Trust News

Cardiff’s Assembly Members Vaughan Gething, Mark Drakeford, Julie Morgan and Jenny Rathbone said: “We call on Vincent Tan (club owner) to actively engage with the club’s fan base and consult on these plans before destroying more than 100 years of history and tradition.

“To strip away the club’s identity without proper consultation is an insult to thousands of loyal supporters who follow their beloved Bluebirds around the country week in week out.

“Cardiff City Football Club is the lifeblood of the local community and the fans deserve a say over its future. We intend to work closely with supporters’ representatives, including the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust and Cardiff City Supporters’ Club, to make sure fans have a voice on this matter.

“We all want to see a successful Cardiff City Football Club on and off the pitch but we cannot stand back and let such a radical proposal go through without the fans’ blessing.”

Emergency Meeting with the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust and the Supporters’ Club

Wearing red shirts and having a dragon rather than a Bluebird on its badge is a step too far, according to the Cardiff City Supporters Trust Board. The changes announced by the club will see the end of more than a century of tradition and could undermine support for the Bluebirds in South Wales .

While we welcome the continued investment by our Malaysian owners, these changes ignore the history of the club and the attachment that generations of fans have for the Bluebird and blue strip.

As a Trust we want to canvass supporters’ opinion and with the Supporters Club we are holding an emergency meeting this weekend.

All City fans are invited to a meeting at the Municipal Club, 11, City Road , Cardiff , CF24 3BJ, at 3 p.m. on Saturday to discuss the next steps.

A football club is not like any ordinary business which can be rebranded and traded without any thought for the fans. Cardiff City Football Club belongs to supporters and their families who have supported it through thick and thin. Most want to stick with the blue colours and the Bluebird on the crest. Of course we would like the City to become an international brand, but at what price?

e-mail help@ccfctrust.org if you intend to come to the meeting.

It is vital the fans have their say – Join the Supporters Trust now!

Trust chair Tim Hartley, vice-chair Tracey Marsh and board member Keith Morgan tonight attended a meeting with other fans’ representatives.

At that meeting Alan Whiteley, chief executive of Cardiff City, explained proposals by Malaysian owner Vincent Tan to invest around £100m in the club.

The investment will improve the stadium, will build new training facilities and offer Malky Mackay money to strengthen the team. The plans would see the stadium expanded to 35,000 seats by 2014.

However, Mr Whiteley said that the investment comes as part of a package with conditions:

• From next season Cardiff City will play in red shirts, black shorts and red socks with a blue away kit.
• The Bluebirds badge will be changed to that of a dragon.
• But the name will remain as Cardiff City Football Club.

Vincent Tan and the Malaysian investors want the colour and badge changed to represent the fusion of the two cultures of Wales and Malaysia. This, Mr Whiteley, said would lead to new commercial and retail opportunities in Asia.

Tim Hartley said: “While we would obviously welcome the investment, I am personally disappointed with some of these changes.

“In our role as a Trust we will now canvass opinion among our members.

“Personally, I think the conditions proposed would mean that we would lose something of our soul as City fans. For generations people have been brought up as Bluebirds and to be told next season that we are Dragons wearing red shirts is perhaps a step too far.

“We are grateful to the Malaysians for their continued investment in Cardiff City. But I would urge them to think again and respect some of the central traditions of what Cardiff City has been and is.”

Vice chair Tracey Marsh said: “Although I’ve not been a City fan as long as many, there is a principle at stake and I feel that as fans if we agree to the conditions that we will be selling out.

“One of our favourite fans songs talks about ‘not taking my Cardiff away’. It seems that is exactly what is proposed as one City fan has said. I also worry what agreeing to this will mean in the future.”

Trust members can email their comments to help@ccfctrust.org

We’re delighted to announce that the £15,000 promised by Cardiff council in aid of the Fred Keenor statue appeal has been received and is now in the fund’s bank account.

Thanks very much to the council for their support.

We now have more than £71,000 in the kitty – and are closing in on our target of £85,000

I’ll Be There and the Keenor Appeal

We’re closing in on our target of £85,000 – less than £14,000 is now needed.

So, we hope you can help us get closer by buying a piece of Fred Keenor memorabilia –miniature statues (cost £39.99), special T-shirts (£14.99) and pin badges (two designs) at £3 each.

And any fan who buys ANY piece of Keenor memorabilia will receive a FREE copy of our famous club song, I’ll Be There CD… by The Stand.

You can pick up your Fred Keenor memorabilia and your FREE CD at the Trust office (near Gate 5) before Thursday’s Play-Off Semi-Final and for 30 minutes after the big match.

Please help us reach our target