Darran
Roger Freestone
After having the honour of being part of the Swans Trust board for the past seven years, serving as Vice Chair and then Chair, I feel now is the right time to announce that I will be standing down as Chair of the Swans Trust, with my term ending on 31st July.
I last stood for election two years ago, immediately after our members voted to pursue legal action in relation to the events surrounding the majority sale of our club. It was, and remains, important that the wishes of our membership were acted upon. As you know, I’ve been working closely, often on a daily basis, with our legal advisors to ensure that we can pursue that action in a responsible way that also protects the Trust. As a result, the Trust has sought and obtained an offer of funding, and I fully expect this to be signed off in the coming weeks. Once that is done, the Trust will pursue the legal process to, what we hope will be, a fair and just conclusion. Needless to say, I will always be supportive of the Trust in this matter, and I will be available to help and support as long as is necessary.
While our members voted in favour, we know that many reluctantly saw that as a last resort in resolving this issue. Legal action is unpredictable, and the most likely result of a successful court action will be that the Trust will be financially compensated but left without shares in the club or with a significantly reduced shareholding. As an organisation that has always taken great pride in us being able to play an active part within our club, it is with great sadness that we came to this point. However, we must remember the alternative, that in the current circumstances there is absolutely nothing in place to ensure the same issues don’t arise from any future sale of the club, or any measures in place to protect our existing position as a shareholder and key stakeholder.
At times like this, I find it helps to remember why the Trust was set up twenty years ago and our aims as an organisation. The first, and most important, is to ensure the existence of a professional football club in Swansea. Our subsequent aims, to ensure representation on the board, and a stake in the club, are means to ensure that, however if those rights themselves aren’t secure, or if we don’t have the ability to affect decision making, then our ability to secure our club’s future is limited.
There is sometimes the mistaken belief expressed in some quarters that the Trust should merely be cheerleaders for the Club. That is part of our role, we are all fans after all, however the Trust is much more than that. We must sometimes ask the difficult questions, to ensure the club is being run in the way our members want, and in a way that is consistent with our aims. We do not take this action because we are not fans, but because we are. We want to ensure the club is here for future generations, and to avoid a repeat of 1985 and 2001, when our club almost went out of existence. The only way we can truly do that is with a strong Supporters’ Trust.
As an organisation, I believe we can all have a clear conscience that we have done everything we possibly could have to avoid this situation. We should remember that it was the majority owners who walked away from the 2017 proposals to purchase the Trust’s shares. This proposal, whilst far from ideal, would at least have provided a degree of security in terms of the Trust’s shareholding and financial position, and avoided the need to pursue legal action to achieve those ends. While theré have been discussions, both recently and in the past, with representatives of the majority owners to see whether a deal could be resurrected, it would seem that we are simply too far apart. Any negotiated resolution must ensure that the position of the Trust, as the fans’ representatives and their eyes and ears within our club, is secure, both now but also in the future. It is a shame we have not been able to get to that position.
While we have our issues with the actions of the club’s majority owners, it is worth noting that there have been efforts to resolve the situation. We certainly cannot say that for the selling shareholders. As a group of individuals that traded on their credentials as fans and custodians, and frequently used the Trust as proof of that, it is inexcusable that they allowed this situation to arise in the first place and then made no real attempt to subsequently resolve it. Let us not forget how they ensured the Trust was excluded from the process of the 2016 sale of our club. Let us not forget their significant contribution in causing the breakdown of the
attempted mediation to settle the issue in 2019. I will never be able to understand their actions, not least as they could have cemented their legacies by ensuring the Trust were fully involved in the process, or at least rectified the issue afterwards.
It is with a heavy heart that I stand down at this time, not least as I reflect upon the excellent progress we had made in rebuilding the working relationship between the Trust and the club’s management team. I thank Julian, Beccy, Andrew and Gareth for all their efforts in that regard, particularly during the challenging times we have all faced over the last 18 months. We have made real progress in ensuring the interests of the fans have been represented within the club, and I believe we have seen that filter through into the decisions made in recent times. I hope that relationship is allowed to continue and improve, although ultimately that is going to be at the discretion of the majority owners. I hope everyone is willing to see the bigger picture in that regard.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow board members, both past and present, for their help and support during my tenure. Being a Trust Board member is often a full-time job and I thank you for all your efforts in looking after the interests of our members and the Trust. I am sure the Trust is in safe hands, and I am delighted that five new members will be joining the Board next month. I’d also like to take the opportunity to personally thank Stuart, our Supporter Director, for his tireless efforts in his role. As a board we are very aware of the countless hours he has put into his duties, all for no reward beyond his wish to ensure the views of the Trust and our members are reflected within the club. His will be big shoes to fill, and I hope he enjoys his well-deserved retirement.
I will forever remain a big believer in the principlés of the Trust, will always remain a member and will always be around to help in any way I can.
I last stood for election two years ago, immediately after our members voted to pursue legal action in relation to the events surrounding the majority sale of our club. It was, and remains, important that the wishes of our membership were acted upon. As you know, I’ve been working closely, often on a daily basis, with our legal advisors to ensure that we can pursue that action in a responsible way that also protects the Trust. As a result, the Trust has sought and obtained an offer of funding, and I fully expect this to be signed off in the coming weeks. Once that is done, the Trust will pursue the legal process to, what we hope will be, a fair and just conclusion. Needless to say, I will always be supportive of the Trust in this matter, and I will be available to help and support as long as is necessary.
While our members voted in favour, we know that many reluctantly saw that as a last resort in resolving this issue. Legal action is unpredictable, and the most likely result of a successful court action will be that the Trust will be financially compensated but left without shares in the club or with a significantly reduced shareholding. As an organisation that has always taken great pride in us being able to play an active part within our club, it is with great sadness that we came to this point. However, we must remember the alternative, that in the current circumstances there is absolutely nothing in place to ensure the same issues don’t arise from any future sale of the club, or any measures in place to protect our existing position as a shareholder and key stakeholder.
At times like this, I find it helps to remember why the Trust was set up twenty years ago and our aims as an organisation. The first, and most important, is to ensure the existence of a professional football club in Swansea. Our subsequent aims, to ensure representation on the board, and a stake in the club, are means to ensure that, however if those rights themselves aren’t secure, or if we don’t have the ability to affect decision making, then our ability to secure our club’s future is limited.
There is sometimes the mistaken belief expressed in some quarters that the Trust should merely be cheerleaders for the Club. That is part of our role, we are all fans after all, however the Trust is much more than that. We must sometimes ask the difficult questions, to ensure the club is being run in the way our members want, and in a way that is consistent with our aims. We do not take this action because we are not fans, but because we are. We want to ensure the club is here for future generations, and to avoid a repeat of 1985 and 2001, when our club almost went out of existence. The only way we can truly do that is with a strong Supporters’ Trust.
As an organisation, I believe we can all have a clear conscience that we have done everything we possibly could have to avoid this situation. We should remember that it was the majority owners who walked away from the 2017 proposals to purchase the Trust’s shares. This proposal, whilst far from ideal, would at least have provided a degree of security in terms of the Trust’s shareholding and financial position, and avoided the need to pursue legal action to achieve those ends. While theré have been discussions, both recently and in the past, with representatives of the majority owners to see whether a deal could be resurrected, it would seem that we are simply too far apart. Any negotiated resolution must ensure that the position of the Trust, as the fans’ representatives and their eyes and ears within our club, is secure, both now but also in the future. It is a shame we have not been able to get to that position.
While we have our issues with the actions of the club’s majority owners, it is worth noting that there have been efforts to resolve the situation. We certainly cannot say that for the selling shareholders. As a group of individuals that traded on their credentials as fans and custodians, and frequently used the Trust as proof of that, it is inexcusable that they allowed this situation to arise in the first place and then made no real attempt to subsequently resolve it. Let us not forget how they ensured the Trust was excluded from the process of the 2016 sale of our club. Let us not forget their significant contribution in causing the breakdown of the
attempted mediation to settle the issue in 2019. I will never be able to understand their actions, not least as they could have cemented their legacies by ensuring the Trust were fully involved in the process, or at least rectified the issue afterwards.
It is with a heavy heart that I stand down at this time, not least as I reflect upon the excellent progress we had made in rebuilding the working relationship between the Trust and the club’s management team. I thank Julian, Beccy, Andrew and Gareth for all their efforts in that regard, particularly during the challenging times we have all faced over the last 18 months. We have made real progress in ensuring the interests of the fans have been represented within the club, and I believe we have seen that filter through into the decisions made in recent times. I hope that relationship is allowed to continue and improve, although ultimately that is going to be at the discretion of the majority owners. I hope everyone is willing to see the bigger picture in that regard.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow board members, both past and present, for their help and support during my tenure. Being a Trust Board member is often a full-time job and I thank you for all your efforts in looking after the interests of our members and the Trust. I am sure the Trust is in safe hands, and I am delighted that five new members will be joining the Board next month. I’d also like to take the opportunity to personally thank Stuart, our Supporter Director, for his tireless efforts in his role. As a board we are very aware of the countless hours he has put into his duties, all for no reward beyond his wish to ensure the views of the Trust and our members are reflected within the club. His will be big shoes to fill, and I hope he enjoys his well-deserved retirement.
I will forever remain a big believer in the principlés of the Trust, will always remain a member and will always be around to help in any way I can.
