CroJack
Key Player
Swans Trust Online Q&A Transcript - 15th October 2020
Hi all, welcome to this evening's Q&A session and thanks for attending and being a member of the Swans Trust!
Please ask any questions on this thread and I'll respond accordingly. We have some previously submitted questions
we'll add into this chat as we progress. Thanks!
Q. Question previously submitted by Gwyn John "Hello Andrew, there appears to be much action this week on transfers in and out, as a Trust are we ever informed in advance of any changes pending in the playing staff and where this will take us. Obviously this is a concerning time for the fans who have witnessed a good start to the season but we would quickly come unstuck if we lose players, and faces are brought in which are simply not good enough."
A. Thanks Gwyn. Stuart McDonald, our Supporter Director, meets with the club's management team, such as Julian Winter and Gareth Davies (our CFO) every week, so is kept abreast of the general situation. Things can move quickly so we're not consulted on individual signings but we are aware of the general plans.
Obviously, we share our views and the fans concerns on various things. For example, on the Joe Rodon situation we all see the press reports of Spurs coming in with an offer we'd see as ridiculously low, and that opinion is shared. We understand that view is shared by the club. If we received an offer we couldn't refuse then obviously we would need to replace and strengthen the squad. It is the challenge for Julian and his team, so we will see!
Q. Hi Andy, what dialogue has Trust had to date with Jake Silverstein?
A. Hi Ian. Funnily enough, we had our first conversation with Jake Silverstein this evening. It was very civil and he
came across well but obviously we shared our concerns with how the recent board changes have been handled and the general lack of communication, which has been a historic issue. Of course, we also told him all about the historic issues between us and the other shareholders. We shall see how that progresses, but it was a generally positive first meeting.
Q. good news that the dialogue has started
A. Agreed. Long overdue.
Q. With the Swans Facebook page recently sharing a petition to allow fans to return to stadiums, have the club considered any way that they would be able to manage this if the government decide to consider it? Any
suggestions over percentage attendance that could be safely managed, or thoughts on what could be sufficient to put in place to allow a return, if the government agree?
A. Unfortunately, at the moment, there are a lot of unknowns. We know the UK, and Welsh, Governments are not
countenancing fans attending sports stadia at the current time, and what that phased return would look like needs to be agreed between the clubs and the Governments. I don't think there's been enough engagement in that area to be honest.
I know the club have done some work to look at how they can facilitate that, but unfortunately, I don't think we're
close to returning. We also have the local lockdown situation as well of course.
Q. Dear Trust, Due to Swansea's remarkable recent history and pleasing playing style, Swansea City has fans from across the UK and indeed worldwide. What actions are the Trust taking to engage and inform fans beyond press releases? With fans obviously not able to physically engage with the Trust because of Covid-19, I think this is a pressing issue. I appreciate this Facebook Q and A is a positive step in this direction. One suggestion I would have is could the trust co-ordinate / organise a virtual fan night over zoom? Something akin to Swansea City Pub Quiz or perhaps talks about the history of the club. Thanks. Tom
A. It's a good idea Tom! Today is just an attempt to kick things off. We'll see if this works and go from there. Maybe a Teams/Zoom call for a Forum could work too, or maybe something in the social area. We'll have a think and go from there, but this is definitely something we want to improve upon.
Q. The trust has been offering a 50% discount on trust membership to new members recently. Has there been an
increase in people joining since the discount was offered?
A. Yes there has been a very positive take-up. We have over 300 new members in the last couple of months, so thank you all who have re-joined, and of course thanks all to those who had joined previously who we automatically extended for this season!
Hi all, welcome to this evening's Q&A session and thanks for attending and being a member of the Swans Trust!
Please ask any questions on this thread and I'll respond accordingly. We have some previously submitted questions
we'll add into this chat as we progress. Thanks!
Q. Question previously submitted by Gwyn John "Hello Andrew, there appears to be much action this week on transfers in and out, as a Trust are we ever informed in advance of any changes pending in the playing staff and where this will take us. Obviously this is a concerning time for the fans who have witnessed a good start to the season but we would quickly come unstuck if we lose players, and faces are brought in which are simply not good enough."
A. Thanks Gwyn. Stuart McDonald, our Supporter Director, meets with the club's management team, such as Julian Winter and Gareth Davies (our CFO) every week, so is kept abreast of the general situation. Things can move quickly so we're not consulted on individual signings but we are aware of the general plans.
Obviously, we share our views and the fans concerns on various things. For example, on the Joe Rodon situation we all see the press reports of Spurs coming in with an offer we'd see as ridiculously low, and that opinion is shared. We understand that view is shared by the club. If we received an offer we couldn't refuse then obviously we would need to replace and strengthen the squad. It is the challenge for Julian and his team, so we will see!
Q. Hi Andy, what dialogue has Trust had to date with Jake Silverstein?
A. Hi Ian. Funnily enough, we had our first conversation with Jake Silverstein this evening. It was very civil and he
came across well but obviously we shared our concerns with how the recent board changes have been handled and the general lack of communication, which has been a historic issue. Of course, we also told him all about the historic issues between us and the other shareholders. We shall see how that progresses, but it was a generally positive first meeting.
Q. good news that the dialogue has started
A. Agreed. Long overdue.
Q. With the Swans Facebook page recently sharing a petition to allow fans to return to stadiums, have the club considered any way that they would be able to manage this if the government decide to consider it? Any
suggestions over percentage attendance that could be safely managed, or thoughts on what could be sufficient to put in place to allow a return, if the government agree?
A. Unfortunately, at the moment, there are a lot of unknowns. We know the UK, and Welsh, Governments are not
countenancing fans attending sports stadia at the current time, and what that phased return would look like needs to be agreed between the clubs and the Governments. I don't think there's been enough engagement in that area to be honest.
I know the club have done some work to look at how they can facilitate that, but unfortunately, I don't think we're
close to returning. We also have the local lockdown situation as well of course.
Q. Dear Trust, Due to Swansea's remarkable recent history and pleasing playing style, Swansea City has fans from across the UK and indeed worldwide. What actions are the Trust taking to engage and inform fans beyond press releases? With fans obviously not able to physically engage with the Trust because of Covid-19, I think this is a pressing issue. I appreciate this Facebook Q and A is a positive step in this direction. One suggestion I would have is could the trust co-ordinate / organise a virtual fan night over zoom? Something akin to Swansea City Pub Quiz or perhaps talks about the history of the club. Thanks. Tom
A. It's a good idea Tom! Today is just an attempt to kick things off. We'll see if this works and go from there. Maybe a Teams/Zoom call for a Forum could work too, or maybe something in the social area. We'll have a think and go from there, but this is definitely something we want to improve upon.
Q. The trust has been offering a 50% discount on trust membership to new members recently. Has there been an
increase in people joining since the discount was offered?
A. Yes there has been a very positive take-up. We have over 300 new members in the last couple of months, so thank you all who have re-joined, and of course thanks all to those who had joined previously who we automatically extended for this season!