The Trust has written to Vincent Tan as the owner of Cardiff City because we have failed to persuade directors at the club to engage with us on issues of concern to supporters. Below is a copy of that letter.
Dear Tan Sri Vincent Tan,
Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust
We write to you as the 2021/22 season nears its end. Thankfully, our future status as an established Championship club has now been confirmed. Whilst we seem to be emerging from the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, our world is plunged into greater turmoil with the events in Ukraine. How and if this will impact on the club and its supporters is not yet known. What is for certain is that the global economy will suffer and we, football club and supporters alike, will face tougher times ahead.
The purpose of this open letter is not to comment or focus on matters on the football field but bring to your attention our concerns over the recent, but progressive breakdown in communication between the directors at the club and the supporters’ trust on which we elaborate further within this letter.
Briefly, and in respect of matters on the field, we understand the supporter base to be currently happy with the appointment of Steve Morison as first team manager and the team performances since his appointment have improved greatly. This was a logical appointment given his success at U23 level and we have started to see more promising academy players progress into the first team. We are encouraged by this and by the style of play, which is bringing better results that provide more confidence going forward. Furthermore, we are pleased to see a club favourite in Darren Purse being given the opportunity to take on the U23 role. We are realistic in our expectations for the club and aware of the financial constraints it is under. Therefore, a strategy of youth development would seem a sensible route to follow.
You will be aware that the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust was formed at time the club was going through the transition to the new stadium and when yourself assumed the ownership. Our aim is to voice the concerns of the supporters but also to engage with the club so that there is an open and honest dialogue between stakeholders. We played an important role in voicing the opposition to the colour change and we are delighted that this decision was ultimately reversed. You have been at the helm of our Club for 10 years and so you will know and understand that supporters are much more than just customers. You will have heard it said many times that the support for a football club transcends generations whereas ownership rarely does. The financial income derived from a supporter base, whilst significant, is often surpassed by the commercial and TV revenue and certainly from a financial perspective the supporters’ value has diminished. Nonetheless the value the supporters bring to the club in terms of passion, support, community spirit and culture is fundamental to any football club aspiring a long-term future.
More recently this point was really brought to light with the announcement of the European Super League. Even the largest and most powerful clubs in Europe misread or ignored the power behind the supporters’ voice. As a result, these clubs are now looking at how to engage more with supporters’ groups to avoid a recurrence of this debacle. At the same time, the recently published UK Government-backed fans’ led review[1] highlighted several improvements that clubs can make in their governance to improve the overall supporter experience. This recommendation in this report was officially endorsed by the Government this week. The Trust forwarded a copy of this document to directors at the Club following its publication and would hope therefore you have been provided with a copy, with a summary of the recommendations and the implications for Cardiff City. The overriding aim must be for the ownership and the supporters to share a clear vision for the club. A vision that is transparent through the club, the directors, the senior executives, the playing staff, and the employees. But also, a vision with a clear and realistic strategy to realise it.
And it is this where we feel the club is sadly falling short.
We see several reasons for this. Firstly, you as the owner of the club, are seen by many supporters as too distant from the club. We appreciate that with travel restrictions over the past two years it has been very challenging to be a regular face at the club. Other clubs have the same issue, but the difference will be the directors at the club. Whilst we do not wish to criticise or judge the individuals on the level of competence for the roles thatthey fulfil we would suggest the following is absent.
- Directors with their time 100% dedicated to Cardiff City.
- Directors with a background in the executive management of a football club.
- Directorsempowered to make key decisions.
- Directors focused on the strategic direction of the club, alongside operational issues.
Those of us on the Supporters’ Trust with a background in corporate management will recognise that the continued absence of these factors will lead to lack of communication, of direction and of growing frustrations. In the very few meetings we have had with the directors, this has been very apparent. Sadly, and we are not clear on the reasons, our dialogue with club management has broken down. There seems to be an issue of mistrust, of broken confidences, that for our part is entirely unjustified. We have recently even had the farcical situation where correspondence between the Board and the Trust was conducted through a solicitor. The directors appear reluctant to engage or provide any clarity. More recently they simply continue to reject the opportunity to meet or answer any of the questions put to them. Despite our attempts we had no contact from or any explanation as to the role of Jalil Rashid since his appointment. Now that we understand he has left his position and been replaced we would like clarification of the role of the Joint CEOs in respect of Cardiff City. This situation is generally unhealthy and will drive a greater wedge between the club and the most important of stakeholders, the fans. The situation is also likely to impact on the club’s positioning on the Fan Engagement Index, a measure of a club’s interaction with supporters, that will put the club in a poor light and undermine the efforts, we as the Trust, have made to enhance.
Our recommendations are quite straightforward. We would like to see the appointment of a Chief Executive for Cardiff City, in line with the potential for improvement above. This is a full-time position where the individual is empowered to make all the necessary decisions through the Club board. Naturally, the key objectives for the role are to secure the long-term financial stability of the club, to establish success on the field commensurate to the club’s ability to trade playing staff, and to inspire a collective vision for the club from the programmer seller, ticket office staff, playing staff and the Board itself. In addition, we would like the club to consider the appointment of a supporters’ trust director on the Board, as for example at Swansea City. This position will allow the supporters’ voice to be heard directly at Board level but also ensure the supporters are informed, where possible, of the club’s direction of travel. The fans led review calls for a legal binding mandate for clubs to engage with the supporters. We believe by appointing a supporters’ trust director on the board, Cardiff City will lead the way forward on this, setting an example for others, as we have done in the case of safe standing.
Please allow us to stress that we mean no disrespect to the current incumbents at the club. Our concerns relate to the long-term planning and governance of the club. Their performance and recent attitude to the Trust may well be in line with instructions they have been given. If this is the case, then we would be rightly concerned. However, the situation cannot continue. The Trust is not alone in its thoughts. Various fans forums and media outlets are picking up on issues attached to the apparent governance of the club.
At the very least we would welcome the opportunity to discuss these matters directly with yourself. Whilst your senior team has met with us, they are unable to provide the level of transparency or indeed to commit to decisions for the reasons we have highlighted earlier in this letter. They have now become more distant and uncommunicative.
The Trust continues its work to represent the supporters’ interest but also to carry out activities that put the club’s name and its supporters in a positive light. Most recently we have donated funds to improve the condition of the memorial garden, to fund transport to an away game for disabled supporters and organised a foodbank collection for families in an area of great need. Earlier in your ownership, we secured the sporting heritage of the club through the Fred Keenor Statue Appeal. As such we feel that our concerns should be listened to at the highest level, hence our appeal to you now.
Finally, we would like to reiterate our thanks for all you have done for Cardiff City in the past 10 years. We are very mindful that our situation would be very much different but for your generosity. We just feel that changes can be made to your senior team’s working and thinking to further improve the functioning of the club moving forwards.
We feel compelled to write to you directly as there are changes that can be made to further improve the functioning of the club moving forwards; the club that means so much to us and the local area.
We look forward to welcoming you back at the stadium for a match in the very near future.
Kindest Regards,
Robert Jeffery
Company Secretary – Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust
For and on behalf of Board Members – Keith Morgan (Chair), Michael Spear, Tim Hartley, Phillip Nifield, Jonathan Day, Jeremy Williams, Richard Lewis, David Craig & Gareth Jones.
[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future
The Trust is delighted to confirm details of our fans’ forum with Bluebirds legend Jason Perry and BBC Wales soccer commentator, Rob Phillips.
