Popular Post @owlstalk Posted January 29, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 29, 2021 An Update on Fan Engagement It’s now almost a week since the inaugural meeting of the SWFC fan engagement panel so we felt it was high time to update you. As you know, the Trust has been advocating better dialogue between the club and all fans from its inception last March, and we were cautiously optimistic about the prospect of a new process. In all our communication with the club we have consistently pressed the need for genuine engagement that delivers real change in the way the club is run and an improved supporter experience. Sadly, our experience of working with the club, combined with this latest initiative, leaves us unconvinced that we are on the same page. Following our open letter, the club announced the new process, but without any prior consultation with fans organisations. In the spirit of collaboration, we wrote to the club (the letter is on our website here) to set out constructive proposals to improve the process. These suggestions are based on our 10 months of experience talking to the club so far, during which the club has engaged with us regularly, to its credit. However, our main frustration during that time has been the club’s insistence that meeting summaries and notes are cleared with them, often resulting in long delays in updating you, and those updates not being as informative as we would like. We met the club on 28 January to discuss our proposals to improve the new engagement process and sought specific responses to the points we made - following up with a note to confirm our understanding on the same day. We await a formal response to that note, which the club says it cannot supply before 31 January. We can share with you though that the Trust is disappointed with the club’s approach to the engagement panel process, particularly: Rigid confidentiality rules that mean what happens in the meetings will be kept secret apart from what the club agree to put in the minutes Whilst there will be an attempt to agree minutes with fans organisations they will be drafted by the club; the Trust’s prior experience suggests these could be bland to the point of being meaningless to anyone who didn’t attend The meetings will be recorded, and will be available to the club for the purpose of club minute drafting, but the recordings will not be made available to participants. This seems unfair. There are currently sixteen participants on the fans element of the panel and six have been chosen by the club, which undermines independence. The Trust knows of fans who applied to join the panel and did not receive a response. No one knows the criteria the club used to choose participants. It has been set up without any prior consultation, rules, constitution or process and is being developed organically The Trust is a democratic, accountable, and independent Supporters’ Trust. We believe the arrangements for the panel are not democratic, not fully independent of the club and that the process will not be accountable due to the secrecy rules imposed by the club. On the up side, the fan element of the panel will determine the agenda items, but this will be drawn from sixteen different people and there will be limited items on the agenda – three per meeting is the current indication. Furthermore, once an agenda item has been aired it has been indicated that this can’t be revisited in future meetings - meaning there is one shot at discussing some of the huge current challenges fans are concerned with. The proof of this process will, of course, be its ability to deliver significant change -both in the way the club is run and supporters experience of the club. We have put on record our belief that a better process is needed to deliver that kind of change, but we will continue to participate fully and continue to advocate that change on your behalf. However, in response to the unprecedented current challenges and context facing the club, and the concerns many of you are expressing about the leadership of the club, we will also continue to question assertively and challenge those running the club strongly, both inside the engagement process and outside of it. 7 2 3 Owlstalk Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post @owlstalk Posted January 29, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 29, 2021 All fans and fans groups should withdraw with immediate effect Every single one of them - together - all as one. They should also jointly sign an agreed open letter published everywhere to say why they're not participating in this anymore, and copies given to the press and then do interviews with the press to discuss this in detail 8 1 3 Owlstalk Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grandad Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 That's truly damning of the process And not in the least bit surprising. Nobody involved in that process should lend it credibility by remaining Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dronfield Blue Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 I thought Mr C was a Thai? This sounds more like the work of the CCP to me. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S36 OWL Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Staggering 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieman Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Wow. That really is poor. So....let’s have fan engagement....but on the most controlled and limited terms. The phrase, shooting yourself in the foot, has never been more apt. That said, I never agree with walking away from the table, that makes even less sense. Fans need to stay at the table and continue to expose this folly, while building credibility and support. Articulate and constructive letters like the OP will build fan momentum and the pressure on the club to stop this ridiculous approach. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post areNOTwhatTHEYseem Posted January 29, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 29, 2021 It's heartbreaking to see what Chansiri's doing to our club. I don't think I've ever felt as disillusioned with it all as I do right now. 19 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Wylde Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 I have a funny feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better. Just a hunch! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@owlstalk Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 4 minutes ago, Pieman said: Wow. That really is poor. So....let’s have fan engagement....but on the most controlled and limited terms. The phrase, shooting yourself in the foot, has never been more apt. That said, I never agree with walking away from the table, that makes even less sense. Fans need to stay at the table and continue to expose this folly, while building credibility and support. Articulate and constructive letters like the OP will build fan momentum and the pressure on the club to stop this ridiculous approach. Chansiri can easily ride that one out A public walking away by all fans groups would be more difficult to deal with and they'd have to make concessions and come around 4 Owlstalk Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeakOwl Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 1 minute ago, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said: It's heartbreaking to see what Chansiri's doing to our club. I don't think I've ever felt as disillusioned with it all as I do right now. My sentiments exactly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SallyCinnamon Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Just now, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said: It's heartbreaking to see what Chansiri's doing to our club. I don't think I've ever felt as disillusioned with it all as I do right now. Heartbreaking is the right word. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 mageddon continues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddogbob Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 (edited) That's insane. It's actually just akin to just surrounding yourself with yes men and loaded questions. Ive actually got some sympathy for the trust here. This is now getting extremely sinister. Signing a letter to the press as to why you're not participating WTF? Edited January 29, 2021 by Maddogbob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Looks like history is repeating itself yet again at S6. Replace DA with DC and Wednesdayite with the Trust. Another relegation to League 1 is on the cards. All that remains is to see who replaces Ken Bates as the Trust get into bed with someone who can help launch a takeover bid for the club? What a F***ing Mess! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animis Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 It's not surprising is it - just another example of a failing authoritarian approach to managing a community-based football club. We should stick to his whiskey-fueled rantings through OS every six months for a catch up on all things in Chansari-world. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley8 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 The statement of intent on better communication was received well by most at the time but once I read that the club will decide what comes out it destroyed it completely..... An attachment to quell unrest but once again delivers NOTHING! Calls us negative and tells us nothing but then comes out with things it's hard to believe ...... Chansiri is getting more like Trump except you couldn't shut that clown up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieman Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 1 minute ago, @owlstalk said: Chansiri can easily ride that one out A public walking away by all fans groups would be more difficult to deal with and they'd have to make concessions and come around I don’t agree mate. People just become entrenched and stop seeing the other sides perspective. I could give you many examples; however, you would move my post to the politics thread 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@owlstalk Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 3 minutes ago, Pieman said: I don’t agree mate. People just become entrenched and stop seeing the other sides perspective. I could give you many examples; however, you would move my post to the politics thread Do you think Chansiri ever sees the other sides perspective? Do you genuinely believe he cares about anyone elses perspective? 8 Owlstalk Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markowski77 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Seriously wtf is going on the club is run like a dictatorship & North Korea 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddogbob Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Personally I can't wait to her Brenda's questions from the Wednesday sings Facebook page on brand of tea the club uses. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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