TUST UPDATE

[Southampton Gull]

As requested, I have set this thread up for Andy.


As you are probably aware I have recently been appointed to the TUST board to help with HR and Fund Raising. At the AGM tonight I raised the important question as to how TUST can do more to communicate and engage with all fans, regardless of whether that are TUST members or not. I am aware through being a regular visitor to this site that it is an issue that is causing concern and that TUST has been criticised by some people for not raising its profile high enough to non-TUST supporters. I also believe that that if the Club has any chance of surviving the silent and apathetic majority of fans need to be educated to make informed decisions about whether they support community ownership or not.
To try and address this I put forward a number of suggestions including raising the TUST profile on our three fans forums. This was approved and I offered to contact you to seek permission to set up a formal TUST thread. This will be used by the TUST Board to post information direct
Thank you for your time.
Best regards,
Andrew Candy

[A Candy]

Thanks very much Dave.

[Southampton Gull]

You're more than welcome, Andrew. I'm glad the TUST recognise the great work you do.

[A Candy]

I don't think I have done very much yet but thank you anyway. As for the future, well that might be very different !

[yellowblackwhite]

This is all very well but once again the focus is on community ownership? Whilst there are several clubs that fall within the community ownership bracket, nearly all had a far greater community backing behind them and lets not forget about finance. It saddens me that the focus of TUST has moved away from being a generic thriving supporters trust, into one that is hell-bent on TUFC becoming a community owned club.

[Terry Henry]

It saddens me that the focus of TUST has moved away from being a generic thriving supporters trust, into one that is hell-bent on TUFC becoming a community owned club.

....which isn't going to happen any time soon.

[PhilGull]

This is all very well but once again the focus is on community ownership? Whilst there are several clubs that fall within the community ownership bracket, nearly all had a far greater community backing behind them and lets not forget about finance. It saddens me that the focus of TUST has moved away from being a generic thriving supporters trust, into one that is hell-bent on TUFC becoming a community owned club.

So join the TUST and put your views forward.
Also, we are talking about the Supporters Trust, not a fan club. What other reason is there to exist other than to ensure TUFC remains in existence going forward.

[arcadia]

Torquay has such good supporters that the people who do know who's taking the club forward will not tell the press. I just wish the people taking us on the best of luck and hope everyone gets behind them in numbers and get the crowd up to over 2,000.

[torregull]

This is all very well but once again the focus is on community ownership? Whilst there are several clubs that fall within the community ownership bracket, nearly all had a far greater community backing behind them and lets not forget about finance. It saddens me that the focus of TUST has moved away from being a generic thriving supporters trust, into one that is hell-bent on TUFC becoming a community owned club.

The focus has had to change because of the current circumstances: the club taking out a loan with an asset stripping private company which threatens the very existence of TUFC.TUST would have been more than happen to work with the club to develop the generic community activities you describe,unfortunately the current board has turned way from working with TUST and the local community and doesn't communicate with the supporters. We can only hope that we truly do have fit and proper owners waiting to take-over next week,TUST will certainly give any such owners our support.

[Plainmoor78]

The focus has had to change because of the current circumstances: the club taking out a loan with an asset stripping private company which threatens the very existence of TUFC.TUST would have been more than happen to work with the club to develop the generic community activities you describe,unfortunately the current board has turned way from working with TUST and the local community and doesn't communicate with the supporters. We can only hope that we truly do have fit and proper owners waiting to take-over next week,TUST will certainly give any such owners our support.

The TUST approached kelvin Thomas regarding the club becoming community owned about a year before GI appeared on the scene, in fact before the current board even took over. So it is unture to suggest that the reason to pursue community ownership is due to the current board's antipathy towards TUST.
TUST have been badly prepared in trying to achieve their aims, but some recent developments show that they are moving in the right direction, such as sharing TUST communications via the forums so all forum users will now be able to judge for themselves, instead of relying on misinformed comments from other TUST members. Another step in the right direction is the community share pre-issue which if successful will go some way to countering the argument that TUST doesn't have the money. But still the biggest hurdle is the fact that for a community share issue to be successful the majority of the funds raised will have to come from people who are not either TUFC supporters and thus would not view these forums or are not evenfootball supporters of any description. TUST need to show what a community owned football club can do for the majority of the south Devon population not just the local football supporters.

[Lloyder5]

Like most I don't know the details. Is an aproach different from pusuing in earnest? Situation does seem far more urgent now.

[A Candy]

For those who have not seen this today in the Herald Express.

AS TORQUAY United head towards their own Takeover Deadline Day this Friday, the club's Supporters' Trust have launched a Pre-Share Issue – in case the Gulls' current sale deal falls through.
TUST has received more than £20,000 in pledges in less than two weeks, but it's money they hope they never have to ask for.

Eighteen months after chairman David Phillips' board assumed control, a group including major creditors Gaming International and Truro City chairman Peter Masters remains the favourite to take over United.

All other contenders, either rejected or withdrawn, appear to have faded out of the picture.

Swindon-based GI's previous interest stalled in July after failed talks with landlords Torbay Council over the freehold of Plainmoor.

But before then they are believed to have drawn up plans for a new-look board as well as staff changes.

They remain decisive players, particularly because of loans of more than £100,000 they have made to the club, reportedly with the current board's shares as security.

Those loans are due to be repaid by January 31.

Masters also paid over a considerable five-figure sum, to secure a Torquay-Truro ground-share option which is still in place.

With money so short, during a month without home-game revenue until the Boxing Day meeting with Forest Green Rovers, United urgently need an injection of funds from somewhere.

Their last bulletin was on November 30, when they announced a 'sale agreement subject to final contract and due diligence', accompanied by the December 16 completion date.

Phillips did say on Monday afternoon, after a key board meeting: "Nothing has been signed as I speak.

"But by the end of business on Friday we will know where we are going.

"We will issue a statement of where we are as a club."

The fact that, with a deal apparently so close, the prospective buyers have still not made themselves public or issued a statement about their future plans is of growing concern to Gulls fans.

The Vanarama National League board is also understood to be watching the situation at Plainmoor closely.

TUST stress that their pre-share issue is not a request for money at this stage.

"If the board succeed in securing investment that is in the club's best long-term interest, then we will suspend the pre-issue and deposit money can be returned," said a Trust spokesman.

"If, however, negotiations fail, we hope that the directors will have enough confidence to at least give the supporters a chance to answer the community ownership question.

"Since the 'soft' launch of the share-issue on December 1, we have had just over £20,000 in pledges.

"We are not fund-raising. The pre-issue is an opportunity for all supporters to demonstrate their confidence in a 'community share issue' should the need arise.

"Unlike other fundraising initiatives (such as crowd-funding), supporters will get their deposits returned on request."

Supporters' Direct club development manager James Mathie commented: "It's one thing a club being saved, but it needs to be a long-term solution from buyers with the club's best intentions at heart, or we could easily be in the same situation again in 12 months' time.

"By asking people to deposit money, alongside a pledge, it gives you a better idea of who would support a community takeover and how much money could be raised.

"It can also unlock new interest from outside the normal supporter base, and you can see a real momentum build as people get a better understanding and interest of owning their club."

[A Candy]

Please see below statement issued by TUST today.

DISGRACEFUL.
Dear Member ...

The sense of betrayal by those purporting to call themselves supporters is palpable.

To accept and indeed value advice from the heavily rumoured person whose withdrawn bid in 2015 opened the doors to Dean Edwards and his failed consortium beggars belief.

To refuse offers of free help and advice from all corners in preference to their chosen special advisor has always rang alarm bells and it is now apparent that it was not just TUST that has been kept at arms length.

To publicly deny any involvement with any of the parties who will now take ownership of the club only goes to demonstrate the level of contempt held towards the very life blood of our club.

The board should hang their heads in shame!

TUST originally set up the Community Shares Pre-Issue offer to give the directors confidence that there was enough financial support amongst the fans to make supporter ownership a viable option. What I have always suspected has now been confirmed and there was never any sincere intention by the directors to consider supporter ownership and the cynic in me questions whether we have arrived at a destination that was planned some time ago.

Now we turn our attention to securing Plainmoor whilst planning for the wildly predicted financial crisis that awaits.

I call on EVERY Torquay United Supporter to get involved and help build the funds that will inevitably be needed.

I urge you all to click on the following link, move the video at the suggested time line.



“5 mins – 37 seconds” - David Phillips give his opinion of Gaming International
“8 mins – 42 seconds” - David Phillips denies contact with Gaming International

Kind Regards...

Michael

[brooker]

14 minutes, the club acknowledges that their record of closing down stadia without replacing it is worrying and again that they're not the best of bedfellows. Disgrace.

[TheElk92]

http://www.supporters-direct.org/news-a ... -ownership

Much of this is still absolutely relevant. We have a lot more fans than we think we do. As Exeter suggested at the meeting in the link, they have members from across the world and from all walks of life.
Torquay has an alumni of international students from our language schools that runs into thousands who still have a strong affinity and connection to the area and football club (AND MONEY). There's so much scope for growth, including the local community, south devon expats and our international relations.