Mariners Trust AGM

Staggered but maybe not surprised to find that the Mariners Trust haven't even bothered to start a thread for the upcoming AGM on here, the most used independent forum for potential new members or board members. A chance to stand for election, a link to application document within the tweet.. Post appeared on Twitter on the 10th with deadline for applicants on the 19th only seven days away. Makes you wonder if they do want fans to get involved or are they just incompetent? Here's the tweet below and I've started the thread that they should have done on their behalf..

https://twitter.com/MarinersTrust/status/1359601705567010820


More info taken from the Mariners Trust website..

The AGM will take place online via zoom on Thursday 4th March 2021 at 6:30pm

The official notice of AGM, Final Accounts, Proxy Form and Nomination Form are attached. You can also use the links below to download the necessary documentation:

    Notice of AGM:                
    Final Accounts:                  
    2019 AGM Minutes:        
    Proxy Form:                        
    Nomination Form:            

Please vote on the evening or return the proxy form to secretary@marinerstrust.co.uk or FAO Mariners Trust, Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, DN35 7PY by Thursday 4th March, 3pm.



We actively encourage all members eligible to vote, to do so.  Most resolutions are standard items and have a low acceptance threshold.  Whereas the resolution to update the rules that we abide by require one third (around 240) of eligible members to vote.  We currently run on the 2011 version of the rules and for best practice would like to adopt the more recent 2016 rules.  More information can be found in a simple video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw2o_SxYXMk



As this is the first time that the trust have held an AGM online so we have also attached a guide on the process if you are unable to attend, how the AGM online will work if you are and a breakdown of the nomination process if you are looking to stand for one of six places on the Mariners Trust board. In total we allowed 12 board members and we currently have 10 which includes 1 co-opted. Three of the board are due for re-election – Alan Rutter, Sandii Raithby and Ian Townsend whilst Haley Carver-Smith will be seeking election after being co-opted. The election for the board places will be entirely independently and Geoff Bielby from Hull City has very kindly agreed to undertake this role for us.

Only fully paid members of the Mariners Trust are entitled to attend the AGM.  Anybody wishing to join the online AGM should email: membership@marinerstrust.co.uk Membership status will be checked before a log in and further meeting information is issued.



Any general questions can be directed to enquiries@marinerstrust.co.uk any questions regarding voting or the nomination process should be directed to geoff.bielby@hullcityst.com

Do the club still even have their own message board?

I think this is an exciting time to get involved with the Trust. New owners and a different approach to fan engagement.

Quoted from SomeSanity

Do the club still even have their own message board?

I think this is an exciting time to get involved with the Trust. New owners and a different approach to fan engagement.

And maybe issue membership cards.

Not sure I get the criticism. The AGM is primarily about signing off the events of the last year and due to Covid is already way past the usual date. All Trusts have received dispensation for late meetings. I'm not at all sure it should be a primary source of attracting new Membership.
For the record the notification for the AGM and the relevant bundle of documents have been mailed to every member for whom we have an email address and posted to those who dont use e-mail.

There has already been significant interest from people interested in joining the board.
I hope that the extra interest will mean that we can meet the challenges facing us. Whether that is with or without me is for the membership to decide.

Quoted from barralad

Not sure I get the criticism. The AGM is primarily about signing off the events of the last year and due to Covid is already way past the usual date. All Trusts have received dispensation for late meetings. I'm not at all sure it should be a primary source of attracting new Membership.
For the record the notification for the AGM and the relevant bundle of documents have been mailed to every member for whom we have an email address and posted to those who dont use e-mail.

There has already been significant interest from people interested in joining the board with at least four  completing the nomination forms to date.
I hope that the extra interest will mean that we can meet the challenges facing us. Whether that is with or without me is for the membership to decide.

That's the scary bit Barra, that you don't get it. It's called engagement with potential members, distribution of information etc to your largest independent audience. It took me two minutes. So many people like me have paid to join and never received a single notification two or three years on. The Trust never learn from their mistakes, they just continue as they've always done. I've lost faith in what they can do, but it doesn't mean I won't try and help anyone else who feels like they want to get involved and to help the Trust. Applications for new board members are up for grabs. The Trust need more help. Why has it not been posted on here? Simple question unanswered..

The Trust really needs to reflect on how effective it communication strategy is and is it succeeding in communicating hard to reach groups and is it effectively promoting diversity in its membership.

Quoted from Bigdog

That's the scary bit Barra, that you don't get it. It's called engagement with potential members, distribution of information etc to your largest independent audience. It took me two minutes. So many people like me have paid to join and never received a single notification two or three years on. The Trust never learn from their mistakes, they just continue as they've always done. I've lost faith in what they can do, but it doesn't mean I won't try and help anyone else who feels like they want to get involved and to help the Trust. Applications for new board members are up for grabs. The Trust need more help. Why has it not been posted on here? Simple question unanswered..

I value the opinions on here which is why I've been a Fishy member since 2010. Our main three media channels are Facebook, Twitter (your source) and our own website. I'm sorry to say that I doubt many people on here aren't members of one or more of those fora.

Quoted from friskneymariner

The Trust really needs to reflect on how effective it communication strategy is and is it succeeding in communicating hard to reach groups and is it effectively promoting diversity in its membership.

Speaking as a Trust Board member we know that we've had trouble with our communication over the years. We know have a new Membership system which allows easy communication with members at the touch of a button. We still have a significant proportion of our members who do not use emails or social media strange though that may seem. The feedback we have received thus far is broadly supportive of our efforts to improve. In line with a huge number of other organisations we want our own website to be the primary source of contact. This backed with the aforementioned platforms means we reach huge numbers of people. The fact is that usually within an hour of any communication from us a thread posted by someone appears on here.

Quoted from barralad

I value the opinions on here which is why I've been a Fishy member since 2010. Our main three media channels are Facebook, Twitter (your source) and our own website. I'm sorry to say that I doubt many people on here aren't members of one or more of those fora.

I think he just uses any excuse to beat the Trust with.

Quoted from barralad

Speaking as a Trust Board member we know that we've had trouble with our communication over the years. We know have a new Membership system which allows easy communication with members at the touch of a button. We still have a significant proportion of our members who do not use emails or social media strange though that may seem. The feedback we have received thus far is broadly supportive of our efforts to improve. In line with a huge number of other organisations we want our own website to be the primary source of contact. This backed with the aforementioned platforms means we reach huge numbers of people. The fact is that usually within an hour of any communication from us a thread posted by someone appears on here.

I wanted to offer a bit of advice, genuinely in an attempt to help the Trust. I work for a global organisation and part of my job is communication and engagement. You say in your post 'we want our own website to be the primary source of contact' and that you use Twitter and Facebook as well. Because of the growth of social media etc, large organisations have learned (or are learning) that the consumer/customer calls the shots about how they want to be communicated with and anybody who wants to engage with them has to go and find them. This movement will continue and gather pace as younger members of society mature because they have never known another way.

The Trust should be using this forum because it's full of your 'customers'.

At the time of writing this thread had had just shy of 400 views. The thread on the National League has had about 60,000 views. I would be very surprised if the Trust's website has had 60,000+ hits in the last couple of weeks.

My perception of the Trust is it members are predominately male, pale and stale,perhaps a first step would be to examine your membership by demographics such as age range,gender,and ethnicity.This would be the first step to identify where you need to increase your coverage.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

This movement will continue and gather pace as younger members of society mature because they have never known another way.

I often wonder what the average age of a Town fan is compared with the average age of posters on here.

I sneak into the Millennial / Gen Y band but am fortunate to be old enough to remember Buckley’s first attempt at creating perfection and His second coming.

Lots of posters mention that their kids and grandkids are brought up as Town fans but I often wonder, with all the modern distractions and the twenty years of (mostly) abject failure, whether there are enough sub 35 year olds to carry the club into the future.

None of this is meant as a slight on our wonderful and loyal older support (and forum members) but it is the young supporters that will need to continue to drive the club forward.

The Trust won't move forward until they get rid of Rutter. He is a busybody with his fingers in too many pies

Quoted from barralad

Speaking as a Trust Board member we know that we've had trouble with our communication over the years. We know have a new Membership system which allows easy communication with members at the touch of a button. We still have a significant proportion of our members who do not use emails or social media strange though that may seem. The feedback we have received thus far is broadly supportive of our efforts to improve. In line with a huge number of other organisations we want our own website to be the primary source of contact. This backed with the aforementioned platforms means we reach huge numbers of people. The fact is that usually within an hour of any communication from us a thread posted by someone appears on here.

Am I reading this correctly? You don't want to use a fans web site because you want your own site to be the primary source? How dismal is that? Then you say others post your communications on here anyway.

Is that them doing your job for you? How long does it take to post on this Forum? That's if you want to reach potential new members of course!

Quoted from SteffiMariner

I think he just uses any excuse to beat the Trust with.

That's unfair, it's constructive criticism in the hope that the Trust can improve. As Barra could confirm I offered my services upon joining the Trust three years ago. Was put off by not even getting even an acknowledgement of joining and didn't like the direction the Trust was heading at that time, too aligned with the GTFC boardroom, but even today, I still care enough to promote the upcoming AGM on here, and want the Trust to be the best it can possibly be..

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

I wanted to offer a bit of advice, genuinely in an attempt to help the Trust. I work for a global organisation and part of my job is communication and engagement. You say in your post 'we want our own website to be the primary source of contact' and that you use Twitter and Facebook as well. Because of the growth of social media etc, large organisations have learned (or are learning) that the consumer/customer calls the shots about how they want to be communicated with and anybody who wants to engage with them has to go and find them. This movement will continue and gather pace as younger members of society mature because they have never known another way.

The Trust should be using this forum because it's full of your 'customers'.

At the time of writing this thread had had just shy of 400 views. The thread on the National League has had about 60,000 views. I would be very surprised if the Trust's website has had 60,000+ hits in the last couple of weeks.

Thanks for the contribution. I believe you make some interesting points.
I have an issue with "hits" in that I alone have been in and out of this thread at least a dozen times.  It is difficult to quantify numbers when there are new contributions to be read. In terms of us posting information on our platforms we wont be adding to it. There are very few comments made, yet across the platforms we've had well over 4000 hits in two days.
The other point I'd make is that I'm not at all sure that the bulk of members of this forum fall into the category that you think we should be "chasing" in terms of generation.

The last few (helpful) replies that I have had on Trust matters have been from women.   Not a male in sight.  ( Referring to an assumption made above that the Trust is mostly run by men).

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

The last few (helpful) replies that I have had on Trust matters have been from women.   Not a male in sight.  ( Referring to an assumption made above that the Trust is mostly run by men).

Read what I said ,I said it is a perception,not a reality.

Quoted from barralad

Thanks for the contribution. I believe you make some interesting points.
I have an issue with "hits" in that I alone have been in and out of this thread at least a dozen times.  It is difficult to quantify numbers when there are new contributions to be read. In terms of us posting information on our platforms we wont be adding to it. There are very few comments made, yet across the platforms we've had well over 4000 hits in two days.
The other point I'd make is that I'm not at all sure that the bulk of members of this forum fall into the category that you think we should be "chasing" in terms of generation.

In two days your Twitter post has had three likes, one retweet and zero comments. Within two hours on here there have been nearly twenty posts. One it should tell you about interactivity levels with either audience and also by using the GTFC hashtag the window of visibility is so much shorter. For the sake of two minutes I find it bizarre that the Trust won't add The Fishy to its marketing base. It's the premier (only) GTFC fan's forum, the fans you represent, young or old, you should be as broad a church as possible. Not posting on here and the reasoning behind it is the sort of thinking that makes me want to pull my hair out and back up my present feelings that the Trust is never going to be the driving force that everyone wants it to be..

Quoted from barralad

Thanks for the contribution. I believe you make some interesting points.
I have an issue with "hits" in that I alone have been in and out of this thread at least a dozen times.  It is difficult to quantify numbers when there are new contributions to be read. In terms of us posting information on our platforms we wont be adding to it. There are very few comments made, yet across the platforms we've had well over 4000 hits in two days.
The other point I'd make is that I'm not at all sure that the bulk of members of this forum fall into the category that you think we should be "chasing" in terms of generation.

'Hits' is a standard way of measuring the effectiveness of your communication - in commercial terms it's about how many opportunities you have to sell something or get your information read.

I'm utterly confused by your comment about "chasing" members of this forum. Your raison d'etre is to represent the interests of Grimsby Town supporters. This board is full of Grimsby Town supporters. It is almost uniquely Grimsby Town Supporters (plus a small band of interlopers). This forum is like shooting fish in a barrel for the Trust.

Quoted from Bigdog

In two days your Twitter post has had three likes and zero comments. Within two hours on here there have been nearly twenty posts. One it should tell you about interactivity levels with either audience and also by using the GTFC hashtag the window of visibility is so much shorter. For the sake of two minutes I find it bizarre that the Trust won't add The Fishy to its marketing base. It's the premier (only) GTFC fan's forum, the fans you represent, young or old, you should be as broad a church as possible. Not posting on here and the reasoning behind it is the sort of thinking that makes me want to pull my hair out and back up my present feelings that the Trust are never going to be the driving force that everyone wants it to be..

Couldn't agree more, it's not just the wider reach though, if the Trust had started this thread they would have had the opportunity to control the narrative and make it positive. Instead it becomes a thread mostly critical of the Trust "why can't the Trust do this/that", etc.

I, like others, are more than happy to help the Trust if that help is needed/wanted?

FAO PIZZZA / BIGDOG  (&  BARRALAD)

How about one of you (or anyone else on here who is a Trust member)  volunteer to post Trust information on here? It'd take very little effort and would be doing something useful.
By 'driving the agenda' the Trust gets immediate positive coverage, and hopefully could be used to encourage more people to join?


It might not seem a big thing, but I'm a firm believer in the David Brailsford philosophy that to improve 100% you need to improve 100 things by 1%

Quoted from friskneymariner

My perception of the Trust is it members are predominately male, pale and stale,perhaps a first step would be to examine your membership by demographics such as age range,gender,and ethnicity.This would be the first step to identify where you need to increase your coverage.

So I'm White ( when I have a wash ) male, old and state my opinions. Should I join the Trust being a Town supporter or not ?

Quoted from DB

So I'm White ( when I have a wash ) male, old and state my opinions. Should I join the Trust being a Town supporter or not ?

Not very good about this diversity thing are you,it's about reasons why people don't join.

Quoted from malkamalka

Am I reading this correctly? You don't want to use a fans web site because you want your own site to be the primary source? How dismal is that? Then you say others post your communications on here anyway.

Is that them doing your job for you? How long does it take to post on this Forum? That's if you want to reach potential new members of course!

This thread started as a criticism (valid or not depending on your point of view) of the fact that the Trust didnt post on here the details of the AGM. Like it or not the AGM is aimed primarily at fully paid up members inviting them to the meeting. There is no measurable benefit to posting that information on here.
If I wanted to find out about an organisation that I was interested in joining I would search for the website belonging to that organisation.
In the past I've posted detail on here and will do so again.

Quoted from friskneymariner

Not very good about this diversity thing are you,it's about reasons why people don't join.

Diversity , It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.

or

A dance group

Not very good about this diversity thing are you !

Quoted from barralad

This thread started as a criticism (valid or not depending on your point of view) of the fact that the Trust didnt post on here the details of the AGM. Like it or not the AGM is aimed primarily at fully paid up members inviting them to the meeting. There is no measurable benefit to posting that information on here.
If I wanted to find out about an organisation that I was interested in joining I would search for the website belonging to that organisation.
In the past I've posted detail on here and will do so again.

So why post it on Twitter and Facebook then?

Only equality and diversity manager .for large public sector organisation for 13 years,your call

Quoted from friskneymariner

Only equality and diversity manager .for large public sector organisation for 13 years,your call

Shite operations manger pushed sideways?

Quoted from Fishy clapper

Shite operations manger pushed sideways?

Shite operations coming to the realisation the system did not care about the people it was supposed to be helping .

I think in terms of the Comms, these should serve to to stay in the mind  of fans members or not. The Trust must be seen to be ‘active’. In terms of the AGM, yes it is for members but there needs to create some intrigue from non members.

Take the customer journey funnel. Those little extra posts on message boards etc. Can help turn ‘interest’ into ‘purchase’ and then ‘retention’.


Not a criticism in the slightest to the trust board, I can see why the decision was made. For what it’s worth the news there is a number of people willing to put their names forward is great to see. In fact I think I think I’ll be one of those people as I think I have something to offer the trust which In turn can help the club.

Quoted from forza ivano

FAO PIZZZA / BIGDOG  (&  BARRALAD)

How about one of you (or anyone else on here who is a Trust member)  volunteer to post Trust information on here? It'd take very little effort and would be doing something useful.
By 'driving the agenda' the Trust gets immediate positive coverage, and hopefully could be used to encourage more people to join?


It might not seem a big thing, but I'm a firm believer in the David Brailsford philosophy that to improve 100% you need to improve 100 things by 1%

Good idea Forza, I do follow the Trust on Twitter so it would not be a problem for me to copy and paste any info to here if not posted already. Every little helps

Question for Barralad, do you think this would be a help / useful if I were to do this?

Some interesting and relevant points raised in this thread.

Comms: In recent GTFO discussions it was felt that the Trust could vastly improve comms with a better use of wider social media. Interesting to see that people don’t think that to be the case and they should concentrate more on social media with a narrower focus on Town!

Age range of The Fishy: I’m not sure it’s as young as people might think on here. I’d put the average age at somewhere in the late 40s/50s but Pete, barralad and one or two others definitely bump that up!

Also I suggested some time ago that there could be a dedicated board on here for Trust concerns. Looks as if the demand is there Rob/Ian.

Quoted from LH

Comms: In recent GTFO discussions it was felt that the Trust could vastly improve comms with a better use of wider social media.

Hi, what is GTFO?

Quoted from pizzzza

Hi, what is GTFO?

Get That Fenty Out?

It was Grimsby Town Fenty Out but is now Grimsby Town Fans Online. We were pretty prominent on Twitter for a brief period over the Christmas break: @GTFansOnline

It's nice to read all these comments but being part of 'bump that up' age I am becoming confuse about all these abbreviations comms, funnel and GTFO. Do I stick a comms down a funnel to gat a GTFO, or funnel a GTFO to get comms, or shove a GTFO down a funnel and become confused !

Abbreviations are good if you know what they mean and bumping up at my age is confusing enough.

On a serious note as the club will have new owners soon joining the Trust may be beneficial as you can have a voice. How the trust communicates is up to its members but for me I don't do social media.

Quoted from pizzzza

Good idea Forza, I do follow the Trust on Twitter so it would not be a problem for me to copy and paste any info to here if not posted already. Every little helps

Question for Barralad, do you think this would be a help / useful if I were to do this?

Yes surely this can only help with what is a real achilles heel for the trust

Can’t help but shake my head in sadness reading Barra’s replies. I know you mean well, but come on. It’s like the parish council not reaching out to the WI because ‘they know where the notice board is outside the church if they want to come to meetings’.

You ought to quickly take pizzza up on his offer to do what Forza proposed.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Can’t help but shake my head in sadness reading Barra’s replies. I know you mean well, but come on. It’s like the parish council not reaching out to the WI because ‘they know where the notice board is outside the church if they want to come to meetings’.

You ought to quickly take pizzza up on his offer to do what Forza proposed.

Spot on

The Trust doesn't have to post everything in full on here, but just a headline and a link to their website if they wantvto drive traffic there. Just to signpost people who wouldn't otherwise be aware and, who knows, if they're not members maybe it will encourage them to become so if they see what it does on a regular basis, rather than never becoming aware of it.

Before I got involved in this thread I was sceptical about the Trust but open minded. Having read Barralad's comments I am now convinced that they are out of touch and out of date. I believe that they do not represent the interests of all Grimsby Town fans, just a small minority of Town fans with a certain view of the world (in respect to GTFC, nothing else).

The comment about them being like the Parish Council not reaching out to the WI is both funny and accurate.

I would urge anyone who can commit the time to attend the AGM, put themselves up for election and make the trust the representative of all fans.

The latest CA diary mentions the Trust and it's misgivings about it.

http://codalmighty.com/site/ca.php?article=7834

For my part, I think the Trust have perception issues. Rightly or wrongly, people perceive it in a certain light that isn't favourable and it needs to relaunch or rebrand itself somehow to make it more accessible. It definitely has communication issues and it's not on the radar of your average Town fan.

I'm loath to criticise them because of the work they do and the time they give, but they are seriously out of touch in my opinion.

I also believe they are seen as associated with the outgoing regime, which needs to change somehow.

I can only speak regarding my own comments,but I would like to state my comments about the Trust are not made with any malice,but with the hope that the Trust Board might reflect on some of the issues to improve their representativeness of the fan base.However I appear to have elicited a somewhat defensive response from some members.
This is not how an organisation learns but appears to smack of some people being overly sensitive to criticism.

Said it before ..when the trust gave the shares away the trust was finished for me and I suspect many others

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

Before I got involved in this thread I was sceptical about the Trust but open minded. Having read Barralad's comments I am now convinced that they are out of touch and out of date. I believe that they do not represent the interests of all Grimsby Town fans, just a small minority of Town fans with a certain view of the world (in respect to GTFC, nothing else).

The comment about them being like the Parish Council not reaching out to the WI is both funny and accurate.

I would urge anyone who can commit the time to attend the AGM, put themselves up for election and make the trust the representative of all fans.

I'm intrigued as to which fans constitute the minority that we represent. Care to expand?
Would it be for example the twitterati , facebook users or the significant number of our members (and Town fans at large) who don't use the Internet or use or even know of the existence of the Fishy?
When we've got beyond communication there is an awful lot of work much of it boring and definitely unsexy that needs doing.
So whilst I'd wholeheartedly welcome the involvement of others it would be with the proviso that they are prepared to roll up their collective sleeves and graft.
BTW I'd also recommend that they read the rules as highlighted by the OP because signed nomination forms together with a 300 to 1000 word address on what they skills they hope to bring to the table to benefit the organisation need to be with the independent overseer by Friday 19 February. This will help the members decide if a vote is needed.

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

Said it before ..when the trust gave the shares away the trust was finished for me and I suspect many others

Said it before  had you and all the others who have made the same comment over the 8 plus years since the vote been members then WE might have been able to overturn the result.

Quoted from friskneymariner

I can only speak regarding my own comments,but I would like to state my comments about the Trust are not made with any malice,but with the hope that the Trust Board might reflect on some of the issues to improve their representativeness of the fan base.However I appear to have elicited a somewhat defensive response from some members.
This is not how an organisation learns but appears to smack of some people being overly sensitive to criticism.

Not sure if this is aimed at me mate but be assured I accept all your comments in the spirit I know they were meant.

I got an e mail telling me about the AGM did all members ?

I agree posting on the fishy should not be a problem as Ian has spent far more time saying on here saying why they haven't.

I have decided after years of asking.

On my gravestone I will put . I told you I was ill.
                                                   I only ever wanted a mariners Trust membership card.

And.            Depending whether I ever get into our new ground.

                                                    At least I got my team play in our new stadium
                                    Or.            I never did get to see my team play in a new stadium.




End of moan.  

Quoted from barralad

I'm intrigued as to which fans constitute the minority that we represent. Care to expand?
Would it be for example the twitterati , facebook users or the significant number of our members (and Town fans at large) who don't use the Internet or use or even know of the existence of the Fishy?

It's obvious from your comments that you don't know the history of your own organisation. How you managed to get so many people joining the Trust in it's earliest days.

However, your comments to people trying to HELP the Trust are typical of an out of touch entity. Nobody is saying that The Fishy becomes the sole notice board for Trust activities, just an additional opportunity to advertise freely.

As someone has pointed out, a headline and a link to the Trust web site would suffice if you are more interested in "hits" on your own site than getting your message across as widely as possible.

Quoted from grimsby pete

I got an e mail telling me about the AGM did all members ?

I agree posting on the fishy should not be a problem as Ian has spent far more time saying on here saying why they haven't.

I have decided after years of asking.

On my gravestone I will put . I told you I was ill.
                                                   I only ever wanted a mariners Trust membership card.

And.            Depending whether I ever get into our new ground.

                                                    At least I got my team play in our new stadium
                                    Or.            I never did get to see my team play in a new stadium.




End of moan.  

I am reliably informed Pete by our Membership team that if you log on to our new Membership system you can download your own membership card...you're welcome 😊

I really don't understand why the Trust are unwilling to post/share things on here? they do it on social media so why not on here? what harm can it do? and it takes very little time, a minute at most.

nobody is saying this should be instead of the Trust website and social media but why can't it be aswell as the trust website and social media.

I find it ironic that a member of the Trust's board is happy to take the time to explain why he thinks they should not post things on The Fishy but yet he is not happy to take the time in actually posting/sharing content on here which opens this information up to posters who do not use social media.

Quoted from barralad

I am reliably informed Pete by our Membership team that if you log on to our new Membership system you can download your own membership card...you're welcome 😊

Yipee !!!!!!! Thanks Ian I will get the grandkids to do it for me.

Quoted from malkamalka

It's obvious from your comments that you don't know the history of your own organisation. How you managed to get so many people joining the Trust in it's earliest days.

However, your comments to people trying to HELP the Trust are typical of an out of touch entity. Nobody is saying that The Fishy becomes the sole notice board for Trust activities, just an additional opportunity to advertise freely.

As someone has pointed out, a headline and a link to the Trust web site would suffice if you are more interested in "hits" on your own site than getting your message across as widely as possible.

Might I point out that the highlighted quote has been taken out of context? I made that point to counter the argument that we "only" represent a small minority of town fans. As such the history of the Trust has no bearing on it.

Quoted from Davec

I really don't understand why the Trust are unwilling to post/share things on here? they do it on social media so why not on here? what harm can it do? and it takes very little time, a minute at most.

nobody is saying this should be instead of the Trust website and social media but why can't it be aswell as the trust website and social media.

I find it ironic that a member of the Trust's board is happy to take the time to explain why he thinks they should not post things on The Fishy but yet he is not happy to take the time in actually posting/sharing content on here which opens this information up to posters who do not use social media.

Potentially.....the perceived cozying up of the Trust to the existing regime and the existing regimes obsessive suspicion of this forum and its "small vocal minority" and the Fishy 5 ( or was it 4 ? )  it maybe wasnt seen to be conducive to the relationship.

Quoted from ginnywings

The latest CA diary mentions the Trust and it's misgivings about it.

http://codalmighty.com/site/ca.php?article=7834

For my part, I think the Trust have perception issues. Rightly or wrongly, people perceive it in a certain light that isn't favourable and it needs to relaunch or rebrand itself somehow to make it more accessible. It definitely has communication issues and it's not on the radar of your average Town fan.

I'm loath to criticise them because of the work they do and the time they give, but they are seriously out of touch in my opinion.

I also believe they are seen as associated with the outgoing regime, which needs to change somehow.

Please no! Not another rebranding. We had one of those and after the initial splash things died down. They just absorb the time of people in the organisation doing things for the rebranding whilst missing out on doing what should be done. Busyness rather than business.

Under Fent y the trust was told to keep their distance from the fishy.  I wonder why ?  

Under the new board I am sure that will not be the case.

Well, the new board will be in place soon, so let's wait and see what happens then.

Mr Eastwood especially, seems to be an inclusive type of guy, whereas it seemed to many that the old guard tolerated the Trust in a keep your enemies close kind of way.

I always thought the Trust should have been outside the boardroom under the JF regime, but under the new one, they are in the right place.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Please no! Not another rebranding. We had one of those and after the initial splash things died down. They just absorb the time of people in the organisation doing things for the rebranding whilst missing out on doing what should be done. Busyness rather than business.

Perhaps the wrong choice of wording. It somehow needs to change the way it is perceived, is all.

The new regime will help in that regard I hope.

Quoted from ginnywings

Perhaps the wrong choice of wording. It somehow needs to change the way it is perceived, is all.

The new regime will help in that regard I hope.

It needs to focus on expanding membership. I’ve never felt it’s done enough in that regard (both pre and post rebranding). Being given those shares by Mike Parker was almost the worst thing that can have happened in a way. It gave instant weight without being forced to go on a mass recruiting drive.

There’s lots of good work done by and through the Trust but in a way it’s a distraction from its primary function, represent the interests of supporters and that can only be achieved through membership. It all takes time away from banging the drum.

Membership Membership Membership.

To protect the interests of the supporters long term, the objective should be 51% ownership of the club like they have in Germany.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

It needs to focus on expanding membership. I’ve never felt it’s done enough in that regard (both pre and post rebranding). Being given those shares by Mike Parker was almost the worst thing that can have happened in a way. It gave instant weight without being forced to go on a mass recruiting drive.

There’s lots of good work done by and through the Trust but in a way it’s a distraction from its primary function, represent the interests of supporters and that can only be achieved through membership. It all takes time away from banging the drum.

Membership Membership Membership.

It was recognised a while ago that you were right in regard to membership. Part of the problem was our lack of ability to follow up on those whose membership had lapsed because our (very) aged membership system didnt have that facility.
The new membership system is in effect controlled by the individual member who can log in and update personal details etc. It will send out automatic reminders to renew.
Since Christmas we have been able to explore this to great effect. A surprising number of people we contacted stated that they had just forgotten to renew. Since the turn of the year we have added a significant number. Some of these will be of course because of an interest in the potential take over but nevertheless it represents a promising start.

It really is disheartening to read some of the replies on here from the Trust.

A lot of people don't visit websites anymore, people want their news in a concise and social manner. I'm not saying that the website needs sacking off but there needs to be a huge drive on communication across a wide range. Snide comments don't help matters one bit.

Utilise free tools like HootSuite to schedule social media posts and make it less of a chore. I use Canva as a design tool myself and it's great for what the Trust needs.

Put yourselves out there to the masses, be approachable and the membership will increase. Negativity helps nobody.

Quoted from barralad

Not sure if this is aimed at me mate but be assured I accept all your comments in the spirit I know they were meant.

More importantly do you feel it was aimed at you.

Quoted from moosey_club

Potentially.....the perceived cozying up of the Trust to the existing regime and the existing regimes obsessive suspicion of this forum and its "small vocal minority" and the Fishy 5 ( or was it 4 ? )  it maybe wasnt seen to be conducive to the relationship.

Not that it will make much difference to the hardened views on here but I need to refute this. At no point ever was it suggested by the club that we avoid contact with The Fishy. As a long time member of this board I wouldnt have accepted that sort of restriction.
The Fishy is a good source of information about the way part of the fan base is feeling. Quite a few issues have been identified on here and actioned in our discussions with the club. The one that sticks in my mind was the mess created over the sale of tickets to the Donny away game first season back. This was the first place the Trust realised there was a problem and although we couldnt do anything about that game we were able to ensure the club never went down that road again.
I get a much better view in my opinion because the Trust aren't involved in the debate. This whole thread is a good example of the restrictions the Trust put on debate. Some excellent points have been made but the very mention of The Trust wheels out opinions which although perfectly valid bring nothing to the debate in question.

Ah well looks like yet again the Trust haven't done themselves any favours by alienating Town fans!!

Quoted from barralad

Not that it will make much difference to the hardened views on here but I need to refute this. At no point ever was it suggested by the club that we avoid contact with The Fishy. As a long time member of this board I wouldnt have accepted that sort of restriction.
The Fishy is a good source of information about the way part of the fan base is feeling. Quite a few issues have been identified on here and actioned in our discussions with the club. The one that sticks in my mind was the mess created over the sale of tickets to the Donny away game first season back. This was the first place the Trust realised there was a problem and although we couldnt do anything about that game we were able to ensure the club never went down that road again.
I get a much better view in my opinion because the Trust aren't involved in the debate. This whole thread is a good example of the restrictions the Trust put on debate. Some excellent points have been made but the very mention of The Trust wheels out opinions which although perfectly valid bring nothing to the debate in question.

Barralad, I want to thank you for having the balls to enter into this discussion and take some of the stick that's being handed out to the trust. This is the most communication I personally have ever seen from the trust. I appreciate the opportunity to have a conversation about the trust with a board member.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

Barralad, I want to thank you for having the balls to enter into this discussion and take some of the stick that's being handed out to the trust. This is the most communication I personally have ever seen from the trust. I appreciate the opportunity to have a conversation about the trust with a board member.

Thanks for the feedback. I've tried not to hide on here or anywhere else as far as The Trust is concerned.

Quoted from barralad

Might I point out that the highlighted quote has been taken out of context? I made that point to counter the argument that we "only" represent a small minority of town fans. As such the history of the Trust has no bearing on it.

Even though the membership of the original fan's forum, GTISC, which was created at the same time as the forerunner of The Fishy (The Electronic Fishcake), was handed to The Trust on a plate by the then ownership of that platform?

Your arguments appear to be designed to lose membership rather than entice potential new ones.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

Barralad, I want to thank you for having the balls to enter into this discussion and take some of the stick that's being handed out to the trust. This is the most communication I personally have ever seen from the trust. I appreciate the opportunity to have a conversation about the trust with a board member.

Second that for one minute do not think any of this is personal Ian.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

It really is disheartening to read some of the replies on here from the Trust.

A lot of people don't visit websites anymore, people want their news in a concise and social manner. I'm not saying that the website needs sacking off but there needs to be a huge drive on communication across a wide range. Snide comments don't help matters one bit.

Utilise free tools like HootSuite to schedule social media posts and make it less of a chore. I use Canva as a design tool myself and it's great for what the Trust needs.

Put yourselves out there to the masses, be approachable and the membership will increase. Negativity helps nobody.

Not being funny James, but maybe it would be a good idea if you could pm barralad, or email the Trust, and outline what could be done, and how it could be done
3 other side points
1)when the Trust was founded the several hundred members of It's A Grim Exile was also 'folded in'
2) i know from personal experience how difficult it is to keep getting a membership to renew their fees. It does take some time and tenacity and you are always going to lose a fair few along the way
3) i think there is a 'chicken and egg' aspect to the criticism of the Trust and Barra's /The Trust's defensiveness. i think i'd be pretty touchy if i was giving up my time and putting in that amount of unpaid effort and then seeing criticism from people who aren't members or who just carp from the sidelines and won't help. Equally the Trust would be silly to ignore some of the more sensible viewpoints and advice that have been aired on this thread.

I just hope that with the Holy Trinity coming in, which will mean the club will be upping it's game, that the Trust will also be able to up its game. I'm certain it can only do so if more people do a little bit to help

Quoted from barralad

Said it before  had you and all the others who have made the same comment over the 8 plus years since the vote been members then WE might have been able to overturn the result.

Even with a bigger vote the outcome would have been the same in the end

Quoted from barralad

Not that it will make much difference to the hardened views on here but I need to refute this. At no point ever was it suggested by the club that we avoid contact with The Fishy. As a long time member of this board I wouldnt have accepted that sort of restriction.
The Fishy is a good source of information about the way part of the fan base is feeling. Quite a few issues have been identified on here and actioned in our discussions with the club. The one that sticks in my mind was the mess created over the sale of tickets to the Donny away game first season back. This was the first place the Trust realised there was a problem and although we couldnt do anything about that game we were able to ensure the club never went down that road again.
I get a much better view in my opinion because the Trust aren't involved in the debate. This whole thread is a good example of the restrictions the Trust put on debate. Some excellent points have been made but the very mention of The Trust wheels out opinions which although perfectly valid bring nothing to the debate in question.

i did say potentially and perceived....not FACT.  It was just a comment in response to the previous post.

I certainly value the presence of having the Trust inside the club although felt how the place was gained, the finance they were handing over for that seat and certain individual(s) who seemed to be very non supporter bias tarnish it for me.

I hope that the seat is retained and will hopefully actually gain influence when any takeover is complete as at the moment , to us on the outside , it just appears to be that fluffy cat that sits on Ernest Blofelds knee, miaowing every now and then when it feels uncomfortable but not really having any effect on its tyrannical owners schemes.

One easy way to improve that would be for as soon as the takeover is complete is for the trust to reveal " I'm Spartacus" in the whole May scandal.

  

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

Even with a bigger vote the outcome would have been the same in the end

Yeah. You are probably right.  Throughout my life I've always seemed to be on the wrong side of democracy.

Quoted from moosey_club

i did say potentially and perceived....not FACT.  It was just a comment in response to the previous post.

I certainly value the presence of having the Trust inside the club although felt how the place was gained, the finance they were handing over for that seat and certain individual(s) who seemed to be very non supporter bias tarnish it for me.

I hope that the seat is retained and will hopefully actually gain influence when any takeover is complete as at the moment , to us on the outside , it just appears to be that fluffy cat that sits on Ernest Blofelds knee, miaowing every now and then when it feels uncomfortable but not really having any effect on its tyrannical owners schemes.

One easy way to improve that would be for as soon as the takeover is complete is for the trust to reveal " I'm Spartacus" in the whole May scandal.

  

Yes I know you did. I was addressing the perception. Sorry if it came across as suggesting it was factual.

Quoted from malkamalka

Even though the membership of the original fan's forum, GTISC, which was created at the same time as the forerunner of The Fishy (The Electronic Fishcake), was handed to The Trust on a plate by the then ownership of that platform?

Your arguments appear to be designed to lose membership rather than entice potential new ones.

At the risk of further enhancing your apparent opinion that I'm an idiot  I'm still struggling to see the relevance to my point that we don't just try to represent a tiny minority of Town fans.
As a side issue I wonder how many of those original pioneers still post on or even read the Fishy. In the near 13 years I've been a member I've lost count of the posters, many of whom I have/had the utmost respect for, who no longer post or even worse are no longer with us.

As a sideline fan in exile for years and mostly going to away games, but still passionate about the club. I've always felt there has been a communication issue with the club as a brand which extends to the trust. I suspect I would be a key target to bring into the fold as it were and I've put my thoughts below:

There needs to be clear and concise messaging across all forms of social media platforms, outreach to the various affiliates - the podcasts as an example and this forum being the most captive audience, it'd be foolish to disregard it.

It's essentially marketing basics and I think the trust could perhaps make use of people with this expertise to assist in getting the message to be streamlined. I've received many emails that have recently been sent by the trust and there's no 'presence' to them, it's text with no branding, strange sentence structure, and directing people to communicate with questions to an @hullcity supporters trust email, bizarre.

The only reason I've looked in-depth at these things as that's my area of work and it jumps out as potential barriers to entry for the people you want to get involved with and I just unsubbed from the emails as they were dry and not engaging.

I'd just like to say that I appreciate that there has been a lot of work put in by those associated with the trust, but it feels disjointed and outdated.

Quoted from forza ivano

Not being funny James, but maybe it would be a good idea if you could pm barralad, or email the Trust, and outline what could be done, and how it could be done
3 other side points
1)when the Trust was founded the several hundred members of It's A Grim Exile was also 'folded in'
2) i know from personal experience how difficult it is to keep getting a membership to renew their fees. It does take some time and tenacity and you are always going to lose a fair few along the way
3) i think there is a 'chicken and egg' aspect to the criticism of the Trust and Barra's /The Trust's defensiveness. i think i'd be pretty touchy if i was giving up my time and putting in that amount of unpaid effort and then seeing criticism from people who aren't members or who just carp from the sidelines and won't help. Equally the Trust would be silly to ignore some of the more sensible viewpoints and advice that have been aired on this thread.

I just hope that with the Holy Trinity coming in, which will mean the club will be upping it's game, that the Trust will also be able to up its game. I'm certain it can only do so if more people do a little bit to help

You make some valid points Forza. Mind you I dont think its necessarily James job to contact us. He's put the stuff out there and it would be somewhat remiss of me not to respond.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

It really is disheartening to read some of the replies on here from the Trust.

A lot of people don't visit websites anymore, people want their news in a concise and social manner. I'm not saying that the website needs sacking off but there needs to be a huge drive on communication across a wide range. Snide comments don't help matters one bit.

Utilise free tools like HootSuite to schedule social media posts and make it less of a chore. I use Canva as a design tool myself and it's great for what the Trust needs.

Put yourselves out there to the masses, be approachable and the membership will increase. Negativity helps nobody.

You have a p.m. mate.

Quoted from Plankton

As a sideline fan in exile for years and mostly going to away games, but still passionate about the club. I've always felt there has been a communication issue with the club as a brand which extends to the trust. I suspect I would be a key target to bring into the fold as it were and I've put my thoughts below:

There needs to be clear and concise messaging across all forms of social media platforms, outreach to the various affiliates - the podcasts as an example and this forum being the most captive audience, it'd be foolish to disregard it.

It's essentially marketing basics and I think the trust could perhaps make use of people with this expertise to assist in getting the message to be streamlined. I've received many emails that have recently been sent by the trust and there's no 'presence' to them, it's text with no branding, strange sentence structure, and directing people to communicate with questions to an @hullcity supporters trust email, bizarre.

The only reason I've looked in-depth at these things as that's my area of work and it jumps out as potential barriers to entry for the people you want to get involved with and I just unsubbed from the emails as they were dry and not engaging.

I'd just like to say that I appreciate that there has been a lot of work put in by those associated with the trust, but it feels disjointed and outdated.

The feedback is appreciated. I suspect it is difficult to make e-mails regarding an AGM interesting..
If I could just offer an explanation for part of it. The use of the email address for the chap at Hull City Trust is because he is the independent person responsible for the oversight of the Board election process. This is the first year where the composition of the Trust Board may be decided by a contested election. It was decided to distance ourselves from the process to prevent accusations of bias or interference. As such all queries need to go to Geoff.

Having read many of the posts about the trust I have to say it is always easy to knock any organisation from the outside. They don't do this or they should have done that is very simple to say and post.

The only way anything will change is from within, so joining the trust and making your feelings/ideas/propositions known may achieve what you complain about. Barralad has done a good job answering what has been put before him.

Hopefully times are changing for Town and for the better. Likewise the Trust will also have to change and modernise to continue in the future and put forward a fans point of few. Seats in the boardroom is where fans get their thoughts made to the new owners.

The Fishy is excellent for making our views known and read by Trust members but you have to join the trust to take your views further.

Wasnt there supposed to have been a membership vote on the board positions? Or have i mis-understood?

The Fishy is excellent for making our views known
[/quote]

As part of a previous post I said the above and got 2 X's.

Can the people who gave them say why, as they don't agree, The Fishy is not an excellent site, and given they don't agree why they bother to log onto this site.

The Mariners Trust is not representative of the fans, that much is obvious. Just like the Fishy is not representative of the wider fan base.

As usual with these sort of membership clubs, it is a few people who dictate what happens, with their view of things. Egos come to the fore, and it invariably ends up with power struggles and as in this case getting too close to people who hold the ultimate power.

It always reminds me of political parties whose members have a view of the world which they think is correct, only for the wider public (the voters) to disagree. A few members of the Trust think they are being representative of the fans, but they are not.

The only people who actually matter are the fans who spend money attending games; people keep saying more fans should join the Trust, but why should they? They pay their hard-earned money and show true support through the turnstiles.

I am certain the new owners will have many ideas about genuine fan involvement, with a drive to get contact details of as many fans as possible, and I am sure they will be savvy enough to get fans views on anything remotely contentious without going through a committee who will have no idea what the majority of fans think. I am sure they will think of ways to get fans who can no longer attend matches involved.

The new owners will have a very long honeymoon period, and with everything likely to be going on to the delight of Town fans, I think they can take their time to find ways of consulting the wider fan base as needed, although I hope we don't have to be asked very often to be honest.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

The Mariners Trust is not representative of the fans, that much is obvious. Just like the Fishy is not representative of the wider fan base.

As usual with these sort of membership clubs, it is a few people who dictate what happens, with their view of things. Egos come to the fore, and it invariably ends up with power struggles and as in this case getting too close to people who hold the ultimate power.

It always reminds me of political parties whose members have a view of the world which they think is correct, only for the wider public (the voters) to disagree. A few members of the Trust think they are being representative of the fans, but they are not.

The only people who actually matter are the fans who spend money attending games; people keep saying more fans should join the Trust, but why should they? They pay their hard-earned money and show true support through the turnstiles.

I am certain the new owners will have many ideas about genuine fan involvement, with a drive to get contact details of as many fans as possible, and I am sure they will be savvy enough to get fans views on anything remotely contentious without going through a committee who will have no idea what the majority of fans think. I am sure they will think of ways to get fans who can no longer attend matches involved.

The new owners will have a very long honeymoon period, and with everything likely to be going on to the delight of Town fans, I think they can take their time to find ways of consulting the wider fan base as needed, although I hope we don't have to be asked very often to be honest.

The very reason why I will not belong to any hierarchical organisations

I think it would be better to postpone the agm until after the takeover is completed and we fully understand the plans of the new owners. This would give the members a better opportunity to be informed on how they would want the trust to run and who to run it.
You don’t have to have an agm at a fixed time, especially in the current climate. Believe me when I assay zoom is not the medium for this kind of meeting

Quoted from realist

I think it would be better to postpone the agm until after the takeover is completed and we fully understand the plans of the new owners. This would give the members a better opportunity to be informed on how they would want the trust to run and who to run it.
You don’t have to have an agm at a fixed time, especially in the current climate. Believe me when I assay zoom is not the medium for this kind of meeting

Sorry but there is not a chance of that happening. The rules we are bound by DO say that you have to have an AGM at a fixed time. We are already three and a half months late and living on the fact that we have been granted an extension which is rapidly running out. The vast majority of Trusts have had their AGMs. There is no viable reason not to proceed with ours.
Many Trusts have held their AGMs using Zoom and have given us advice on how best to proceed.