August 18 2024 Foxy’s and Online
Chair Dan MacLennan did the introductions.
A presentation explained some of the changes at Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust (formerly CUOSC), including the new name, logo and membership structure. We had produced a new-look website to coincide with the changes and this included our mission statement which featured on the home page – available to view at cust.org.uk
Dan explained that we would soon be revamping our match day presence with a permanent facility planned for the Fan Zone outside the West Stand.
In addition to the regular prize of a ‘boardroom experience’ for members, we were introducing a further prize where members can win a place in one of the new match day lounges in the East Stand. This would be funded by the Trust so as to enable more financial support for the club.
Questions included a query about ticket priority for members. Members who gave us permission to share their data with the club were being tagged on the club’s database and this would also enable them to receive a discount in the club shop without the need to show their membership card. For away games, a question raised the issue of families sometimes being split up due to having to buy tickets at different times. Matt Spooner, our 1921 board rep, undertook to raise this issue with the ticket office.
For the second half of the meeting, Tom Piatak gave a talk about the first 9 months or so of his family’s ownership of the club and took questions from the floor. He said there was a ‘significantly higher’ level of co-operation between the Trust and the club than before. He said that fans’ influence is greater as a result.
Tom said that the CUFC business operated like two separate businesses – commercial/admin and football. He reiterated that the goal for this season is promotion and that the owners have ‘tremendous faith’ in manager Paul Simpson.
He stated that the commercial side of the business is not taking precedence over the football side. He said that the two sides can work simultaneously.
Tom talked about the work done to revamp players’ residences including new acquisitions at Shaddon Mill. He said the West side of the ground was now essentially the players’ side which he described as a ‘great space’ for them, with a new lounge and improved changing rooms.
He described the upgrades in the East Stand as ‘massive’ and praised Story Construction for their efforts in getting the majority of the work done before the Barrow game, for which six of eight executive boxes were open.
He admitted work still needed to be done to improve the sound coming out of the Warwick Road End, where the bulk of our most vocal fans congregate.
It had also taken longer than expected to get the new training centre project off the ground, but Tom was hopeful that two upgraded pitches at The Sheepmount would be ready for October, with work going on behind the scenes to negotiate a longer lease that would enable the second phase of improvements to begin.
Tom said that for the AFC Wimbledon and Harrogate home games there would be VIP visitors from Jacksonville present, as the club sought to improve the USA connection, which Tom hoped would lead to a pre-season tour by the team of the USA which could happen as early as next summer.
The Waterworks End of the ground has been earmarked for potential future development, but issues with environmental requirements meant this would not be going ahead in the immediate future.
A question about flooding was answered by Tom who was confident that with insurance in place and the majority of the valuable infrastructure now above ground level, the club would be able to cope. The flood risk, he said, was ‘not stopping us moving forward’ with plans for further improvements.
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