Minutes from the Meeting with the Club

[ASA]

Hi all,

Please see below the minutes that were taken at the meeting with the Board last week. If anyone who was at the meeting has anything to add please feel free to do so.

Thanks


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-AM opened up meeting introduced everyone asked question re Sack the Board songs at the football and asked if we felt it was constructive. No one responded.

Format of meeting was discussed:- Timescales and what we hope to answer and achieve from meeting

Open Statement to BOD.

1st point - CM works flat out to help invest in the club, he works round the clock, CM said in 24 months brought in £58k in ST money and £350k through sponsorship. Budget driven, while in power he will strive to make as much money available for the football club.

BC said dwindling fanbase, fans driven away due to lack of engagement towards football side of things? More effort into football side of things could bring more money in. Questions if because it doesn’t or hasn't been seen to make x amount before is this why no real engagement or effort is put in in comparison to other events? Agreement from the fans it’s time to engage and prove the fans matter.

Poor team, don't win games fans don't come. JP Initiated downsizing, in terms of numbers and quality. AM said this is down to the budget they have to spend. AM said working on trying to bring the best players to the football club. Cannot sign people out-with the budget. LM mentioned stagnation every week in Scottish Premiership. SL on non football events, re advertising for profits for Football academy. At what point does it filter into the football team. CM said stadium company is separate entity and academy and community trust all funds filter their way into the football club. Profits go to the community trust as a charity, and that money filters its way down to the club through this. JB said that during Alex Neil golden era, max 1400 fans. All Fans attending disagreed.

CAG said going to schools is pointless, Motherwell giving away free tickets, SPL is bigger pull. CM giving out 1k season books, to schools etc. every season ticket holder tickets. LG brought up Ross county 10p tickets. Said it was good but we got beat and fans wont return.

AM said our club is committed to the academy., to bring players through and make them better. Kids that have came in this season and it's been far too early.

CM brought up Social media and abuse that is dished out. Gave a few examples

CM said his role was bringing the money into the club.

BH said the BOD/ owners inherited circa £4.5 mill debt, and brought in money behind the scenes to make it easier for the football team to keep bringing money in to the football club

BC said that he feels that the charitable work gets much more attention that the FC, examples given and ideas of how to improve. LG and AM advised will ensure things are put into place if ideas are given.

SL raised concerns about fan engagement, and around banning fans. Gave example of recent experience. AM and LG to investigate situation.

DD agrees frustration all round, actions have reactions. AM asked if we can police this as a fanbase ourselves.

Point 2 - Commitment to Sell - CM is committed to selling the club, open to offers. Buyer would need normal due diligence to being passed over to a proper person/. company. If no one comes forward current owners will remain in place. FC and Stadium co are completely different entity’s, Stadium is a private company that was purchased for over £4mill, it has a number of tenants that were in place when he arrived including the FC and this will remain.

CAG asked re a conversation with CMCG, re a fan being told that he could build flats in the stadium or Old Firm could play there, said it was off the cuff comment. LG and AM step in to quash idea. Examples of other teams using other teams stadiums given. Colin assures their is a 50 year lease. CMG said Raith ideology is wrong and how he actually saved Raith., how much debt there was when he arrived and only 400k when he left.

SL asked re timeline, how he can have ownership in two football clubs, ie Raith and Hamilton, CM said he bought the Stadium company and nothing to do with the Football Club.

CMG makes comment about Jim Watson tenure and taking over from such a great man. AF shuts down the great man comment.

AF feels there is a hunger gone from the football club that was here 20 years ago. AM states that there is a hunger to make it better. He promise to try and make it better and there is a hunger to do so.
CM said the stadium company is a property company and the FC is a separate entity. It has always been that way. Nothing has changed.

Point Will the club listen to the fans and take on ideas that they have. AM said organise a legends night. Want Fans to consider who they want as first legends.

Why was nothing done throughout the years re supporters - JP stated a comment made in past that the stadium was fully functional and HAFC don’t rely on fans. LG said this was glib and not meant in the way it was said.

BC mentioned about how toxic and underhand comments have been made despite this and previous meetings being an attempt to better things and engage with fans more and better things, if we want to better things there needs to be transparency and both club and fans need to be on same wavelength to a degree.

Cairns steps in on above and mentions Auchinlek protest and how bottles were thrown at car with his 16 year old son in it.

AF said about tapping into the “second team” scenario for Season tickets. Club agreed to investigate ideas to make fan experience better. Needs support from ASA/ SLO and fans.

AM asked JP his thoughts on getting fans back into the ground - JP replied main thing is the product on the park. If football is attractive they will come. CMG and AM gave reassurances club will invest in January.

Community right behind the FC comment- money in the bank is key to the fact the community are behind the club. - LG said that the wider base of fans here needs to understand that this money is needed to get behind the club.

AM asks that because the community get more praise and attention than the FC and the fans that there is animosity? - general agreement from all fans. Club agreed to put same effort into PR and marketing of footballing side of things

Fans purchase of the club - Board all say yes - raise capital and come back to them. Figure is questioned, none given for any percentage, come back with fee and figure and agreement could be made.

ES asked about away stand. CM - Recovery and wellbeing village. More money stadium generates it reinvests into the club. All charities rent space from the physical football club part of their space.

AM wants us to know the BOD is trying to make the football better for the security of the football club. They are committed to all of that.




There are more Points to be followed up on, this is just a brief example of minutes from the meeting – if any participants feel anything has been missed please relay below.

[Stevie Clarke]

Can you clarify who the initials refer to? Is CM and CMG both Colin McGowan?

[TerracingTomas]

Cairns steps in on above and mentions Auchinlek protest and how bottles were thrown at car with his 16 year old son in it.

George Cairns has taken flak from some fans re his role as Academy Director. Don’t know why? Personally I couldn’t care less who is Academy Director my focus is the first team but I am concerned by this remark. The implication is that this was the act of Accies fans. So can I ask ASA did he specifically say that he believed Accies fans were responsible for this act. Were they wearing Accies colours? Did he recognise them. Did he report this incident to the police. When I parked up at Tescos in Auchenleck there were at least 4 young locals tanked up and taking their angst out on a bus stance. I’ve heard that locals attacked the supporters bus? I recount this as it seems more likely that the culprits for the attack on George's car were locals and any inference that it was Accies fans could be be viewed as a cynical piece of opportunism unless otherwise evidenced.

[TerracingTomas]

Thanks to ASA and the remaining SLO’s if involved for their efforts. Having read the minutes and tried to digest, it reminded of a colleague who once told a senior manager at a staff meeting that getting a reliable answer from him to questions was harder than trying to climb up a slimy fishmongers slab. I’m not really the wiser to the current situation than I was before. Sadly Ronnie wasn’t there to explain his thinking and what we did hear was a repeat of the various smoke and mirror re ownership and budget.

A few takeaways.
Mcgoofey has the habit of making off the cuff comments. No shit Sherlock! Like ‘all politicians are liars’ and I’ll turn the ground into flats. I’m sure there are more to come. Judge a man by his off the cuff comments IMO. Tells u more about him than pre-scripted propaganda.

The club has a 50 year lease on the ground. Why? its’ the clubs’ stadium. It’s our stadium.

Profit from the stadium goes back into the club. But not the first team budget apparently. Mcgoofey sets that and as Maitland assures us it can’t be increased. And no mention of how much does Mcgoofey pockets for his personal income as owner/CEO.

[Stevie Clarke]

No response to my earlier request. Who is CM, CAG, BC, JP, LM? I can only work out CMG (McGowan), AM (Maitland), DD (Danny Doherty) and BH (Bob Hay). I'm assuming LG is Les Gray but I though he wasn't interested anymore?

The 1400 home crowds point during Neil era is probably fair enough. There were obvious exceptions like the Friday night Aberdeen game when we were top, and a Ross County game with cheap entry. The 10p game referred to was against Inverness not County.

[WAC]

These are fans who were present , I don’t want to post on here for privacy reasons but they all quite well know accies fans

[WAC]

BC - does only accies podcast with Ben
JP - runs vaults bus