali, who runs the Nahin Spice Centre in Caerphilly Road, organised a curry evening and also donated a signed shirt.
• A race night was staged at the Ninian Park pub while two Bluebird fans ran marathons in Toronto and Berlin.
• Fans donated shirts for auction as well as football programmes and books for sale.
• Individual donations have ranged from £10 to £500. Bryn Keenor, who is Fred’s only surviving child gave £100 and the grand-children of former club chairman Sir Herbert Merrett chipped in with £250.
• £1 from every ticket sold for the Deportivo La Coruna game was donated by Cardiff City.
• Bucket collections, miniature statue and pin badge sales have brought in thousands of pounds.
• Tours of Cardiff City Stadium were organised by Phil Halligue, the stadium’s health and safety officer, with all proceeds from ticket sales to appeal.
• Cardiff council has pledged £15,000.

Project manager David Craig, who is also a member of the board of Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust, said: “We are only a small band of volunteers so we do rely on support from fans organising their own fundraisers.

“The backing for the statue appeal has been fantastic and I think everyone now accepts that Fred and the rest of the 1927 team have not received the recognition their achievement deserves.

“This will be a true people’s statue because it is ordinary fans who will have given the bulk of the money – not major organisations like the Welsh Assembly Government and Welsh Rugby Union in the case of the Sir Tasker Watkins statue at the Millennium Stadium.

“We have some major fundraising events planned during 2011 and we hope that work can start creating the statue during the year.”

Miniature statues and pin badges in aid of the appeal can be bought at the Cardiff City Stadium shop or fans can make donations through the following method.

Donations to the appeal fund can be made through the Co-operative Bank:
Account name: –   Fred Keenor Statue Fund or FKSF

Account no    65392368

Sort Code     08-92-99

Cheques made out to the Fred Keenor Statue Fund or FKSF can also be sent c/o CCST to PO Box 4254, Cardiff, CF14 8FD. Please add the words “Fred Keenor Appeal” on the top of the envelope.

LETTER SENT TO:

Mr Derek Andrew, Managing Director, Marston’s Inns & Taverns

Dear Mr Andrew,

SAND MARTIN, CARDIFF

I’m writing to you concerning plans to name the inn being built outside the Cardiff City Stadium, The Sand Martin.

As an organisation representing over 800 members – and potentially 800 customers – of the public house, we believe there are many other names which would be more appropriate.

The inn will sit at the junction of Leckwith Road and Ffordd Fred Keenor, the main road into the stadium, which was recently named by Cardiff council after the captain of the Cardiff City’s 1927 FA Cup winning team.

Ffordd Fred Keenor also leads up to the statue of Fred Keenor, which supporters led by the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust, are busily involved in fundraising. The appeal launched in April 2010 has already raised £40,000 out of the £85,000 needed, including a pledge of £15,000 from Cardiff council. It is also strongly supported by the football club.

We would be grateful if you would consider renaming the inn after Fred Keenor or, alternatively, something much more appropriate to its location outside the Cardiff City Stadium.

Fred Keenor was not only the captain of Cardiff City and Wales but had an outstanding career despite being injured at the Battle of the Somme in World War One. It was feared that his injuries were so bad he would never play again.

We noticed on your website that the company stresses that it is committed to the communities it serves and that they are integral to future success. The website also highlights the importance Marston’s commitment to the preservation of its heritage.

We, too, believe heritage is vitally important and would, therefore, respectfully request that you consider changing the name of the proposed inn outside the Cardiff City Stadium.

If you are in Cardiff in the near future we would be happy to meet you to discuss this matter and also hope given its location that the company would be able to support our statue appeal which has received widespread media coverage both locally and nationally.

Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust