Please find our latest communication to supporters below.
You can read all of our previous updates here.
Breach of the Board Membership Policy
We must inform members that there have been several breaches of the Board Membership Policy on Social Media from a former WST Board Member. These relate to salary and contractual arrangements with other parties.
The Club/Trust holds a Directors and Officers indemnity policy which protects us if we are subject to a legal action by a third party. For example, a breach of the current GDPR laws.
On the advice of our insurers we have reported ourselves to the ICO (Information Commissioner) as we are legally obliged to do so. The possible outcomes are that the ICO may decide to take no further action or they may fine us for this breach.
The parties who have had their personal information published on social media may decide to take legal action against us. We are duty bound to report these breaches to the affected individuals.
The club’s reputation within the game will be damaged and it may make recruitment more difficult in future. It is a serious issue for the club and especially so at this difficult time when we have other pressures to contend with.
The Board of the WST has discussed this issue and has voted that we are guided by the advice of our insurers. As the club may be subject to legal action we will make no further comment until the issues have been resolved.
Season Ticket Refunds
The survey for this will go live next week. For those of you who are able to waive your refund we just want to take a moment to thank you and explain why we are asking you to gift your refund through the UTST fundraiser.
We can actually claim back the VAT on this transaction, which of course benefits the club financially and also our friends at Nightingale House and Awyr Las as beneficiaries of this fundraising activity.
Club Ownership Survey
In response to some enquiries by members, this is a request for feedback and constructive opinions and not a statement that the club is up for sale.
We receive enquiries from time to time about the Football Club, the latest of these enquiries coming fairly recently, however Wrexham Supporters Trust remains committed to our ownership of Wrexham AFC.
There is no bid on the table and at this stage we do not know who the interested parties are. It is important that the Trust must reflect the desire and opinions of our members and we hope we can come out of this process with a framework that does so accurately.
WST Board Election
There will be nine vacancies on the Trust Board. An Election Nominations Form can be downloaded here, which must be completed and returned (with the candidate’s statement) to the Secretary WST AGM, “Freepost WST” by Saturday July 4th 2020.
Members interested in standing will find information about the role below.
Candidates are also encouraged to send their nominations by email to secretary@wst.org.uk (this is in addition to the posted hard copy).
Should there be nine or less candidates for the vacancies, there will not be a formal ballot of members but instead those people validly nominated will be put to the Annual General Meeting for an affirmative vote.
Thinking about standing for the Trust Board? Here is some information to help you decide.
Who can stand for the Trust Board? – Any person wishing to stand for election to the Board must be a Trust member at least 90 days prior to the closing date for nominations and be nominated by at least two Trust members. The candidate’s membership, and those of the two members nominating him or her, must be no more than six weeks in arrears prior to the date of nomination.
Who are the Trust Board? – The Trust Board consists of between twelve and fifteen Board members. Most are elected by the membership and can serve for 3 years before having to seek re-election, but some Board members are co-opted during the year to do specific tasks. There is also an appointed Secretary. All Board members have to act in accordance with the Trust Rules and polices including the Board membership policy (available on the Trust website under “downloads”).
What does the Trust Board do? – As a community benefit society, the Trust is required by law to have a Board to conduct its business in accordance with the Rules.
The Trust Board is the Governing Body of Wrexham AFC, it meets every month and delegates some functions to sub groups led by Board members. It also conducts business via its intranet. The sub groups are the Fans Ownership group, the Revenue Generation Group, the Community Group and the Football Operations Group (consisting of those Trust Board members who are also nominated to sit on the Football Club Board).
Key topics dealt with by these groups will include membership, volunteering, media and communications, finances and fundraising. The Trust’s Vision going forward is to “strengthen a successful, financially stable, fans-owned professional football club at the heart of our communities and which unites half a nation”.
The Board’s three broad key aims are to develop fans ownership, secure financial stability and generate additional revenue whilst ensuring we progress as a community football club.
How does the Trust Board differ from the Football Club Board? – The Football Club is wholly owned by the Trust but has a separate Board of Directors who are responsible for the day to day operational running of the Club. Four Trust Board members also sit on the Club Board. As well as carrying out the work of the Trust, the Trust Board provides strategy and direction to the Club Board.
If you want to know more about the work of the Trust Board please contact Lindsay Jones on secretary@wst.org.uk
How will the Elections be organised? – In accordance with our Election Policy the elections will be run by an Election Management Group consisting of an independent person, a Trust member and Lindsay Jones (Independent WST Secretary).
How do I stand for election? – Complete the attached Nominations Form (click the link to download, or find a copy below), Complete the Candidates Statement and send both to Lindsay Jones, Secretary WST AGM, ’WST Freepost’ by Saturday July 4th 2020. It will help to e mail them to secretary@wst.org.uk as well.
