To: Sports Desk

Press Release

The Walsall Supporters' Trust (WST) Board have requested a meeting with the Chairman of the Walsall FC, Mr Mike Lloyd. Unfortunately, he has not replied to any of the letters which have been sent. However, Mr Whalley did suggest that the Board of Walsall FC would only deal with the fans through the Walsall Football Supporters Club Supporters' Liaison Committee (SLC).

Officers of the WST met informally with Mr Whalley and members of the SLC on Monday 8 January. There had been some confusion as the WST members believed the SLC meeting to be an open forum to which they could contribute. However, they were grateful to Mr Whalley and the SLC members for agreeing to talk to them at the end of their closed meeting.

Several issues were raised by this meeting. Whilst the WST are happy to work with the SLC or to be co-opted onto it, they have serious concerns about its status and the work that it does. The SLC does not appear to deal with the Trust's key issue of promoting affective supporter involvement in the football club. The formation of the SLC was undemocratic, the body is unaccountable to the supporters in general, and does not as yet disseminate its work to the fan base. It is not a broad-based community initiative. The WST envisages a wider role for supporter involvement in the long-term, which involves: constructive access to Executive and full Board meetings; gaining a shareholding for the fans; and, increasing information exchange and dissemination at the club. The WST will continue to press for a meeting with the football club.

In order to be successful, the WST supports liaison with other community and supporters' groups. The Trust Board will be holding meetings with the Saddlers' Club and the Independent Saddlers Supporters Association within the next three weeks in order to discuss co-operative working. Phil Sturgess of the Trust Board noted that "Each of these groups cares about the football club and will keep working in their own way, but some form of collaboration will benefit Walsall FC."

The Trust Board have also located several shareholders of Walsall FC Ltd. who are willing to give the WST their proxy at club AGM, or who are willing to sell their shares to the Trust. The Trust Board are currently involved in the process of completing the relevant forms in order to get the shares transferred. Richard Hall, chair of the Trust stated: "given that the WST is a constructive, community initiative which will be making a reasonable request for a share transfer, we hope that the shares can be transferred in good time."

The Trust Board should have more information at the time of its first planned social evening in late February.

The Trust is attempting to forge a community of fans of all ages, which can work to promote an inclusive approach at Walsall FC. The working party are creating the foundations for elected officers to move the Trust and the community of Walsall forward in their relationship with the football club.

The Trust believes that whilst forming the SLC was a positive step by the club, its members are not elected by the fans or the Walsall Football Supporters Club (WFSC) to do the job of which they are being asked. There is also a question mark concerning to whom they are accountable. Equally, the SLC should be working with all the fans, rather than just the WFSC. This means that details of meetings should be disseminated to the whole of the fan-base. It was pleasing to hear Mr Whalley state at the meeting that minutes would be placed on the club's web site, and be made available in the Saddlers' Club and at the club reception.

These points, plus the remit of the SLC and its lack of access at Board level mean that it does not match the aims and interests of the WST. On 16 May 2000 Mr Whalley noted that: 'The Club has faced criticism for not listening sufficiently to our supporters. We have now moved to remedy this situation by setting up a Supporters Liaison Committee in co-operation with our Supporters Club. From now on if any of our supporters have any criticism to make, or a suggestion to put forward there is a clear line of communication, and they know that there will be an informed response.' The Trust Board do not believe that the SLC does, in fact, achieve this aim for all supporters of Walsall FC.