Trust News 03

www.castrust.org

TNT FREE

SPECIAL ISSUE

ISSUE 3 MAY 4 2013

CAS Trust News

ADDICKS IN POWELL HEAVEN

CP NARROWLY MISSES PLAY OFFS IN LATE SURGE Also featuring: Free Season Ticket Prize Draw with Survey 3 – Championship Finance Part II – Are British fans being ripped off ?

Inside:

COVER GRAPHIC: STIG

CLUB AND CAS TRUST JOINT STATEMENT MARKS NEW ERA

Be Chris Powell for a day : Free ‘Gaffer’ cut out mask

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“ A NEW CHAPTER” Welcome to this third and FREE edition of CAS Trust News, also now known as TNT. YOU MAY BE reading this after receiving a copy from CAFC’s programme sellers, or from a local pub - more on this later. Having narrowly missed out on creeping into the play offs we today welcome Bristol City who sadly couldn’t avoid the drop to League 1 this year. Good luck to them on their campaign to come straight back up.

In these pages we aim to inform and not to induce unconsciousness, and I hope you will agree there are some excellent articles on various topics including: more on Championship finance; the price of British football tickets; Safe Standing; Valley Gold; Parachute Payments, and much more including a Powell mask which has also been on our website for a week or so. This is for anyone keen to carry on the #chrispowelllovein that started last Saturday. Quite a few Addicks, including a group from the Rose of Denmark, sported suits, flat caps and the boss’s image. We’ve also included plenty of CAS Trust information for those who may not so far have heard of us.

FREE TNT..

Thanks to donations and our successful membership drive the trust has been run on sound costneutral financial principles. However this SPECIAL EDITION has been provided for FREE, and on a huge print run of 5000 copies thanks to one very generous donor.

FREE PRIZE DRAW – SEASON TICKET GIVEAWAY We also find we are able to give away some excellent incentives in our Free Prize draw for those

who complete our third survey. Including: a free season ticket in the North Stand or equivalent cash if already purchased; a signed Chris Powell shirt, and (hopefully player signed) CAS Trust t-shirts.

To enter you must complete our latest fan survey which can be found at www.castrust.org/survey.

We have produced our biggest edition yet at 44 pages, and once again with no advertisements, apart from promotions for us and our partners or Charlton groups. Having said that, we are in interested in talking to potential appropriate sponsors who must, of course, be Charlton orientated in some way - Please email us on secretary@castrust. org if interested.

On the cover Chris is sporting one of our Mona Lisa t-shirts. It is of course a bit of fun, but Chris, and indeed anyone else, can purchase one of these very limited-edition shirts - details on page 19.

We made an error in our last edition and we’d like to say sorry to Gregory Warran of www.talkinginwhispers.com who kindly took the photos for our Back to the Valley event last December. Hope we’ve got it right this time, and sorry again.

Finally don’t forget you can help us by giving your support and joining CAS Trust via our website www.castrust.org/join Ed

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On Friday the 26th April CAFC and the newly formed Charlton Supporters’ Trust (CASTrust) issued a joint statement on their respective websites as follows: Charlton are to have a closer working relationship with the newly established Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust (CAS Trust http://www.castrust.org), the club announced on Friday.

Following discussions between the two groups, the Addicks have confirmed that the club intends to work collaboratively with the CAS Trust in a bid to promote fan engagement.

CAS Trust chairman Barnie Razzell said: “CAS Trust is an independent body, committed to preserving the football club for this and future generations.”Among the trust’s objectives are: *Giving the fans a voice and representing their interests in the running of the club *Actively supporting the club in achieving success on and off the pitch *Assisting to preserve the long-term future of the club, and in particular its history, culture, values and identity in its community Razzell added: “In line with these objectives, we are committed to a strong positive engagement with the club, including constructive criticism where necessary, and this initiative

represents a big step in that direction for all concerned.

“I would like to commend the board, and the efforts of executive vice-chairman Martin Prothero and chief operating officer Steve Bradshaw and their team, as well as Richard Murray, for their support of this initiative.

“We hope that the added value we want to bring can encourage this relationship to flourish further, and we believe that when club and fans are working together effectively, the sky is the limit.”

It is hoped that the collaboration will involve a number of initiatives, including boosting attendances.

And fans will be able to collect a free edition of trust publication ‘TNT’ when they buy a Valley Review at the final home game of the season against Bristol City on Saturday, May 4th (12.45pm).

The club will also promote the trust’s next survey, when significant prizes will be available to those supporters who complete the survey.

“We would like to congratulate CAS Trust for putting in place the building blocks of a new form of fan engagement at Charlton,” concluded Bradshaw.

“Over a short period, they have built a growing network of more than 1,800 fans since launching in December and over 330 full members.“We feel

Joint statement

Charlton Athletic Football Club

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Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust that this is quite an achievement and that there is much to be gained from a partnership of this kind that will benefit the club and the trust, fulfilling the objectives of both organisations – which ultimately is to bring success on and off the pitch here at Charlton.” CAS Trust is registered and regulated by a strict code of conduct from national body Supporters’ Direct. For more information on the trust and how to join, visit http://castrust.org/join.

The statement was widely welcomed by Charlton fans, and CAS Trust enjoyed a record day receiving over 1500 hits on their website as well as a big jump in membership sign ups.

Some ‘trust for thought’? Who would have thought a group of fans meeting in the small back room of the Beehive Pub in New Eltham, would now have become the building blocks of a new form of fan participation at CAFC, with a network in excess of 1800 fans, and 364 full members, and growing?

Who would have thought we would be talking to Valley Gold about a possible ongoing collaboration? Who would have thought we would have been guests in the Chairman’s suite before the Bolton game courtesy of Richard Murray? Who would have thought we would be embarking on initiatives with the club itself, and all thankfully without

a disaster to drive members to us?

Well, not me for one.

Given the circumstances the trust’s rise speaks for itself, and, while I would love to take all the credit, it’s also down to the hard work of our excellent team of volunteers. But mainly it is down to you - the fans - for wanting this and putting your £5 down to show it. Without that it couldn’t happen.

“So when people ask me what do I get for my fiver a year? Hopefully this covers it and more so” .. and it’s just the start. It’s still early days and for the trust to establish itself properly it must expand its network to become properly representative.

We must double our network to 3-5000 and increase our full members likewise. That way we can seek to properly represent you and give CAFC fans a voice.

We want to see our relationship as fans with CAFC rebuilt. We want to see a full Valley. We want to help get catering queues reduced, and maybe something like the excellent service clubs like Brighton achieve for their away fans, let alone the home crowd.

We also want better communications with the Police, and that’s just to start.

So once more I ask all fans, help us achieve all this and more and give us your support, sign up today www. castrust.org/join

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CASTrust BIG Thanks to a generous donor and CAFC as well as offering this edition for free we are able to offer: 1ST PRIZE: A CAFC season ticket for 2013-14, at the cheapest adult rate, provided by CAS Trust. Plus a CAS Trust Balloon Girl T-shirt Large size 2ND PRIZE: A signed Charlton Shirt, and 2 Millenium Lounge passes provided by CAFC. Plus a Mona Lisa T-shirt in Large size.

3RD PRIZE: 2 Millenium Lounge passes provided by CAFC 4TH PRIZE: CAS Trust Mona Lisa T-shirt in Large size.

5TH PRIZE: CAS Trust Balloon Girl T-shirt in Large size.

The prize draw will take place on May the 25th 2013, and be announced on our website first 5 placed winners as above will receive prizes which can be collected from CAFC reception when made available.

For full terms and conditions and prizes see our website – prizes may be subject to change but will be similar monetary value.

Note: The draw will not beavailable to members of the CAS Trust Board or employees of CAFC,or their families.

CASTr

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CAS Trust has completed 2 surveys already. We used scientific methods and asked fans for their views on a whole range of issues including what a trust should do, but also how they felt on issues that affect fans today including pricing, safe standing, catering and the match day experience. Please help us by completing the survey and help us better understand you the fans, so we can represent your views and give CAFC fans a voice.

GRAPHIC: STIG

G prize draw So how to qualify?

As a reward for your time, we’re giving away prizes in our draw and all you have to do is complete the survey and apply for your ticket. You can find the survey on our website - see below. It will be available from the 4th May to coincide with this 3rd edition of CAS Trust News.

We really want to hear what you have to say so please help us by completing the survey – it can be accessed from our website www.castrust.org/survey3/

rust Survey 3 Be part of the New era in Fan participation at CAFC www.castrust.org/join

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SEASON RE TODAY’S MATCH with Bristol City marks the end of the 2012/13 Championship season for Charlton. Against all expectations the team’s excellent form in April took them tantalisingly close to a play-off place. But for those two late Birmingham equalisers........ Even so, after initially struggling to get a firm grip on their first season back in the Championship the squad’s recent march towards the top six has given the Addicks faithful some much needed relief.

The inaugural Championship season under Chris Powell began on this weekend last year. Charlton beat Hartlepool United 3-2 on May 5, and Johnnie Jackson, the triumphant captain, lifted the League One title trophy. Charlton finished eight points clear of runners up Sheffield Wednesday after three hard years of competing at the third tier of the English footballing pyramid and it was the club’s first promotion since winning the Division One title back in 2000.

Ending the season on a club record 101 points, there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic during the early summer months.

Many Addicks felt that, with the right investment in the squad, emulating the likes of Norwich and Southampton in making

back-to-back promotion was a real possibility. After a number of fringe players were released in May, the necessary squad strengthening began in early July when Jordan Cook and Lawrie Wilson joined a few days before the annual pre-season opener against Welling. Trialists Salim Kerkar and Dorian Dervite followed a month after, while Ricardo Fuller and David Button also joined from Premier League sides Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively.

It was a quieter summer than many, including the manager, had hoped. Whilst signing someone of Fuller’s calibre might have been regarded as a coup, many other top targets weren’t landed as the club struggled to compete with their rivals’ financial power. Despite the setbacks of the summer window, the squad appeared to be in good shape, and recorded a series of great pre-season results, including victories over Sporting Lisbon in Spain and Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The disappointment of falling out of the League Cup to Leyton Orient in the first round was tempered by the team’s unbeaten start to the season, as an opening day draw at St. Andrews was followed at home by a win and a draw against Leicester and Hull

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EVIEW 2012/13 City. The first league loss of the season came at the City Ground.

By far the strongest side Charlton had faced at that point in the season, Forest could and perhaps should have scored more than two before Ricardo Fuller scored his first goal in a Charlton shirt to make the final score 2-1.

One defeat followed another as Crystal Palace came to the Valley and picked up three points with a 1-0 victory. But perhaps more importantly from a Charlton perspective, Rhoys Wiggins suffered two fractures in his foot, sidelining him until the return fixture at Selhurst Park in early February. Injuries would become a key factor in Charlton’s season, with Andy Hughes, Yann Kermorgant, Lawrie Wilson, Ricardo Fuller and Danny Haynes all also suffering from long term injuries at some point during the campaign.

The squad experienced remarkably few injuries last season in League One but it appears our luck ran out this year. Chris Powell has had to tinker with his first eleven game after game, and has arguably only recently been able to find his strongest eleven as a result. Loan players were brought in throughout the season with varying degrees of success and huge thanks must be

given to Chris Solly, Salim Kerkar and Dorian Dervite, all of whom played a stretch of games out of position when their teammates needed them to.

Highs: the breakthrough of Callum Harriott and the recent upturn in home form moving towards next season.

Lows: crashing out of both cups at the first hurdle and gaining just one point from 12 against Crystal Palace and Millwall.

The season has been one of ups and downs. Often a run of good form has followed a poor run - such is the nature of the 2012/13 Championship. Flirtation with the top half has been swiftly followed by skirmishes with relegation in a continuous loop, and never has the squad not had something to play for. Thankfully, under Chris Powell, the team have stuck together through the bad spells and pulled themselves out of trouble again and again over the course of the season.

Away from home is where the Addicks have really excelled, with a record matching that of Cardiff, Hull and Watford. Despite the clear aim to consolidate the club’s position this season, the fantastic away form has meant that its a shame that, at home, the same

great standards weren’t reproduced. Who knows what could have been possible had we found the magic formula for scoring (rather than conceding!) late goals sooner as opposed to later?

Today’s opponents, Bristol City, have already been consigned to relegation and therefore have nothing but pride to play for this afternoon. Yet don’t expect the Robins to be a pushover. They spent big relatively big over the past couple of seasons in the hope of pushing on towards the top end of the league and, with quality players, we know that manager Sean O’Driscoll can produce good performances - as we saw at the City Ground earlier in the season.

Having said that, Bristol City have the worst away record in the division by a distance, having picked up only 13 points on the road whilst scoring only 18 goals.

For those reasons, coupled with the end-of-season revival, it’s hard to see anything over than another Charlton home win.

With three wins in our last three at the Valley, the recent run has given everyone a cause for optimism for the 2013/14 season.

Let’s hope we can make it four out of four this afternoon. Come on you Reds!

Callum Miles

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Capt’n Addock’s Column

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WELL SHIVER ME TIMBERS, what an end to an exciting season. Chris Powell is surely a legend now off the pitch as well as on, his team having two cracking seasons, and a top bloke to boot. A bit more tweaking to the team (there was a fair bit as it was) and home form sorted, would surely have seen us right up there.

Always next year, I guess.

Let’s hope we can add to the squad in the summer and not lose anyone to pay the bills.

Our pitch was looking a little better against Wolves recently. Fortunately for the Addicks the orange canines seem to have been de-knackered, allowing us to continue a glorious end of season run confirming safety for this year. So much rain water have we had over the winter that I’ve been able to get to matches in my dinghy. The poor weather seems to have affected the Valley turf far more than in previous seasons, although I thought a chalk pit would drain more easily – I expect it’s the lack of sun we’ve all been suffering from. With rumours the club is looking for new investors, I have one bit of advice. Put any prospective buyers in the East Stand - our stadium looks a hundred times better from there, and was looking very bleak from the West stand

during the Bolton match despite the distraction of our on the pitch antics.

Today we welcome Bristol City who sadly and, despite some significant investment, saw the wheels come off. They estimate relegation will cost them £10m in TV and sponsorship, with some experts predicting the real cost could be much higher.

Both our readers may have chuckled at my South London ground share idea - don’t beat yourself up about it though (snigger) - but perhaps that is the way for Bristol? A city that size now underrepresented in the upper leagues of the Anglo-Welsh Football League despite boasting two clubs, in stark contrast to its near neighbours Cardiff and Swansea who will both grace the Premiership next year. Ok so enough already with my obsession for super size stadium ground sharing schemes.

Anyway good luck to City next year, we know all

about your pain.

Speaking of pain, our spanner wielding brethren showed at Wembley recently in the FA Cup semi why they have the unfortunate label of problem club in the eyes of the media, the Met and every football fan. I am sure there are some genuine fans of their club who don’t just support them cos they’re ‘ard, or they want a scrap and all that, but sadly not enough of them. So, as usual, money in the form of TV scheduling seemed to throw all the lessons learned from the South London derby out of the window. A 5pm kick off and a huge over-allocation for the nine thousand regulars meant an additional very large slice of the Bermondsey Biffers were in attendance. The drink and other substances allegedly consumed, some in their seats to the bewilderment of Wembley stewards, along with the large number of strangers in their ranks, must have been all too much for some, and fighting soon broke out amongst them. Really they are the ‘Pride’ of South London, and honestly I do feel a tiny bit sorry for their genuine fans. So I’ve made some calls at various places down the Thames a bit and there is a club not too far away that would

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News love to have you. I mean of course Gillingham. You surely didn’t think I meant us did you?

Speaking of ‘coastal resorts’ I recently visited the seaside town of Brighton.

Well kind of. I actually got caught up in this odd thing called “park and ride” – wait a lot, ride, then get lost taking the wrong route home transversing a vast number of roundabouts, sometimes more than once” - a curious little invention of town planners which apparently makes life easier. Why, when the ground in question is surrounded by fields and next to a motorway, they couldn’t somehow create some temporary car parks I do not know. I mean it’s not like they have the problems of an inner city landlocked club like ours? Anyway, I was vastly impressed with their ground, rations and the grog on offer, and a generally well-done match day experience. Oh and a great point won by Chris and the lads.

Another port town and another vital away point was achieved at promoted Cardiff City. What a shame the Cardiff (this weeks colour) had to upset so many of their own fans by ditching years of their history in such a poor fashion to achieve some kind of marketing whim of their owner. Not forgetting the

huge debt that actually led them to reach the promised land. With a mighty treasure chest of £27m to keep them up, somehow I think they’re gonna need more, and, believe me, there is a lot more coming to them. I guess they must need it to pay those debts. I do wonder how long this episode will last. Should be lots of fun entertaining their fans, with lots of anti-English in their repertoire of songs.

I can see that getting a bit sticky in some places although I guess Swansea have managed it.

Speaking of the Swans - the well-managed model club which is part fan-owned recently doled out some of the rewards of their labours and astute financial management, awarding a dividend of £199k to the fans who stumped up for their Trust.

So, last but not least, final port of call is Pompey who sadly couldn’t avoid relegation to League 2. I do think they have a bright future though and as the largest British 100% fan owned football club, we certainly hope so. We wish them every success, and good luck.

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Board Barnie Razzell Craig Sloman Richard Wiseman Kevin Messerre Math Morrison Ken Sinyard Richard Hicks Jonathan Bangs Interim steering group: Pam and Rachel King, Peter and Alex Flynn, Election Management Group - Nigel Pamment, Mike Woodhouse Web designer - David Hall Contributors: Editorial - Barnie Razzell illustrations - Stig Design, Layout, photos - Ken Sinyard Additonal photos - CAFC. Gregory Warran - wwwtalkinginwhispers.com Except where indicated copywright CAS Trust 2013

*July; Trust steering group began with a meeting at the Beehive pub in new Eltham in a small (non smokey) back room. The group selected an interim chairman and vice chair, and voted to try and set up a trust, that would be open, democratic and inclusive. *August: Over the summer more public meetings were held and other interim positions were filled, and aims and objectives were drafted, all minutes and agendas available via Trust website *September: Another well publicised public endorsement meeting voted overwhelmingly to form a trust in the presence of Supporters Direct. Trust attends CADSA and Bromley CASC *October: Forms were submitted to create an Industrial Provident Society and open a bank account. Trust attended Eltham supporters group. *November: Interest over all channels reaches in excess of 1000 fans, Trust members attend North West Kent CASC, Trust legally formed with Bank Account. *December: 5.12.12 back to the Valley launch event with special guests including Mark Kinsella, £5 full membership available in advance of SGM to elect a full Board . *January: Trust Full Members reach 125 *February: Web hits averaging 6000 *March: Members 255, TN#2 out *April: SGM , joint statement issued with CAFC

Have a great summer everyone

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“War & Peace” How does CAS Trust shape up in trust world? by Ben Shave

THE LAST MONTH has produced another landmark moment for the supporters’ trust movement, with the Pompey Supporters’ Trust becoming majority owners of Portsmouth FC. This is the culmination of their mission to transform what David Conn memorably dubbed “one of the most unhappy sagas in English football’s history of club ownership” into “the biggest community club in Britain.”

Quite apart from providing yet another example of how not to run a football club, the Portsmouth tale shows once again that, when the crisis is at its height, the only people who can truly be relied upon are supporters.

PST’s efforts have paid off, but even before April 10th it was clear that the drive to bring community ownership to Pompey had moved beyond the city itself. Supporters’ trusts from the UK and beyond have all given their support, along with a host of other stakeholders – local businesses, politicians, and even Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who recently stated: “We are supportive of the position being

taken by the Football League in relation to the Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust as long as it meets the legal and regulatory requirements of the process.

We hope that it does and that the process is concluded as quickly as practical and to the long-term benefit of the club.”

Despite confirmation of relegation on the pitch, the long-term benefit referred to

by Scudamore is now a more realistic prospect than it has been at any time over the last decade. We all know that football is about far more than simply what happens over the course of 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon – it is about identity, shared experiences,

and creating sustainable institutions that exist for the good of the whole community, not simply for a few individuals.

Pursuing that benefit on behalf of their members and fellow supporters is central to the mission of the 180 supporters’ trusts established in the UK since 2000 with the help of Supporters Direct. As the PST could attest, what makes the task that much harder is the ever-shifting landscape of football, which can conceivably see a club lifting silverware one season and battling against relegation the next. But other trusts are showing this is a process that can take place during metaphorical times of peace

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PHOTOGRAPH BY GREGORY WARRAN/BLACKKEATH ADDICK WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.TALKINGINWHISPERS.COM/

News as well – including the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust.

Although Financial Fair Play in the Championship and the recently ratified financial controls in the Premier League are undoubtedly developments to be welcomed, there remains much work to do in the area of supporter engagement. Supporters Direct has long advocated the introduction of a comprehensive licensing system that not only stipulates financial sustainability but also the right for supporters to have their voices heard as part of a ‘structured relationship’.

You can find out more about what this would mean by visiting our website (www. supporters-direct.coop) but, in the meantime, Supporters Direct will continue to help and advise supporters’ trusts – whatever the circumstances they are facing. One recently formed trust are determined to succeed in their aim of securing long-term dialogue with their club – the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust. The popular perception is that those who attend Stamford Bridge are not particularly bothered about what happens at their club as long as the success continues, but this is a misconception. Over 200 people attended the launch event of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, with almost that number again unable to squeeze inside – not the actions of an apathetic sup-

port base.

Of course, the backdrop to Chelsea’s season has been steadily rising supporter dissatisfaction with the actions of those in charge, and more specifically their lack of accountability and transparency.

Similar scenes at the Arsenal AGM reflect a wider theme in our game – supporters are not always seeking to break down the doors, but as the custodians of what makes football clubs so special, they surely deserve to have their views taken into account.

If the Pompey story shows anything, it is that persistence is often rewarded. Crystal Palace Supporters’ Trust raised over £1million from supporters a decade ago in an extended campaign to save their club, only to find that a change in ownership left them on the outside once more. However, the wheel has turned not far from the Valley, and Palace Trust are once again set to play a central role in their club’s future.

So that’s the latest from some of the trusts around the UK, but ten short months ago a group of Charlton fans met to discuss the possibility of establishing a trust for their club – and they have come a fair old way since. CAS Trust’s network has grown to 1800 people, including over 300 fully paid-up members. With this being what could fairly be termed a ‘time

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of peace’ for the club, with (fingers crossed!) no crisis on the horizon, their efforts to recruit so many members have been little short of sterling. Using a combination of e-marketing, a comprehensive website, an informative publication that will be distributed to 5000 Charlton fans before the Bristol City match; and the old chestnut of talking to as many people as possible, CAS Trust have come further than many of their contemporaries had at a similar point in their history.

As someone who attended the launch night of CAS Trust last December, the strength of feeling amongst those involved has always been clear, and subsequent events have shown that many Charlton supporters share the same convictions, concerns, and hopes for the future. The supporters’ trust movement has two decades of experiences to draw upon, meaning that whatever the circumstances, no trust has to exist in isolation – this is truly a Europe-wide movement, and the future is bright. Over 30 clubs in the UK are now in the hands of their communities, and a growing number of trusts are providing supporters with a voice. Together, we’re stronger.

Ben Shave, Development Officer, Supporters Direct www.supporters-direct.coop www.twitter.com/SuppDirect

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FINANCIAL FAIR (Championship Finance part 2)

In the last edition of CAS Trust News the trust analysts discussed football finances and took a look at the dilemma facing Charlton’s owners. In this edition we review how the club’s financial position compares to other clubs in the Championship, and assess how the new Financial Fair Play rules [FFP] might change things.

spent on a larger and more expensive playing squad.

We concluded that it’s quite possible that the club’s operating loss is still around £7m per annum.

While we don’t know for sure, it’s reasonable to assume that these losses are, once again, being funded through loans from CAFCH with the result that net debt must now be close to £30m.

FOR THOSE WITH short memories, or who didn’t read that article, here are the headlines; In the year ending 30th June 2012, (i.e. the last season in League One) the club had turnover of £8.5m, operating costs of £16m and, as result, a loss of £7.5m.

Within these headlines interesting numbers were (a) ticket income and match day activities at £5.1m and (b) wages and salaries for the club’s 128 employees, including 73 staff in full time playing, training and football management roles, of £8.9m.

The club’s cash deficit and hence financing need was £7m. And this is exactly the sum of money the owners injected into the club in the form of loans from the parent company, CAFCH Ltd. The club’s net debt at end June 2012 was £22m. We explained, perhaps surprisingly for some, that this level of debt is unlikely to be a problem. Because of whom the money is owed to it is unlikely that the Club will be forced to repay these debts.

We estimated the shape of the club’s finances this season now that we’re back in the Championship, though we won’t know for sure until the accounts for the year ended June 2013 are posted early next year.

Based largely on the £2.2m solidarity payment now being received from the Premier League, an increase in TV money of around £0.7m and some improvement in match day income and commercial revenues, we reckoned that overall turnover might now be around £12m, i.e. an increase of some £3-3.5m.

However, it’s likely that much of this money has been

Debt levels This level of debt is not unusual, however. As we can see from the table below, many Clubs in the Championship have much higher levels of debt, though we appear to be a little more indebted than Millwall and Palace for example.

It is largely these unsustainable levels of debt and the many examples of clubs falling into administration as a result that has led to the introduction of FFP. In turn, of course, these debt levels reflect the high operating losses sustained by many clubs as they strive for success on the pitch. It is clear that most of the clubs with low debts have either spent a year in the Premier League without over-spending or have been through administration like Leeds and Palace

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PLAY FOR CAFC

It’s easy to lose money in the Championship It is again clear from this chart that Charlton’s position is fairly typical of the clubs occupying the middle ground in the Championship. Many Clubs lose money and in a number of cases the damage is much greater than our own £7.5m operating loss. Indeed, some clubs are in even worse shape than their P&L might suggest since they have benefited significantly from profits in the transfer market. This is not an easy “trick” to sustain obviously, though nearly all clubs in the Championship appear to rely on transfer income to some extent. They are all “selling clubs”.

Owners tolerate losses to secure success on the pitch, of course, and, indeed, clubs like Forest, Middlesbrough, Ipswich and Leicester, in particular, will only ever repay their debts if they achieve promotion to the Premier League. It’s a vicious circle and a dangerous game, but under FFP these sides will be blocked from the transfer market from January 2015 if they continue to lose so much money.

Financial Fair Play Championship footy can be a financial graveyard.

With significant operating losses, high levels of debt and, of course, the significant challenge of building a competitive playing squad, owning a club in the Championship is clearly not a business for the faint hearted or for those short of capital.

A key question, therefore, is whether Financial Fair Play [FFP] will change football finances and, much more importantly, how might it impact Charlton. FFP rules will be phased in over the next few years, beginning next season, i.e.2013/14. The new rules put a limit on the losses clubs can make starting with a maximum £8m. Clubs failing to comply with the new rules will face a transfer embargo or, in the case of a Club overspending and winning promotion to the Premier League, a Fair Play Tax will be levied. It is important to note that certain types of expenditure will be excluded from the calculation

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of loss. This includes infrastructure spend and investment in youth development – probably around a total of £2-2.5m in CAFC’s case.

So for next season losses will be capped at £8m, above Charlton’s current losses, even before allowance is made for infrastructure spend and investment in youth development, but well below the losses being generated by some clubs. It seems likely that over the summer these clubs will need to think very hard about their budgets for next season if they are avoid sanctions and this might begin to make player recruitment a little easier and less expensive. Although there will, no doubt, be scope for accounting “fun and games”, as clubs seek to categorise expenditure “helpfully”, the rules will undoubtedly bite over the next few seasons and, by the 2015/16 season, losses will be capped at £5m. Moreover, clubs will be required to fund through equity and not by piling up debt. Next season, for example, an £8m loss will require an equity injection of £5m and by 2015/16 a £5m loss will require £3m of equity capital. While it might be argued that in many respects equity financing is much the same as a loan as far as the funding of football is concerned, there are differences and it is likely that owners will think harder before pumping yet more equity capital down the proverbial bottomless pit.

What this means is that from next season debts to a parent company and other creditors can “only” grow by £3m per annum [£2m by 2015/16] so that the debt mountain in the Championship,

which today totals nearly £1bn, will grow much more slowly going forwards, if it grows at all.

However, FFP will not mean a level playing field as far as clubs in the Championship are concerned.

While in American sports salary caps and the draft system are designed to ensure that leagues are competitive, Europe’s notion of FFP is very different. The Football authorities in Europe don’t trust clubs to run their affairs prudently and FFP is

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designed primarily to protect owners from their own foolhardiness. However its consequence could be to “lock-in” the current hierarchy. For example, the biggest winners from FFP are the Glazier Family, who probably can’t believe their luck. Why? Because it will restrict the ability of the chasing pack to buy their way to the top in order to challenge Manchester United and others, pushing up transfer fees and wages as they do so. The following chart, showing wage levels in the Championship, shows how unlevel the playing field is today.

An unlevel playing field Its little wonder that Doncaster were relegated [the other two relegated Clubs didn’t file accounts because they went bust] or that Barnsley and Peterborough are again struggling. The disparity in wages is extraordinary, and if the market for footballers is remotely efficient it’s clearly not easy for a club paying wages even as high as £15m to compete with the “big boys”.

Of course, some clubs overreach themselves, spending much more of their turnover on wages than is prudent. Bristol City and Doncas-

ter [who got relegated anyway] are good examples.

Going forward FFP will prevent this and, as a result, wages will need to be much more proportionate to revenues. The following table, showing revenues in the Championship and highlights how “unfair” the competition will be post FFP. ICharlton’s turnover, estimated at around £12m, is well down the pecking order. There is little the club can do about the parachute payment disadvantage, and media revenues vary little, if at all, across the division. The focus, therefore, needs to be on match day income and commercial revenues. This is an area where CAS Trust might help to directly support the club, perhaps by agreeing to and participating in a plan to market the club and, as a result, help to fill those empty seats. The following charts show the variation across the Championship in these two areas of income. CAFC’s revenue from ticket sales and match day activities last season were £5.1m and ought to be a little higher now; it’s not beyond the imagination to see how this income might grow to the levels enjoyed by Brighton, Cardiff and Leicester, for example.

Commercial revenues may offer a similar opportunity. Ideas would be very welcome.

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The revenue opportunity Charlton at home..”, but it could be a different What does it all mean? story next season, and the one after that.

While it is always a concern when a business loses However, the Championship will remain an unlevmoney and accumulates debt, not least since el playing field. Revenues and, hence, wages and, those losses need to be funded, Charlton’s posiin theory, strength of playing squad, vary markedly tion is not at all unusual when compared to other across the division. Some of the clubs which come Championship clubs. When FFP is introduced, at down from the Premier League find themselves in the beginning of next season, clubs in the Chamturmoil and spend every penny of their parachute pionship will need to adjust and money on expensive long term some will have quite a lot of contracts for a failed squad they work to do. This might begin cannot sell, but others manage Charlton’s position to adjust much more effectively to put downward pressure on wages, especially since the rules use their parachute revenues is not at all unusual and will tighten further in subse[now £60m over four years] to quent seasons. This effect might rebuild highly competitive squads. when compared well be strongly reinforced if a Blackburn and Wolves, for examto other number of high spending clubs ple, have been in meltdown this find themselves locked out of the season, but what will Reading and, Championship January 2015 transfer window perhaps, Villa or Wigan do next? clubs because they have overspent in It is imperative, therefore, that the 2013/14. club and CAS Trust do everything In the face of FFP Charlton possible to raise revenues each would appear to be relatively well placed, at least and every season, irrespective of performances on as far as next season is concerned, and may, on the pitch. Only this and stability of management the margin, benefit a little if there is, indeed, a will secure the ability to fund a promotion windegree of downward pressure on wages. Subject ning squad. We, the fans, are obviously a critical to the availability of funding, the club does have component of this strategy. Put simply we need some headroom between curmore bums on seats and we need rent and maximum allowable the catering outlets to sell more losses which would allow some food and drink. The Trust will be Put simply we strengthening of the squad and, doing its best to promote and need more bums perhaps, a push for a top six market the club – to get you to place. Moreover, as highlighted family and friends to games on seats & we need bring earlier, there are clubs with simiand to appeal to lapsed fans who the catering outlets went and hid in a dark room after lar match day revenues who are overspending big time and who two relegations in three years! to sell more food will, therefore, need to reduce If we can help with the revenue their wage bills significantly, eichallenge we can genuinely claim and drink ther by selling players or by simto have succeeded in taking the ply not renewing their contracts. club forward. And we will put Assuming Leicester, Forest and Middlesbrough, Charlton in the lead when it comes to initiatives for example, all fail to secure promotion, they and fan participation will be required to cut costs quite aggressively, making them less difficult to compete with. Tony – it is your club and your trust so come Mowbray might think “…we ought to be beating join us!

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TRUST ART: For CAFC fans who wear their hearts on their shirts.

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CAS Trust’s very own Stig has designed three stunning limited edition T shirts that no self-respecting Addick could be seen without.

The two designs – based on the classic Mona Lisa and the Banksy balloon girl – are an iconic fashion accessory for every Charlton supporter who likes to be thought of as stylish.

Produced by a local printing firm at £10 for the Mona and £8 for the balloon girl (plus postage), you can wear them with pride or frame them- they look that good.

So grab yourself a piece of art. Enquiries and orders at secretary@castrust.org

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Cut out and keep

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Be Chris for a Day

Instructions: 1: print this document on an A4 card or strong paper.

2: Cut around the dotted lines and cut out the eye holes.

3: Tie the mask around your head using a pieceof string or elastic.

4: You are the gaffer!

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If CAS Trust did beer... www.castrust.org/join FREE EDITION - Complete the survey to enter our free prize draw castrust.org/survey

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SPECIMEN CHARLTON ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS TRUST

ÂŁ1 SHARE CERTIFICATE

YOUR NAME IN HERE IS A MEMBER OF CHARLTON ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS TRUST AND IS BOUND BY THE SOCIETY RULES

SPECIMEN SHARE NUMBER: 1000 DATE ISSUED: 11.04.2013 Barnie Razzell Chairman

SPECIMEN Richard Wiseman Secretary

Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust is the trading name of Charlton Supporters Society Ltd registered in England and Wales as an industrial & provident society number 31912R

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Stan Dandeliver looks at the arguments for and against “safe standing” I AM PENNING this article following the survey by CAS Trust (Trust News Vol 2, page 13) suggesting that around 75% of Addicks back a return to standing areas at football in the UK. The Football Supporters Federation has a campaign underway that is backed by around a quarter of all senior English clubs. I will not use the expression “safe standing”. Standing is safe. If it was not, then seats would have to be laid on for Sunday league park matches and at every bus stop throughout the land. I refer to “Supporters And Paying Spectators” by the acronym “SAPS” which I think is the term in popular usage in the boardrooms of certain clubs.

So what are the key arguments in the debate?

Some people like to stand to watch football. In doing so in all-seater stadia there is scope for conflict with fellow spectators who prefer to sit. I am reminded of the fixture at Stevenage last season for example.

Certainly it is wrong that people who want or need to sit can find their view impeded by persistent inconsiderate standing in seating areas, or be forced to stand as at Fulham. Jumping around after Yann has driven home another bullet header is actually pretty dangerous amongst seats (I believe that happened at Barnsley). The debate is about whether clubs should be permitted, (not compelled), to reintroduce standing areas.

The argument in favour Some SAPS want to stand. Why should clubs be prevented by law

‘Sit down if y

from accommodating them in new, specially designed viewing areas (let’s call them “terraces”)? It only seems to be the top two divisions of English football that are prevented from doing so. If Southampton had had terracing at St Mary’s in League One, it would now be in use in the Premier League. Why would it suddenly become unsafe just because they are playing two levels higher ?

Standing in large crowds is tolerated and facilitated at music venues and concerts. Some swaying and surging has been observed at these events.

And in the writer’s experience, alcohol is in plentiful (if expensive) supply (and, for that matter, not confined

So clearly PL clubs will have none of it. to concourses at half-time). Even illegal substances may sometimes be present. Yet there is no clamour for compulsory seating for example at the Rolling Stones gig in Hyde Park.

Supporters of standing point out that if, as only very exceptionally might be the case at the Valley, you find yourself standing close to an irritating moron, you can very easily move away.

It is also argued that terraces facilitate a better atmosphere at football

matches. Be that as it may, that is a matter of personal opinion and not a forceful argument. The strongest argument in a free society is that the state should not needlessly interfere with subjects’ harmless leisure activities.

The argument against I have carried out some research as I was not aware of any rational argument to dictate that all spectators must be seated. I was aware of the emotional argument – that following the Hillsborough tragedy it is disrespectful to the deceased and their friends and relatives to be arguing for a return to old ways. I am no authority on what happened at Hillsborough but I understood that the Taylor report identified the cause of the tragedy as overcrowding which was compounded by the presence of steel fences precluding any emergency exit route. The former was foreseeable and was not a consequence of terracing.

Had the Leppings Lane terrace been all-seated, I think the disaster would still have happened if a similarly excessive number of people had been allowed in. It might have been avoided altogether if there had been no pitch-side steel fencing. I have not heard many people calling for the reintroduction of steel cages.

Some do argue that terracing would foster a climate for violence and hooliganism which could lead to pitch invasions and, in turn, to the reintroduction of cages - thus rendering standing unsafe. That would

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you hate Palace’?

not be the case if the numbers of tickets were properly controlled.

Angry SAPS can easily get onto the pitch now if so inclined, so I do not see merit in that argument.

It is argued that standing becomes unsafe because of the freedom of movement afforded by a terrace.

SAPS congregate in the best spots leaving parts of a terrace more sparsely occupied. Then, at certain times there are peaks of excitement which may lead to surges in the more crowded parts. That is fair comment. Anyone concerned for his

or her safety is not obliged to stand precisely there and might choose to purchase a seat anyway. It seems this will not be a concern at Hyde Park. Vulnerable is a vastly over-used word in modern Britain but having actually been to a Stones gig I can vouch for the fact that a good part of any Stones crowd will be pensioners.

The other argument is that terracing would encourage a hooligan mindset, threatening behaviour and racist and other unacceptable chanting within stadia. I am not sure that fear is based on any evidence or logic. These days ticketing arrangements and CCTV combine to make it much easier to identify trouble-makers, whether standing on terracing or standing amongst seats. In Germany there is a history of a hooligan culture yet standing has been reintroduced with no obvious ill-effects. Indeed, as reported by Richard Hunt in Trust News Vols 1 and 2 (both on pages 8-9) the German model is proving highly popular and attendances there are thriving.

The real reason why it won’t happen in England SAPS would rightly expect terracing to be cheaper than seated areas.

The latter should always be available for those who need to sit or simply prefer to. But empirical evidence suggests that terracing would be popular. So terracing could force down admission prices. In the long run that might mean one fewer Bentley for the Venezuelan striker mentioned by Steve Dixon in his Voice of the Valley article, so clearly PL clubs will have none of it. According to the Football Supporters Federation, only Villa, Swansea and Sunderland of the current Premier League clubs have come out in favour. Two of these hardly ever sell out and the other is partly controlled by a supporters’ trust. Football is all about money and SAPS are a source of it. Even Barnsley were charging 6 quid (six!) for a burger, crisps and small soft drink and calling it a “special deal”. Clubs that are happy for their SAPS to be routinely ripped off (or expected to attend matches at far flung corners of the empire at antisocial times for the convenience of TV programme schedulers, even for something that should be really special like an FA Cup final) cannot be expected to offer those same SAPS cheaper accommodation, even if the law is ever changed to something more sensible.

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PARACHUTE PAYMEN TOO SOFT LANDING TWENTY TWO YEARS ago, around twenty two men decided to do something, the consequences of which live with all English football fans today.

They were the chairmen of the then First Division, plus Bert Millichip and Graham Kelly of the FA. The chairmen decided to form the Premier League as a separate entity, and Millichip and Kelly surrendered to them, thinking, in their breathtaking stupidity, that this would reduce the power of the Football League, thus allowing the FA to retain its place at the head of English football.

This step, which was not consulted with a single fan of England’s 92 clubs, is at the heart of the financial woes which afflict Charlton and most other clubs today. While German fans get on with enjoying the football, English fans up and down the country worry as much about the financial results of their club ( if they can get hold of them) as they do about the next game.

The heart of the problem is quite simple. If you create a top league as a separate entity and allow it to make its own decisions, why on earth would it make decisions which benefit the 72 clubs outside that league or the national team? And who would force them to look after the rest of football, and how? The Premier League had and has all the money.

The money - we owe it to our-

selves to reflect on the money, and who gets how much. We have the figures available for last season. When you read them, remember that next season the numbers are going to get even bigger. Or at least they are for the FAPL clubs because, surprise surprise, no one at the Premier League was keen on giving any more money to the rest of football.

Wolves - the bottom club in the Premier League last season got £39m in TV money.

Birmingham and Blackpool, relegated the previous season, got £15m Therefore we know that the teams that came down last season, Blackburn, Bolton and Wolves, had £15m in TV money to spend this season.

And what did we get this season? £2.2m.

Imagine what we could have achieved this season, if we had had £15m.

The gross inequality will continue next season. Once more

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Richard Hunt on the parachute payment

megabucks of the Premiership and the gross

we will get just £2m, regardless of how well we do. Wolves and Blackburn, despite disgracing themselves this season, will get another £12m to misuse. Three more teams will come down, with even more money to spend. The inequality gets wider and wider within the Championship. The only saving grace is that many of the relegated clubs misuse their parachute payments.

How can any Championship club build a team to compete for promotion if it does not have the money that the “parachute” clubs have? Oh yes, find a rich investor - but which sensible businessman would invest, when he realizes that probably 8-10 clubs are subsidised by parachute money?

Is there anyone out there, beyond the boardrooms of current and recent Premiership clubs, who can convincingly argue that this is a good way to share out the TV revenue or that this is a good way to run English football? How

can it be fair that a club finishing 7th in the Championship may receive only 5% of that which the club finishing 17th in the Premier League receives?

It seems to me beyond contention that the TV money needs to be shared out more equitably. Parachute payments should be abolished and in their place relatively more of the total TV money should be given to the Championship and to the two lower leagues. This could be done by abolishing merit payments in the Premier League ( a bigger payment for each place higher in the league you finish). This system doesn’t work as intended. Curbs’ Charlton teams are evidence of that.

This will only happen, though, if there is a strong lobby. Some MPs are interested in the issue, but they need to know there is a real force behind it. The Football Supporters Federation may pull its punches when the result is less money for clubs whom its members support. Malcolm Clarke, the FSF chair, is a Stoke fan. How would Stoke fare if £20m was knocked off their TV revenue?

Trusts, however, are largely flourishing outside the Premier

League.

Their members will be confronted by the reality of how TV money distorts fair competition.

The most powerful lobby is likely to be these people, and they have in Supporters Direct an organization that can give them a voice. They will also find support in boardrooms up and down the country. Way back in 1996 there were chairmen who argued that there should be a Premiership 2, with the money shared out more equally among the 44 clubs.

Prominent among those was Richard Murray, and he has never wavered from this view. If the CAS Trust managed to influence politicians on this issue as the Valley Party did on the issue of our home, then we would find a ready connection and synergy with the Charlton boardroom.

We could start with the Shadow Sport Minister. The Right hon.Member for Eltham. A Millwall fan. He’s in the same boat as us. The scruffy little dinghy, expected to keep up with sleek foreign-owned yachts.

Richard Hunt

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inequality of the Championship tv money.

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The Charlton CHARLTON FANS ALL have their own routine and support the club in their own unique way, and many will probably turn up on match day, watch the match, maybe have a chat, go home, and not much more except maybe a pint or two in the local.

For many fans, however, it is quite a lot more than that. There may be groups you may have heard about in passing or seen mentioned in the programme but not really given much thought to, or perhaps be a little hazy about what they really do. Well since we’ve formed CAS Trust and created another grouping we thought it might be best to write something about all the activities and groups that make up the Charlton Family. So here goes:

The VIP Scheme.As well as buying your ticket annually, you could also a couple of times during our history buy a 5-year season ticket as part of the VIP scheme. This group was originally formed to raise funds and were granted the first elected Supporters’ Director to acknowledge that contribution and represent them at Board meetings. This was later widened to include all supporters via an election.

The new VIPs bought five-year season tickets 4 years ago and retained their access to the CAFC Chairman who grants them an annual, exclusive audience as well as visits to the Directors’ Box.

Red Card Holders: If you’ve ever bought a season ticket chances are you in this group, which apparently numbers around 70,000 including current and lapsed ticket buyers. The scheme, as well as allowing CAFC to contact its fans, can also give you preference when there is a restricted sale of tickets for an away game or a big demand match like a play off or cup final – if only..

Valley Gold is one of the biggest ways Charlton fans can contribute to the long-term future of CAFC by contributing directly to the academy and more recently the CAFC women’s team. Supporters pay £120 a season for the privilege and receive a number of privileges for away tickets and a regular prize draw. Valley Gold was originally set up to help Charlton’s return to the Valley after a seven-year absence and it is completely independent of the club.

Young Addicks as it is now known - formerly Junior Reds, allows the next generation of fans to sign up and show their support while enjoying some excellent goodies and events.

Season Ticket Holders - the mainstay of any club, a mainly annual commitment for home matches come rain or shine for those who can afford to commit.

There were approximately 10,000 of these for the 2012/13 season. This group is one of the most important parts of the Charlton family as they provide a regular income to the club year on year, the hardcore supporters.

CAS Trust aims to give fans a voice and a mechanism for participating in initiatives that help the club.

Also independent from the club, it is different from a supporters’ club and primarily concerned with the long-term future of CAFC. The Trust represents a low cost way for fans to participate in the club they love.

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family

Although known as a Trust, CAS Trust is actually a Community Mutual or Industrial Provident Society and is registered with the FSA and Companies House, as well as being affiliated to, and governed by strict rules of conduct laid down by, the national body Supporters Direct.

The Fans’ Forum was created to replace the Fans’ Director Position as Richard Murray restructured the club after the Premiership years were well and truly over. Although with no Board level privileges or access to financial information that the aforementioned position possessed, it is a vital opportunity for all the different supporters groups via their representatives to give feedback directly to the club.

It includes representatives from CASDA (the disabled supporters’ group), The VIPs and the various independent regional supporters’ groups.

Supporters’ Groups are primarily concerned with organising social events and travel. Formerly part of the now defunct CASC they now exist as a network of official, independent and sometimes informal Addicks groups. Made up of supporters who live in a certain geographical area, these include Ashford & Shepway, Bromley, Brighton, City,

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Eltham (newly formed), Essex (currently in stasis), Hastings, Maidstone, North West Kent and the West Country. They organise social events, such as quizzes and questions & answer sessions with CAFC players/ staff new and old, as well as fund raising for charity or the Football Club. Some also organise travel to home and away games. A full list of supporters clubs can be found on the official website at www.cafc.co.uk/fans/ supporters_groups/ Also among the supporters groups is the Charlton Athletic Disabled Supporters Association (CADSA) formed in 1999. CADSA represent the interests of disabled supporters, including a disability coordinator who acts as a contact for fans.

Finally, Charlton’s Athletic Community Trust or CACT (www.cact.org.uk) is the final piece in this jigsaw, and a very big piece it is. Independent of the club, its work focuses on charitable work in our local community. CACT offers groundbreaking and innovative programmes such as the Charlton Upbeats (www.charltonupbeats.com) and many other extremely worthwhile initiatives in and around the Charlton area, and local schools. CACT is one of the biggest football community trust schemes in existence and was recently recognised as Community Club of the Year for 2013.

We think it’s important to stress the CAS Trust sits within this structure in a complementary way and doesn’t seek to replace any grouping, for example the Fan’s Forum. Nor do we seek to become the new CASC, we feel the existing structure is more than adequate.

By Math Morrison

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Golden years I would like to thank Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust for giving me this opportunity to remind you all about the pivotal role played by Valley Gold in support of Charlton Athletic Football Club as we approach our 25th anniversary, by Wendy Perfect.

Supporting the CAFC academy

Like many good ideas, Valley Gold was born out of adversity in the darkest hour of Charlton’s history, when we were tenants at Selhurst Park, with little hope of a long term future. Our original aim was quite simple but one that all Charlton supporters could unite behind and that was to get Charlton Athletic Football Club playing football back at The Valley.

Our hopes were first raised in March 1989 at the emotionally-charged meeting that took place at Woolwich Town Hall, when the famous speech by the then chairman Roger Alwen to a packed gathering of Charlton fans contained the words, ‘which will enable Charlton Athletic Football Club to once again play football at The Valley’.

The excitement and relief felt by all Charlton supporters at this meeting was pretty amazing because at last we felt that we were going to get our club back after being so anxious about its very survival for so long. Consequently when Valley Gold was launched at an ‘open day’ at Sparrows Lane in August 1989 many supporters signed up.

The popularity of the scheme was undoubtedly helped by the magnificent campaign led first by Pete Cordwell and The Mercury and then later supplemented

by Rick Everitt’s Voice of the Valley fanzine.

They were able to mobilise supporters around this common cause and give us hope when the football club was at its lowest ebb.

Valley Gold certainly played its part in Charlton’s return to The Valley, funding the

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renovation of the house in Harvey Gardens that became the club’s new offices and club shop – the first tangible sign that Charlton were returning to The Valley. After Charlton’s return to S.E.7. Valley Gold continued to aid the redevelopment of The Valley until October 1994 when it was repositioned as a fundraising initiative to support the club’s excellent work in developing young players. The scheme has undoubtedly played a vital role in this area with players like Richard Rufus, Lee Bowyer, Paul Konchesky, Scott Parker and Rob Elliott coming through the ranks of a greatly respected and very successful academy.

Despite the trials and tribulations of the past few years, which have affected the income stream

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of the football club, we have continued to help finance the academy. For example we gave them £140k in our last financial year and our overall donation is in excess of £2.5 million.

Valley Gold and the academy have also played a vital role in CAFC re-establishing itself and this can be seen when you look at the first team this season with no fewer than seven former academy players (Danny Green, Danny Haynes, Scott Wagstaff, Chris Solly, Lawrie Wilson, Callum Harriott and Adebayo Azeez) having played a part in the Championship. Furthermore former academy player Chris Solly is in serious danger of claiming the prestigious Supporters’ Player of the Year award for the second successive year. (Keith Peacock and Richard Rufus are the only other former youth team players to win it twice, in fact they both won it three times). What a great return on the investment that Valley Gold members have made!

The future is also looking bright as there have been a number of academy players who have been called up for international duty over the season, the most recent being: Archie Edwards – England U16s, Joe Gomez – England U17s, Harry Doherty – Republic of Ireland and Mikhail Kennedy - Northern Ireland U17s. This is great news as a strong academy results in a strong squad However, there are still great challenges ahead for the academy particularly with the extra cost of the implementation of the Elite Player Performance Plan, which are significant. So if you’ve been meaning to join for a long time and just haven’t got around to it now is a great time to put pen to paper and become a Valley Gold member. The cost is just £2.31 a week, less than a packet of cigarettes if you smoke and a pint of beer if you drink.

You can obtain a Valley Gold application form today by downloading one from our webpage on the CAFC website or contact Lisa Squires by phone on 020-8244.7771 or by email at: lisa.squires@cafc.co.uk

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Membership Form Your Details First Name

Last Name

Date of Birth

Email Address

Address

I wish to join the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust as a: Junior Member-Under 16( Free)-You must be under 16 Full Member (£5)- You must be over 16 and payment must be enclosed with this form The fee is for 1 years full membership and entitles the member to 1 years access to our members section and includes a Membership e-Certificate, Ownership of £1Share (whilst a paid member) and AGM rights. The fee is non-refundable, but membership can be cancelled at any time

Signature

Date

I enclose a cheque for£

Optional Information Internet How did you find us?

Leaflet Are you a Charlton Athletic season ticket holder?

Which stand do you normally sit in?

North

Word of Mouth Yes No East

West

CAS Trust,c/o The Beehive 365 Footscray Road London SE9 2DR The Charlton Supporters’ Trust is registered in England and Wales as the Charlton Supporters Society Limited. Industrial and Provident Socirty number 31912R

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IN 2012 THE BBC published the results of an extensive survey on the cost of attending football matches.

The report, “The Price of Football” surveyed 166 clubs across Britain playing in the top ten divisions with the results showing that the cheapest ticket over the previous year had risen from £19.01 to £21.24 a rise of over 11% compared with an inflation rate of 2.5%.

Of 92 clubs in the English leagues, just 12 offered their cheapest ticket at less than £20. These figures demonstrate what we know – that the British football fan is being ripped off. Add in the cost of parking, travelling to the match, programmes and refreshments and very few fans will pay less than £30 a head for their afternoon’s entertainment and some a lot more.

More to the point there is a danger that the young, the old and anyone without a reasonable amount of disposable income is gradually being priced out of the game. While attendances hold up that might not be a problem and undoubtedly the English Premier League in particular is a significant attraction with fans around the globe following the action, even the Championship is well attended attracting the fourth highest attendance levels in Europe. Looking at those stats it might appear that there is no problem and the appetite for the game is underpinned by Sky and British Telecom bidding £3bn in the last auction with overseas rights expected to fetch an estimated further £500m. So with the game awash with money and with attendance appearing to be healthy albeit high is there a problem?

After all no one is forcing anyone to go to a football match. Despite the money flooding through the English game the amount of collective debt in the top 92 clubs totals over £3.5bn. Much of that to be fair can be found in the Premier League where several clubs appear to be run, not on commercial grounds but as status symbols for extremely rich Russian billionaires.

Part of the answer is that despite increased revenues the clubs are paying ever larger salaries and transfer fees to attract and retain the best talent and coaches in order to afford a seat at the top table. Cardiff, this season’s Championship winners, are currently running an £83m debt and added £13.5m to it over the last year and presumably will add a similar amount this season taking the running debt to around £100m. Vincent Tan, the club’s owner has gone this far into the red to chase the dream and is reportedly ready to invest a further

Are British footb

d e p p ri £25m in order to compete in the Premiership with the aim of making sure that Cardiff avoid becoming a one season wonder. Perhaps more to offset the debts some of that money is being passed on to the fans in higher ticket prices, while your team is winning perhaps this isn’t something the average fan worries about and after a long gap since Cardiff last played in the top league their fans will no doubt be queuing around the block for season tickets. At the other end of the league however Portsmouth fans will watch their club kick off the new season in L2 having suffered numerous spells in administration. The days when they

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ball fans being...

? f f o d An independent view from Charlton Life’s ‘Black Forest Red’

played in Europe and in FA Cup Finals and had a team stuffed with England internationals must now seem a long way off despite it being a mere three seasons ago. Supposedly this is the consequence of British football being run on commercial grounds with a few restrictions or regulations as possible, but what of the fan? Can anyone really say that we are getting value for money when teams start scrapping for points and playing defensively just to stand still and cannot afford the consequences of relegation?

It’s worth comparing ticket prices in Germany with those in Britain and its no surprise to learn that the

News

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average Bundesliga fan is still being treated as part and parcel of the club and not as a disposable commodity.

At Dortmund the most expensive matchday ticket costs 50 Euros and the cheapest adult ticket – to stand on the gigantic Sud Tribune a mere 19.30 Euros, and yes these prices do include VAT. Even Season Ticket prices are cheap – ranging from 685 Euros for a prime spot in the main stands to 187 Euros for the cheapest stands behind the goals. Furthermore despite most home matches being sold out season tickets are restricted to only 80% of the capacity allowing those who can’t attend on a regular basis to still get to the odd match and in addition it is mandated that at least 10% of the capacity at every Bundesliga match is available for away fans. Getting to the match is also taken care of – a season ticket holder or someone with a match day ticket can travel for free within the local area of the stadium. Dortmund are no average club, they have won the Bundesliga twice in recent seasons and at the time of writing have just demolished Real Madrid in front of a sell out crowd and have one foot in the Champion’s League final. Across Germany Bayern Munich also emphatically destroyed their Spanish opposition and the above ticket prices for fans and the philosophy that underpins it would not look out of place at the Allianz Arena. Domestically they have won the Bundesliga and are in the DFB Pokal, the German cup. Imagine teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea adopting similar ticketing prices or looking after their fans in the same way. No, I can’t either.

The attractiveness of the prices is evident also in the ages of the fans – an estimated 40% of Dortmund’s matchday supporters are under the age of 25.

Compare that to Britain where young fans and the low waged are increasingly being priced out. Are we in Britain catering for the next generation of fans or are increasing ticket prices driving the next generation away from the game? Add in that you can still stand at many grounds and enjoy a beer in full sight of the pitch and Germany also has some good and well established traditions in that regard and you have the makings of a good day’s entertainment. Remember when football used to be this way in Britain?

by Black Forest Red

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News

Have you visited yet?

When we set up the trust website we didn’t just want to do the same old thing.

We wanted to make it a place for Addicks to stop in regularly.

We also didn’t want to re-

place independent websites and forums - there are plenty of them.

We were a bit fed up with all the news websites carrying so many adverts and format issues.

So here’s what we came up with on top of the standard info stuff: •News Digests separately for Club and Supporters’ Trust: readily to hand and advert Free.

•The Hub: All the Addicks links we could find for you to explore the world of Charlton on the web •Fan’s Diary: Not just the fixture list, but meetings, events from across the various different groups and organisations, including addresses and maps •Features and Articles: Serious and fun, plus match reports and previews •CAS Trust News “TNT” archive: including mobile device feature •Integrated membership and logon/members area: making our site the envy of other supporters’ groups.

•Art and Satire: from our regular graphic artist the Stig

And all this for FREE...

So please do take a look for regular Charlton news, and give us your feedback.

Better still join us today www.castrust.org/join

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News

Special General Meeting of the CAS Trust The first special general meeting of the CAS Trust was held at The Bugle Horn, Charlton Village on Wednesday 24th April.

Richard Wiseman CASTtust secretary gives an account of the meeting

THE PURPOSE OF the meeting was to complete the process of the election of the first board of CAS Trust directors. There are ten places available on the board and, as there were only seven nominations, there was no need for a ballot.

However, our constitution requires that all candidates be endorsed by the majority of members attending the meeting.

Nigel Pamment and Mike Woodhouse sat on the Election Management Group which oversaw the

whole process. Nigel informed the meeting of how the nomination process had been carried out in accordance with CAS Trust rules and then proposed the nominees individually. I am pleased to say that the candidates – Barnie Razzell, Craig Sloman,

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GRAPHIC: STIG

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News

the main purpose of supporters clubs was a social one – holding meetings and organising travel. In comparison, CAS Trust seeks to represent all supporters and to exert influence on the club. This might one day extend to CAS Trust exerting its influence by owning a share of the club.

The meeting ended with a reminder of the formal aims of CAS Trust as outlined in its constitution and endorsed by Supporters Direct:

TO BE THE VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH A HEALTHY, BALANCED AND CONSTRUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FOOTBALL CLUB AND ITS SUPPORTERS AND THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES IS ENCOURAGED AND DEVELOPED

GRAPHIC: STIG

Math Morrison, Ken Sinyard, Richard Hicks, Jon Bangs and Kevin Messere - were unanimously affirmed.

Unfortunately, the meeting was two members short of being fully quorate so the election will have to be ratified at a further meeting in due course.

After the formal business there was a discussion about progress so far and future targets. In particular this looked at CAS Trust’s relationship with CAFC and other supporters groups.

The joint statement issued by CAFC and CAS Trust was welcomed. The meeting recognised that CAS Trust needs to zealously guard its independence and that it must be aware of the dangers of over-cosiness. However, there was general confidence that we can work creatively and collaboratively with the club without losing our critical faculties.

There was then a discussion about how best to explain the difference between the trust and a branch of the supporters club. It was agreed that

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40

News From conception to birth, of the CAFC Supporters Trust ,

by Craig Sloman

From Beeh

SITTING HERE TRYING to write this article it’s hard it isn’t the same few hundred fans online repeating to believe that it’s only nine months since Barnie and I themselves. first began to discuss the idea of a supporters trust for Nine months on and well over 300 paid members our club. Since then we have gathered 1800 Charlton later, we are getting there. There have been a number fan contacts on Twitter and email, including over 340 of milestone achievements so far and it’s worth repaid-up members and we’ve reached the end of a post- counting some of those: launch phase ready to reach out into the wider fanbase.

We officially launched the Trust on 5th of DecemThe number of supporters who have shown support ber – 20 years to the day that the greatest example for their Trust so far are incredible, but we are only just of direct supporter action bore fruit, when Charlton getting started and it is the next step when the fans can returned to Valley after years in exile. The launch party show why Charlton is different. was hosted at Bartrams and was a fantastic success I took a look at the early communication between with many Charlton fans, guests and former players myself and Barnie to remember why we thought a gathering to celebrate the launch of the trust and the Trust was necessary. We spoke about the vacuum return to the Valley. where there was no vehicle for the fans By a quirk of fate, the trust was to engage with the club – positively also legally incorporated on the but also critically if necessary. This had same day. I’d love to tell you that I Nine months been created by the removal of the fans planned for this to happen on the andirector role, the lack of engagement of our return to the Valley, on and well over niversary by the club with the Fans Forum at but the truth is it should have been 300 paid that time and the decline of a central completed a few weeks earlier but Supporters Club. While these can be House rejected our use members later, Companies silenced or removed at the whim of the of “Charlton Athletic” in the company we are getting club, an independent supporters trust name so I had to resubmit the papers. is something which exists because the Thankfully we were registered on there fans want it to. We spoke about the that special day. That week the bank dangers that not having this platform account and paypal registration also could pose, both to the viability and the came through enabling us to start culture of our club. We spoke about how we could signing up members on line from the launch. Since then start something from the ground up that would inspire you have been joining at the rate of 50-60 a month. people and encourage them to join us and how we And, when the club and the trust announced a new could then get the club to speak to us. programme of activities and promotions, twenty peoSome of the most important work we’ve underple joined in a single day. Along with over 1,500 who taken to answer some of those questions has been to visited our website. Not bad compared to the 10 a day survey the fans about what the trust should be about when we started out! and we have found the same priorities are shared We’ve also had some amazing progress in terms of between those who have joined already, those who are building our membership database and online registrakeeping an eye out via the web and a random selection tion platform which some of you reading may have of fans approached on match days. We always talk to used to secure your membership. Registering online fans at the games to remain grounded and ensure that may seem like a simple task, but an incredible amount

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hive to Boardroom of work behind the scenes, has allowed this process to seem so seamless – it really is a now a fantastic platform. If you aren’t already a member then get yourself over to http://www.castrust.org/join/ to see just how easy to use the platform is.

Our media footprint (which I believe is the correct term in the industry!) has also been a key driver in the success of the trust. From flyers to newsletters to arranging calls with radio stations and pestering the South London Press, we now have a cohesive strategy to getting our message out – one part of which you hold in your hands.

Our media activities have also very much been driven by our attempts to understand our fellow supporters – who they are, what they want from a trust, how engaged they are and how they consume their Charlton information. We are beginning to have positive engagement and dialogue with the club – vital for any trust - which, as you will know if you were handed this magazine by a programme seller, is now beginning to bear fruit. This engagement with the club even saw two trust members lunching with Richard Murray in the Director’s Lounge before the Bolton game and being entertained by Steve Bradshaw under the watchful eye of Michael Slater.

As we move to the next stage of the trust’s development we really need fans to participate – to answer surveys; to suggest ideas and to join in future activities where the club and trust work together to grow both the Trust and the club itself.

We need your help to get the membership up to 600 and then on to 1,000 – so far everything has been done with just £1,000 expenditure on publications – your membership will help the trust reach more people.

When the email and twitter contact list grows to over 3,000 we can really say that we represent a significant portion of the fan base – able to canvass their views almost immediately using today’s technology to take instant surveys. And this fanzine distribution is now up to 5,000 – five times the distribution of the last one in an

attempt to reach more and more fans on a day where we celebrate our highest finish for many years.

We need you to help by writing about your experience and expectations of Charlton. The club have agreed to assist in this exercise by promoting the trust as a winner for everyone because they can see the upside of channelling fans’ energy into promoting the club – to new fans and to those who used to come not so long ago.

The number one priority is to establish an independent voice and build an ongoing dialogue with the club about prices, promoting the club, where is it going and, of course, important issues like policing. This is all with one goal in mind – to ensure that we never run the risk again of an A4 sheet of paper being slipped into your hands as you go through the turnstiles telling you CAFC has reached the end of the road.

Some suggest that we need a dormant trust but that would surely disappear overnight! Some kind of Dad’s Army like a group of fifteen fans sitting In the back room of the pub acting out a scene from Life of Brian! It was actually where this trust started less than 12 months ago and, if it was still getting 10 hits a day on the web with a handful of members, it would have gone by now!

We would suggest that we don’t need to look for a large scale investment vehicle at the moment. Always differentiate between what you can influence and what you can observe. Instead, why don’t we look to the mobilising the fan base to see how we can assist the club develop sales... of spare seats, of beer and anything else that is part of the Saturday match day experience - the one which so many people said was dying in the face of competition, recession, computer games, sky... the one which makes absolutely no sense at all ... until the ball hits the back of the net!

For it is by boosting club revenues that the finances become more stable and more attractive to new investment from either existing or new people AND fans become involved instead of being spectators and victims.

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News

Chairman’s Report: CAS TRUST HAS come along way since last July and we have some excellent achievements. For example we have reached many of those fans who already believed in the trust idea or some form of fan participation.

I expect there are many more.

We have also reached many of those who matter at CAFC and persuaded them not only of the value a supporters’ trust can bring but also that we are worthy of carrying that mantle. Or, at least worthy of a chance to prove that we are, which is excellent.

What has happened since our return to the Valley over 20 years ago is a decline but only in recent years, from a very strong position. There was never however a formal supporters trust which might have helped.

Perhaps the integration between fans and board was so ingrained that many of us took it for granted. The early part of that decline was marked by the dissolution of the Fans’ Director position which originally arose from our VIP scheme – something which I found difficult to accept was a necessity.

Although the Fans’ Forum took its place, the reality is that fans were no now longer on the board and privy to the confidences that entails. This was a departure from the set up that saw Charlton achieve the most successful period of football arguably in its history, and certainly in modern times.

The decline culminated last summer and into this season with in a parting of ways

when a senior management restructure took place. This left a vacuum in leadership and communication, and the inevitable learning curve while a new management team was put in place and then learnt the ropes. The effect was noticed in the absence of the Fans’ Forum meetings, and for many put communication under further strain. Around that time last summer further attempts were made to form a supporters trust as a result of concerns that fans should be more active in the affairs of CAFC. CAS Trust was formed but would encounter a very challenging environment.

Despite this the fledgling supporters’ trust decided a positive approach was required.

In our attempts give the trust legitimacy we began to build a network and survey fans for their views. We discovered rapidly that our positive approach was what fans wanted, to rebuild that relationship, and confirm a place for an active fan group. We struggled through a very desolate autumn.

We banged on doors, we called in favours, we twisted arms, we refused to give up; and by the time winter had set in we had launched the trust successfully and put on a fan event celebrating the momentous occasion of 20 years back at the Valley – an excellent opportunity to bring everyone together and celebrate the history of this great club. We were met with closed doors, delayed responses, in some cases fear and mistrust, but here and there we began to see chinks of light. Roots that might just become green shoots if Spring came.

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News Richard Murray put some cash behind the bar in Bartram’s for the event; members of the Valley Party attended, former players Mark Kinsella, Keith Peacock, Gary Nelson, and Brian Kinsey all appeared in a bumper player attendance that the event more than merited, not forgetting Trust volunteers inexperienced and fresh as we were (mostly), all pulled together and the event was a success.

A spring thaw did eventually come. This centred on the second survey and CAS Trust news 2nd edition concerned with football finance. The Trust had hit new heights (in our own humble opinion) producing a professional and thorough follow up to the first edition, to complement our also well-regarded website, hopefully again in evidence in TNT (3). We approached CAFC for a meeting, encouraged by another former Director of the club. Coincidentally the Fans’ Forum was also reconvened, and around that time we finally met newcomer Steve Bradshaw to introduce ourselves and the trust’s ideas.

Slowly step by step, having spoken to just about every stake holder involved with CAFC, we began to make progress.

Current board member and former Chairman Richard Murray was kind enough to talk to us and invited us to meet him in the Director’s Box for a match. This allowed us some vital insight, and most importantly some direct visual contact with all concerned. I believe we are now very close to making some serious progress.

Our main challenges going forward : Make the Trust truly representative and reach mass membership. We need to persuade the nay sayers, and reach those who may not have heard of supporters’ trusts or understand what value they may bring that it’s worth signing up.

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We need to expand our active group of volunteers and committee, so that other talents can bring in ideas. And I can have a nice break..

The Trust must remain independent and separate from the Club. However we hope to engage fully in cooperative initiatives that will benefit the football club and reconnect it with the fan base.

We must remain critical but positive, and undertake independent research, examine ideas and hopefully have a few of our own, that can help make CAFC more sustainable in the crazy world of speculation and debt that is the Championship.

We must campaign on issues that affect fans and our members, and hopefully deliver successes.

While being entirely positive we must also, I feel, root ourselves in reality. In this technological age a small group of very dedicated fans could, with a lot of work, set up this infrastructure as we have. That would give us the walls and the roof of the building but not the foundations - these were already in place I believe at Charlton, by which I mean you the fans wanting and believing as I do that fan involvement is the default at this club. Time will tell though, I guess, if that foundation is strong enough to maintain a supporters’ trust in some form or other when no imminent crisis is in evidence.

My last words today are thank you for reading and we hope you enjoyed TN3. Please join us today and sign up for membership.

The supporters’ trust for Charlton will only be a success if fans believe in it and back it fully. Here’s to a great summer and to success next season.

Barnie Razzell – Interim chairman, CAS Trust www.castrust.org

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