Robins Trust Update - April 2023

— 8 minute read

Below is the email that was sent out to Robins Trust members on 21st April 2023:

Dear Robins Trust Member,

Welcome to our latest update on the work the Robins Trust have been doing on behalf of you: our members. 

In this issue:


Thank you for your ongoing support. We've perhaps not said it enough in the past, but we hugely value the generous contribution made by all of our members. Every pound we invest in the club is on your behalf - to grow the amount of the club that we all own and help us shape the future of Cheltenham Town.

That vision for the future should be informed by the viewpoints of as broad a range of supporters as possible; So, if you have any ideas, observations, or initiatives that you'd like to see or could help with, please get in touch.

Our contact details are at the bottom of this email.

The more of us there are, the stronger our voice.


Thanks to our members and their commitment and generosity, we're incredibly privileged to be one of the very few clubs in the Football League who have direct supporter representation on the club board. We want to share more with you about what this actually means, so we've asked our Fan-Elected Director Dave Beesley to start providing you with a regular update of what the club have been working on:

Update from Fan-Elected Director (FED) Dave Beesley:

Whilst the current season is drawing to a close - the off-field business for next season is already ramping up.
 
April is when we finalise ticket prices, playing budgets, and targets for the forthcoming campaign - so expect to hear further news on tickets in the coming weeks.
 
We have also completed the process of deciding on the new kit to be released this summer - at CTFC we are rare in that we only release one new kit per season - this summer being the turn of the change/away kit. Whilst I can't say much more at this time, I look forward to you all getting eyes and hands on it.
 
I have recently been given the remit of reviewing the catering within the ground on match days, and act as a liaison between the franchisee and club. I am fully aware of the issues which we have faced in this area, as is the catering manager, and we are both working hard to resolve them as quickly as possible.
 
The Board of Directors has also had the pleasure of welcoming back former FED, Murry Toms. Murry rejoins the club board, having previously represented the Robins Trust in 2017 and 2018. His wealth of experience in terms of marketing, fan engagement and fundraising will be a boon to both Club and Trust going forward - and as someone I consider a friend, I couldn't think of anyone more suited to the role. With myself, Murry and Clive Gowing on the current board - all of the Trust FEDs, past and present, now have a say in how the club is run on your behalf.

Robins Trust board update:


We held the April board meeting on 18th April 2023. Agenda items included:

  • Discussion of how the Trust can help the club investigate options and opportunities for development of the ground, and the specific challenges currently faced (we'd love to hear from any Robins Trust members who have professional expertise in property law or development - info@robinstrust.org);
  • An initial review of the supporters' survey attached to the Player of the Year vote (see below); including feedback on catering at Whaddon Road, the club shop and merchandise, and your feedback about the Robins Trust;
  • A review of the Autism Awareness Day;
  • Preliminary discussion around the options for an Open Day this summer;
  • Further planning for the next Retro shirt;
  • Discussion of ways to engage with Trust members and new ways of illuminating how the football club works.



Latest News:

Vote for your Supporters' Player of the Year - and CTFC Fan Survey - Deadline Monday 24th April, 16:00

Voting is now open for the Bryan Jacob Cup, the award given to the Cheltenham Town Supporters' Player of the Season.

It is especially poignant to remember Bryan Jacob this year as August 2023 makes the 10 year anniversary of his passing and the outstanding gesture he made to the supporters of our club.

The Robins Trust's founding secretary, Bryan left his entire estate to the Trust in order to invest in the Football Club, ensuring the fans became the fourth largest shareholder.

It is because of this gesture, the supporters have meaningful representation at our club through our Fan Elected Director.

And it is in that spirit that we are combining this year's vote with a short survey on a couple of issues that have proven to be a hot topic among fans.

Whenever we ask for questions for a fans forum or receive feedback from fans, two subjects come up: In ground catering and the club shop.

Therefore we would like to gauge opinions on those two items in order to be able to work alongside the club to improve the service to supporters.

So please take five minutes, not only to vote for the best player to represent the Robins this year, but to provide some valuable feedback to make things better for all supporters.

Vote, and complete the survey, here:  THE SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED - THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED AND PROVIDED FEEDBACK

Autism Awareness Day at Whaddon Road

Special words of thanks must go to the wonderful SLO team, led by Trust joint Vice-Chair Jenny Hancock for organising the Autism Awareness Day that we celebrated when Burton Albion visited at the start of the month.

Working alongside Dave and Chris and with the support of club ambassador Noah Millington and his father John, Jenny pulled out all the stops for a wonderful event.

The Trust was pleased to donate six pairs of ear defenders - including the ones worn by captain Sean Long and Noah as they walked out of the tunnel.

Prior to the match, Christian Norton and Sean MacDonald visited Alderman Knight School to meet a huge cohort of pupils who had been given tickets for the Burton game.

The SLO team have put in a huge amount of work to improve access and facilities for fans with particular needs this season, see below for more information.

After the event, we were copied into a letter from the School's head of PE which offered huge praise for Jenny and the team, saying the Trust and Club were lucky to have her as our SLO - we couldn't agree more!

Matchday accessories from the Supporter Liaison team

Thanks to the generosity of Cheltenham Town Community Trust, we have the following items available to give away or borrow if they make the matchday experience more comfortable for any supporters out there:

  • Digital Pocket Radios
  • Ear Defenders
  • Sensory Packs

For information about how to access any of the above please contact the supporter liaison team as follows: Email slo@ctfc.com Twitter- Direct message please @CheltTownSLO

More information: https://www.robinstrust.org/posts/matchday-accessories-from-the-supporter-liaison-team/

EFL Match Experience Fan Forum

As outlined in our last newsletter, the EFL and the Football Supporters Association (FSA) hosted a forum looking at the current match experience.

This online event took place on Tuesday 28th March, hosted by former player and Sky Sports presenter David Prutton and featuring a panel of supporters and football figures.

Catch up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjgAVK0Prsg&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.efl.com%2F&feature=emb_imp_woyt

The Cheltenham Town Community Noticeboard


We'd like to help connect some of the strands of the wider CTFC community that not all of our members might be aware of:

The Robins Report - This is a fantastic (and free) Cheltenham Town FC Podcast brought to you by Tom Wade, Owen Knight, Mark Halliwell, Simon Gardiner & Joe. New episodes are available weekly as the team bring you in-depth analysis, news, opinions and much much more to keep every Robins fan up to date with all things Cheltenham Town.

Available in all podcast places, including Apple and Spotify


About the Robins Trust:

We are:

Chair: James Young - chair@robinstrust.org - @YoungyJames

Vice-Chair and Fan-Elected Director: Dave Beesley - fed@robinstrust.org - @DaveBeesley

Vice-Chair and Supporter Liaison Officer: Jenny Hancock - slo@ctfc.com - @CheltTownSLO

Treasurer: John Cooper - members@robinstrust.org

Board Members:

Christopher Coleman

Jaimie Henderson - @JaimieWH

Leo Hoenig - @LeoHoenig

Sam Lear - @ProudRobins

Simon Watten - @Watten86

General Enquiries: info@robinstrust.org - @RobinsTrust