• AGM 13th January 2010, 7.30pm, Minutes more ....
• Leeds United Supporters Trust AGM 13 Jan 2010 more ....
• Season's Greetings more ....
• The Leeds United Supporters Trust would like to thank Lee Hicken (our Media and marketing Director) and Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post for the excellent article about the Trust and what we are trying to achieve. As always Phil provided an honest and balanced perspective on the back of which new membership subscriptions and numerous offers of support have already been recieved. YEP article here
• Leeds United Supporters Trust Social Evening more ....
• Trust Board Meeting Minutes 9th Dec 2009 more ....
• Trust Press Release November 2009 more ....
• News from the Board more ....
• The Board of the Supporters Trust as at 25th October 2009
  more ....
• Members are reminded that free individual membership of the Football Supporters Federation is available to everyone. You can sign up at -
  http://www.fsf.org.uk/join.php
• The WORLD CUP 2018: LEEDS BID
  Your individual help is requested. You CAN make a big difference more ....

Leeds United Supporters Trust AGM 2010

Following our announcement in early December that the Trust AGM will be held on Wednesday 13th January 2010 at 7.30pm we can now confirm the venue will be The Legends Lounge above Billys Bar at Elland Road, all members are welcome.

Following the formal meeting I hope to get chance to meet as many of you as possible in Billys Bar for a social get together and discussion about the future of the Trust.

Many thanks and a Happy New Year to you all.

Can I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for Christmas and the New Year and to thank you for the support you have shown through what was a busy last quarter for the Trust, especially those members who remained deeply loyal to the previous Board, for very good reasons, who have chosen to allow us the opportunity to prove ourselves to you.

I can only ask that you give us the chance to repay your support as we tackle 2010 as a new era for the Trust taking all the positives from the past and building a new future hopefully at the same time the club we all love acheive's promotion to the Championship.

Dont forget the AGM will be held in the evening of Wednesday 13th January 2010 at a venue to be announced in the very near future, it would be really great to see as many members present as possible, there is much to discuss and your opinions are invaluable to the Board.

Please have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Gary Cooper
Chairman (Acting)

Leeds United Supporters Trust Social Evening.

Many thanks to all who attended the social evening at Billy’s Bar last Wednesday night, I certainly enjoyed putting names to faces and sharing ideas and opinions on matters old and new.

For those who couldn’t attend we discussed the forthcoming AGM (January 13th 2010 at a venue to be confirmed in due course), recruitment and membership ideas and how all members can play a part, how the media and marketing team has and will work, re-branding, restructuring and what we all expect from our Trust as a body. These discussions alone raised many interesting issues for the future and allowed us all to share our concerns as well as our ambitions.

What I found most pleasing was the balance between the aspirational newer Trust members ideas and dreams tempered by the cautious longer term members experience, a great blend of the old and the new coming together for the first time since the changes in the Board and all agreed that this felt very positive.

We discussed an initiative that we would like to work with the Club on and I asked the member who brought the idea to us to take on the responsibility of project manager, the idea involves a ‘Walk of Fame’ on the concourses at Elland Road and more information relating to this initiative will be made available to members at the AGM and through the website.

Can I take this opportunity to remind you all we do have a Trust Forum http://www.leedstrustforum.com/ where I would encourage you all to discuss issues and exchange opinions with fellow Trust members and to please take a regular look at the Trust web site http://www.lufctrust.org/ which we will keep you up to date with Trust news and developments.

Leeds United Supporters Trust Press Release November 2009.

The Leeds United Supporters Trust is changing with new additions to the board, new members and the creation of working groups but most importantly with a new enthusiasm and ethos, by the fans, of the fans, for the fans and the betterment of all Leeds United fans and the Club.

We feel The Trust has yet to realise it’s true potential as a truly independent body of Leeds United fans from all walks of life and all four corners of the globe. We want all Leeds fans to come together, decide the agenda and work with the Club, the Local Authority, Supporters Direct and any other partner agency to promote and support the very best interests of Leeds United, its fans and the community. A city and a club with the support and history that Leeds has deserve this, but what brought about this new movement?

During the course of the 2008/09 season a small but passionate group of Billy’s Bar regulars began to discuss the benefits of having a truly independent voice for the fans as an organised body that would be willing to work with the club to address issues the fans felt were important to them and whether this could be done? Those conversations spread across some of the Leeds United internet forums and slowly but surely it became clear some of those involved in those conversations would be willing to promote the concept across as many LUFC forums as could be managed and assess the support that could be achieved if such a group could organise itself.

The levels of support were beyond the wildest dreams of those originally involved, with fans from as far away as North America, Singapore and Australia offering to assist and support the group in any way they could as well as hundreds of UK based Leeds Fans stating they would support such a group. Discussions about how to make this happen then began in earnest on forums across the globe and it was during a debate on one such forum (WACCOE) that the Leeds United Supporters Trust was first mentioned as a potential vehicle, already formally constituted and in place, for achieving the aims of the fans. The more this potential was discussed the more it became clear this was the preferred and sensible option and moves to explore the possibility of the Club being willing to work with a newly reformed, restructured and re-branded Trust began.

As a body that was already in existence the Trust came with some history that was seen as problematic by many fans for reasons that are best left well and truly in the past. Discussions with the incumbent Trust Chairman began about the possibility of making changes to the Trust board and bringing in new directors by cooption. These discussions were both positive and productive with the outgoing Chairman being a model of dignity and integrity as the handover process began. The new Board took control in a measured and considered manner, slowly but purposefully taking the Trust into a new future, a future shrouded in the as yet unknown but bursting with exciting potential for growth and a reborn enthusiasm to achieve by the fans, for the fans and for the betterment of the fans and the Club.

As November 2009 began with Leeds United top of League 1 and seemingly Marching on Together into a bright new future the Leeds United Supporters Trust began its journey under new management and with the driven intention of Marching on Together with Leeds fans side by side, from all over the world and across a whole spectrum of different groups, the young and old, the big and bold, the singers and the wingers, the confident, the sceptical, the optimists and the pessimists, men, women, children, everyone and anyone who cares enough to stand up and sing for Leeds United or be proud to wear the shirt, the damned and the forgotten but the soon to be great again. The fans that lived through the pain, two relegations and our assets stripped and sold off, our hopes and dreams crushed before our eyes, the fans who won’t ever forget that pain knowing it will make them even stronger when the sun shines once more on our Club. All those who heard the words “you’re not famous anymore” and laughed at those who taunted us with them, knowing they were never famous in the first place. All the fans that live and breathe Leeds United – the Leeds United Supporters Trust was now truly for them, of them and by them with a promise to consult the members and fans, to canvass opinions and take those opinions to the Club, to the Local Authorities or any other body that could provide an answer or make a difference, obtain outcomes and give feedback to the members and fans.

A truly independent voice, no agendas other than those set by the fans, to work with the club and the community for the betterment of the members, the fans and Leeds United, One voice, Your voice!

What has gone before to lead us to where we are now is consigned to history. We should of course learn from it and take as many positives as we can moving forward, but we should not allow it to hold us back. What matters now is the future and how you make a difference? Each and every Leeds United fan has an opportunity here and now, a simple choice: Do you want to have your voice heard? Do you want to support a Trust that has its members and the fans at the very heart of what it stands for? Do you want to help shape the future for Leeds United and your fellow Leeds United supporters? If the answer is yes to any of the three questions above please show your support by subscribing to The Leeds United Supporters Trust now using the Pay pal link or membership application form which can be found at http://www.lufctrust.org/ and join with Leeds fans from all over the world, One Voice, Your Voice. The future is now what we make it.

Quotes:

“As fans we have the potential to achieve anything, there is no greater club than Leeds United, no greater fans than Leeds United fans, lets make the Leeds United Supporters Trust the greatest too”  Gary Cooper, Chairman (acting) October 2009.

“With determination, passion and enthusiasm we can give all fans of Leeds United what I believe they deserve, a truly independent voice” Gary Cooper, Chairman (acting) November 2009.

“What has happened in the past is exactly that: in the past. We are all now in this together. We will do our best to raise the issues and work on what our members put forward, always with the benefit of the fans and the club at the heart of everything we do” Lee Hicken, Media & Communications, November 2009

Press Contact Details:

Lee Hicken
Email: lee@hebemedia.com
Tel: 07595 036355

 

The Trust Directors are hoping to organise a board meeting of the new and incumbent board members before the end of this month, this is proving logistically difficult due to previously organised commitments and may have to take place during December. Following this board meeting an SGM (special general meeting) will be arranged as early as is possible in the new year, this meeting will allow the Trust membership the opportunity to vote on those nominated to join or remain on the board.

We have already established working groups that will deal with the media and marketing including relaunching and rebranding the Trust as a fit for purpose vehicle able to fulfill its obligations and meet the aims and objectives as discussed on LUFC forums all over the world during the last few weeks and a membership and recruitment group that will begin work in earnest following the SGM. The media and marketing team will be releasing information to the members, Leeds fans and the media over the course of the next few weeks as this project progresses.

The hand over process is still ongoing but the new board has received nothing but support and guidance from the incumbents and those who have stood down and we thank them for their ongoing work to ensure the handover can be fully completed in the shortest possible time frame.

The board already have two initiatives that we would like to champion provided we can secure the support of our members and the club. More information about those will be released in due course but in terms of setting our agenda for the forthcoming year we would like to canvass and consult with Trust members and Leeds fans from all walks of life and from all over the globe to establish three key issues they would like the Trust to take up with the club, the local council and/or any other agency they feel it would be in the best interests of the fans to do so. In doing this we hope we can encourage debate amongst all Leeds fans so that practical aims and issues can be agreed upon. As we have always said, Leeds United fans will set the agenda, and this will be a great opportunity for people to put forward their issues. Again this process will begin in earnest in the new year.

We would like to thank those of you who have already subscribed for your support and ask for your understanding and patience during this period of change. There are both logistical and legal issues that we are working through, but be assured we are working through them and are excited about the future.

We also encourage all Leeds fans who want an independent voice to please subscribe for just £5 at membership@lufctrust.org and give us the mandate we need to make your voice louder and stronger, One Voice, Your Voice.

Gary Cooper (Chairman)
Simon Ridley (Trust Secretary)
Lee Hicken
John Moran
Ross Davidson
(All of the above are co-opted board members and subject to election at the SGM)
Malcolm Christie Treasurer elected for 3 years from 15th April 2009.
Gary Hewitt re-elected for 3 years from 15th April 2009

Steve Cooke Membership Secretary to the Trust. (not a board member)

Your individual help is requested. You CAN make a big difference.

The FA are taking careful note of the enthusiasm showed by the population of each city bidding to become a venue for the world cup 2018.

For this reason the FA are monitoring and taking careful account of the number of people registering their support for each city on the FA website.

Registering your support for Leeds with the FA via the web will make an immediate and very significant  contribution to the Leeds World Cup bid.

Please note that this is a bid by the City of Leeds and not something led by Leeds United.

For Leeds United Supporters a successful bid would mean the redevelopment of the West Stand and for other clubs in the region both large and small there is the opportunity to be selected as a training venue or as the site of a big screen to view the matches. For this reason there is opportunity here for clubs (large and small) in the region as a whole and this request for people to register their support is not restricted to Leeds Fans alone. Please request the individual help of family and friends.

Support the City of Leeds bid to become a 2018 World Cup Venue.

Register at
http://www.england2018bid.com/support/register.aspx

The City of Leeds World Cup bid website is at
http://www.backthebidleeds.com/