Trust News

The Trust will be holding elections to the board in May – and we’d love to see members putting their names forward.

We’ve achieved a lot since we were set up – the most visible sign is the Fred Keenor Statue at the entrance to the ground – but we want to achieve a great deal more on behalf of fans.

We are always looking for new blood – whatever age or sex you are – to play a role in the future of our Trust. It’s a strong and active membership which make a Trust strong.

To become a member of the Trust and to vote in the forthcoming elections you need to sign up by the end of this month.

You can join the Trust at our office near Gate 5 which is normally open 90 minutes before a game, closing 15 minutes before kick-off. Also you can join online at www.ccfctrust.org. Membership starts at just £12 a year. We look forward to welcoming you as a member.

Class of ’83

Bluebirds fans joined nine ex-City stars to celebrate the club’s promotion to the then Second Division 30 years ago.

Jimmy Mullen, who was City captain in 1983, brothers Dave and Gary Bennett, Roger Gibbins, Jeff Hemmerman, Phil Dwyer, John Lewis, Linden Jones and Paul Giles came together for the Trust-organised anniversary bash at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Players travelled from far and near with Gary Bennett flying in from the north-east, Dave Bennett came from the Midlands while Jimmy Mullen headed from Shrewsbury to join the locally-based ex-players.

BBC Wales’ soccer correspondent Rob Phillips asked the questions during the evening and former manager, Jimmy Goodfellow, was also in attendance.

Dave Bennett signs an autograph

Players from the class of ’83 talked about the  tough regime of a pre-season at St Athan, the  games and goals which led to promotion, including unsavoury side of football at Millwall, and the Bluebirds’ current bid for promotion to the Premier League.

Gary Bennett spoke of his fond memories of Cardiff City, despite a wonderful career at Sunderland, as the club gave him his league debut.

Jeff Hemmerman with Jimmy Mullen and Rob Phillips

Players also reminisced about the superb bond between the players and the close relationship they had with  fans.

The event, which was a huge success, was the result of an enormous amount of hard-work by the Trust’s membership committee, whoferried Gary Bennett between Cardiff and Bristol Airport. Thanks also to Roger Gibbins for his tremendous help and support on the event.

Plans are being made for another spectacular event in May. Those non-members who attended the event can join the Trust for just £7 and that will entitle them to free entry for the next ex-players’ evening.

Rob Phillips with Paul Giles and Dave and Gary Bennett

Photographs by Trust board member Brian Mertens

Jimmy Mullen, who skippered Cardiff City to promotion in 1982-83, will join a 30^th anniversary celebration being held next week to mark the promotion to the old Second Division.

Jimmy is the ninth player to accept an invitation to attend the special Trust event at the Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday, February 13th.

He joins Dave and Gary Bennett, Jeff Hemmerman, Roger Gibbins, Phil Dwyer, John Lewis, Linden Jones and Paul Giles.

The bar opens at 7pm, with a short quiz at 7.30pm. The Q&A is scheduled to start at 8pm.It will follow the same format as the hugely popular Real Madrid and Leeds evenings, compered by BBC Wales football correspondent Rob Phillips, a great supporter of the Trust.

Tickets are free to members of the Supporters’ Trust and are available to non-members for just £5. Tickets can be reserved by contacting members@ccfctrust.org.  Non-members who buy a ticket for the event will be able to join the Trust from just £7 on the evening.

There are unlikely to be many opportunities – if any – in the future to meet so many members of the promotion winning squad.

Football supporters from across the UK will be lobbying Parliament on Tuesday (February 5) as part of a campaign aimed at winning fans a greater influence in the clubs they support.

Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust chair Tim Hartley, who will be attending, said the lobby, organised by the Supporters Direct movement, had two key objectives:

1. That the Football Association needs to include a rule as part of the new football club licensing arrangements that guarantees a structured relationship between supporters and clubs and

2. That the UK Government needs to establish the Government Expert Group before the beginning of next season (2013-14) to explore methods of removing barriers to increased collective supporter share ownership in their football clubs.

The lobby will also be calling for the designation of sports stadia as Assets of Community Value, as detailed in the 2011 Localism Act. This would help to play a crucial part in preventing the separation of clubs from their grounds, and the asset-stripping we’ve seen in the game over the years.

More than 50 MPs, including some from Cardiff, have also pledged to be there.

Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust chair Tim Hartley said: “Cardiff City FC is a vital part of the community it serves and brings us all together like nothing else. Football club owners, managers and players may come and go but we the supporters will always be here. Clubs like Arsenal recognise this and at Cardiff too we have a good relationship with the club. But proper engagement with supporters should not be a matter of individual goodwill.

“The Supporters Trust movement believes fans must have a say in the way clubs are run and that requires a more formal, structured approach. The football authorities say they agree but have not so far acted. We now need to ensure a structured relationship with fans is written into a club’s licence.

“There is nothing for clubs to fear. We will always have the City’s best interest at heart and proper engagement with supporters will actually strengthen clubs and ensure they remain valuable assets to the communities they serve.”

ENDS

Trust board member Keith Morgan, an acknowleged expert on football club finance, gives his verdict on the Bluebirds’ latest accounts.

Click the link to read Keith’s views:  https://www.ccmb.co.uk/fudforum/index.php?t=msg&th=347914&start=0&rid=0