Trust News

Firstly, I would like to give a warm welcome to the new members who have recently signed up with the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust, and I would also like to thank those of you who have renewed your memberships during the last couple of months. Your support is very much appreciated by the Trust’s board.

As you are no doubt aware, the club is already offering fans the chance to buy season tickets for the 2010/11 campaign. The ‘Platinum Ambassadors’ deal involves a promise of a guaranteed price freeze for a further four seasons for those of us who are amongst the first 10,000 supporters to purchase season tickets before 31/12/2009.

On the face of it, the offer appears to be an excellent one for City fans, whether you are a current season ticket holder or not. Naturally enough, the board of the Supporters’ Trust welcomes any initiative which gives our members a chance to save money. However, we currently have three main concerns about this scheme, which are as follows:

1) The fact that the club has once again implemented a new ticketing policy without any consultation whatsoever with the Trust, the Supporters’ Club or any of the other fans’ groups.

2) The fact that supporters are now unable to pay for their season tickets by interest-free instalments (the only instalment option is through a company called Zebra Finance and involves paying interest at a rate of almost 20% on top of the price of a season ticket).

3) The timing of the deal. Selling season tickets in the last week of October is a totally unprecedented move as far as Cardiff City is concerned. It would suggest that our club is once again desperate to raise money quickly, which is a definite worry considering the increased crowds following the move to the new stadium, the much-publicised talk of new investment and the fact that we are less than three months into the current campaign.

The Trust’s board will be meeting on Monday evening to discuss this issue, and ticketing policies are sure to be high on the agenda when our representatives next meet with the club’s officials. Therefore, we would like to hear your opinions on the subject of the Platinum Ambassadors scheme.

Do you think this initiative is a positive or a negative step for our club to be taking at this point in time? Do you have any particular concerns about the way the deal is structured? Will you be taking advantage of the club’s ‘Platinum Ambassadors’ offer? If not, why not?

Please e-mail your views to members@ccfctrust.org

Many thanks for your continued and much-valued support.

Dave Sugarman

Membership Secretary

Tiny Tilly Abraham has become the youngest-ever member of the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust after being registered by proud father Annis less than forty eight hours following her birth.

Bluebirds fanatic Annis contacted the Trust the day after Tilly’s arrival and ensured that she joined mother Joanne and sisters Annaise and Alexandra on the membership roll.

Tilly, who weighed in at 6lb 9oz, was delivered at the University Hospital of Wales on 22nd October. Mum Joanne, 34, said: “No sooner was the baby born than her father was talking about buying her a Cardiff City season ticket and signing her up with the Trust.”

Author and publisher Annis, from Castleton, said: “The whole family are massive Bluebirds fans. I’ve been taking Annaise and Alexandra to City matches ever since they were babies, and Tilly will be visiting the new stadium before long.”

He added: “Annaise was less than three years old when she saw her first City game, while Alexandra was just eight months. My only regret is that Tilly won’t get to watch the Bluebirds play at Ninian Park like her sisters did.”

Supporters’ Trust membership secretary Dave Sugarman said: “We have plenty of young members, but it’s safe to say that Tilly is our youngest!”

In the first issue of our Trust magazine, Moving to a Different Beat, we gave members a chance to win signed copies of the following books: Cardiff City Fans Through the Years by Annis Abraham Jnr, The Rise and Fall of the Cardiff City Valley RAMS by Gwyn Davies, and From Shattered Dreams to Wembley Way by Annis Abraham Jnr.

The question we asked was as follows:

When Annis Abraham Jnr first saw Cardiff City play in November 1973, the Bluebirds defeated Bolton Wanderers 1-0 in a Second Division game at Ninian Park. Which Cardiff-born Welsh international forward scored the winning goal?

The answer was Gil Reece, who made over 100 appearances for the club between 1972 and 1976.

The winners of the competition were as follows:

David Hutchinson of Pontypridd, who wins a copy of Cardiff City Fans Through the Years.

Cliff Jones of Bristol, who wins a copy of the Rise and Fall of the Cardiff City Valley RAMS.

David Griffiths of Cardiff, who wins a copy of From Shattered Dreams to Wembley Way.

The books will be sent out to the winners next week, but if they would like to collect their prizes before the Nottingham Forest game on Sunday, then they can drop membership secretary Dave Sugarman a line at the enquiries e-mail address below in order to make the necessary arrangements.

Look out for another competition in the next issue of Moving to a Different Beat, which should be available in January.

Celebrating Diwali

The Festival of Lights – the Trust helps celebrate Diwali in Grangetown

Celebrating Diwali

It was not a case of straight down the pub after the disappointment of the draw against Palace last month for some of us. No, members of the Trust’s Community Group were in celebratory mood as they joined in the festivities to mark Diwali at the Hindu Temple in Grangetown.

Diwali is a five day festival when homes are decorated and candles and lamps lit, rather like Christmas celebrations.  The festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil.  In Hindi, Diwali means “Festival of Lights” and it commemorates heroic figures in Indian mythology that triumphed over the forces of evil.

We had been invited to join the celebrations of the Hindu New Year by a group of young Hindus who had attended our community event at the stadium in September.  One of the lads is a season ticket holder and the group asked some very probing questions about the Cardiff City FC and the local community.  Our community evening was part of the Trust’s drive to bring club and the community closer together.

Members of the Community group attended the Hindu centre in Grangetown to celebrate the third day of Diwali which is the last day of the Hindu calendar.  We were given a fantastic welcome and made more good contacts on the night.  The evening included the serving of some superb Indian food before we sat down for the special Diwali show of Indian dancing.

Trust members enjoy the celebrations

The Grangetown Hindu Association has been running for 25 years and we were given a presentation on its history.  The evening was also a chance for the Association to honour the academic and sporting success of young Hindus.  As members of the Community Group we were particularly interested in the annual cricket tournament organised by the Association and we are looking at the possibility of organising a football tournament involving the Hindu community next year.

Special thanks must go to Mr Arvind Vasani, the Chair of the Association, and Shanta Rupalia who made us so welcome and gave us such a fantastic evening.

Tim Hartley

Vice Chair CCST

Cardiff City fans have applauded the club’s decision to offer cut-price ticket deals for the Bluebirds’ forthcoming Championship fixtures against Crystal Palace and Coventry.

Adult supporters who buy tickets for both matches in advance will get a £10 discount, while concessions will receive a £5 reduction.

The club has also announced a special deal for fans in the Brace’s Bread Family Stand, where two adults and two children can watch both games for a combined price of just £65.

Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust spokesman Dave Sugarman said: “We are very pleased that the club is making an effort to fill the new stadium and believe these ticket prices are fair.

“Fans who attend both games will get a decent discount, while the two-match deal for supporters in the Family Stand is an excellent initiative.” 

He added: “The Bluebirds were in spectacular form during their recent victories over Derby and Watford, so hopefully the players will get the support they deserve in the next two games.”

The discounted prices are available from the Cardiff City Stadium ticket office until the close of business on Friday, October 16th. Fans can telephone 0845 345 1400 for further details.