https://www.ncafctrust.org/news/notes-f ... d-meeting/

Notes from June 2020 Trust Board meeting

NEWPORT COUNTY AFC SUPPORTERS’ TRUST BOARD MEETING

JUNE 25, 7pm

MEETING HELD VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE

REDACTED NOTES FOR PUBLICATION

ATTENDEES: Shaun Johnson (SJ, Chair), Gavin Foxall (GF), Colin Faulkner (CF), Bob Herrin (BH), Kevin Ward (KW), Peter Madigan (PM), Mike Everett (ME), Paul Marks (PMa), Kelly Anderson (KA), Mark Crook (MC), Nigel Stephenson (NS).

APOLOGIES: Ryan Courtney (RC)

APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING
The minutes of the Trust Board meeting held on May 21, 2020, were approved as an accurate record.


MATTERS ARISING
CF said the Barnardo’s audit report would now be provided for the July meeting.


CLUB GROUP UPDATE (GF)
GF gave an update from the Club Group.
EFL: The next meeting of League Two clubs was scheduled for June 30. This would include discussions around a number of topics including iFollow and what product could be offered if the 20/21 season starts behind closed doors, and the possibility of further funding
Players: Mark O’Brien’s heart operation was due to take place soon; the club doctor had arranged for all players to be part of a cardio research programme for pre-season testing; all players and staff are receiving all comms before they go public.
20/21 Season: GF/PM/NS to meet with the manager next week
Academy: Regular positive contact with Damien Broad and his team – all are understanding of the Covid situation and keen to do all they can to help the club. Exploring whether the arrangements we have with Lliswerry School could be replicated with other schools in the area. Any proposal will need to be signed off by the full Board but it could be a useful new revenue stream as well as increasing the geographical reach of the club.
Retail: All imagery is now in from Hummel. Training and leisure wear will be available for sale online from July 1. Kit launch will be in three stages – away kit in July, third kit in August, home kit in September. KW reminded the Board that Covid Safe reopening equipment including hand sanitiser, face visors and floor vinyls was available free of charge from the Newport BID and he was liaising with BL on this. Remaining FBT kit needs to be out of the shop by July 1. The online shop would be down for maintenance on June 30 before its relaunch on July 1.
Crowdfunder: PM gave an update on the home shirt sponsor fundraiser. AE had now sold separate sponsorships for the front and back of the away and third kits. Work was ongoing re a sponsor for the back of the home kit, and also for the shorts and training kit. PM emphasised that all directors needed to be playing their part in encouraging their contacts to donate to the crowdfunder.


CASHFLOW/BUDGET (NS)
NS provided an update.
Expenditure in line with forecast.
Income exceeded forecast as a result of the following: Retail Sales, Debtor Collection, HSBC Bounce Back Loan, Economic Resilience Fund Grant.
Job Retention Scheme: already agreed to extend current arrangements to July. JRS for August, September & October to be reviewed monthly subject to circumstances and bearing in mind reduced level of recovery from HMRC.
Central funding for the Academy was now confirmed with a modest but welcomed increase.
ME queried whether Leasing.com Trophy income was guaranteed for season 20/21. GF said there was no indication to the contrary and the EFL still intended to deliver on all its contracted commercial deals.


SEASON TICKETS (GF)
GF presented a proposal regarding season tickets.
The following had already been agreed by the Club Group on June 5 and approved by all other Board members on June 6 via video call: prices will be frozen given the economic climate; North terrace will open; there will be a pause between the crowdfunder and any communication on season tickets; to explore further with the EFL what next season looks like with iFollow subject to the information being forthcoming from the EFL meeting.
The current budget assumes crowds not allowed to watch matches in stadiums until January 2021 and therefore any season ticket will need to include an iFollow pass. We have continued to engage with the EFL and they are not in a position yet to be able to relay what next season’s offering for iFollow will be. Currently there are two ways to purchase the product: season-long at £45 or match-by-match at £2.50. This product is only for audio. Video is not available currently for home league games and though there has been a recent trial to change this, it has not been concluded. As it stands today, there is not a product on offer on a like for like basis, that would enable fans to watch games behind closed doors. If we were to offer a season ticket with full iFollow access we would be at risk of offering something that we cannot deliver, at a price that may well mean we make less than we are anticipating (we currently have to pay as a club for the iFollow service), for a product that may well not exist next season, and not being able to offer to all our fans – iFollow is not available to those under 18. If we were to offer iFollow as an alternative to match attendance while matches are played behind closed doors, we could incur additional costs and fail to maximise our potential revenue for the club. Specifically, we would not be able to switch off the livestream when we resume playing in front of crowds. Our view is to have an approach that offers iFollow video viewing when games are behind closed doors but with the stream switched off when matches can be played in front of crowds. However, this is not available yet but is under consideration by the EFL, along with an away match pass.
The recommendation therefore is that we issue a communication stating we are looking at options that offer best value for both fans and the club given the economic environment; that the EFL are looking at the iFollow options and until these are known it is difficult to offer a package that we can deliver and price accordingly; that outlines what we are anticipating - prices frozen etc – but that all is subject to change dependent upon the EFL iFollow package.
KW suggested offering supporters cardboard cut-outs of themselves for any matches played behind closed doors. These could be included in the benefits for season tickets and sold separately to non-season ticket holders.
GF confirmed there would be payment options for season tickets.
The recommendation was approved unanimously.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION (CF)
CF provided an update.
One complaint of racist behaviour on social media – being investigated.
Club supported #BlackLivesMatter using EFL approved message.
Connected with Anwar Uddin from FSA – useful contact going forward, happy to fund some events, awareness days etc
Holding E,D&I Forum with supporters from all 5 protected characteristics next week.
Mental Health Awareness Week: The Charter was now on Policies page of the club website. The Charter has been endorsed and promoted, video messages of endorsement shared, city-wide working group set up.
CF also relayed the results of the Level Playing Field’s Covid-19 survey of disabled football supporters. These can be found here: https://www.levelplayingfield.org.uk/ne ... y-results/
CF said there had been communications with furloughed staff to check on their mental health.


SAFEGUARDING (CF)
CF provided an update.
Zero incidents reported from the club.
DBS checks can start again now.


COUNTY IN THE COMMUNITY (CF & BH)
CF and BH gave an update from the most recent County in the Community trustees’ meeting.


BAR AMBER (SJ & PMa)
SJ and PMa provided an update on Bar Amber closure activities and their RAG ratings.


ANY OTHER BUSINESS (All)
KW raised the need to set a timescale for the club and Trust AGMs. It was agreed to organise a date for October as the accounts are due for filing in September.
KW raised for the minutes that the next set of Trust board elections were due in December. KW, RC, BH and CF were all due to end their three-year terms, but all could stand should they wish for a further term. It was agreed to discuss further at the next Community Group meeting.
PMa gave an update on Trust memberships. Numbers have been static since April so there had been no drop-off in members during lockdown. Following agreement at the last Community Group meeting, the full Board approved an increase in monthly donations to the club to £7.5k.
GF suggested the Board formally record their thanks for the hard work undertaken by NS and BL during lockdown. This was agreed.
CF stated there was no date set for the next Community Group meeting. SJ said he would email everyone with a date in the next day or so.
Meeting closed at 9.05pm. Next meeting: Tuesday, July 28, via video conference. Start time 7pm.

Income exceeded forecast,so the doom mongers are wrong,we are not skint.

Percy plunkett wrote:Income exceeded forecast,so the doom mongers are wrong,we are not skint.

The problem is Percy without knowing any figures we simply don't know.

I owe £1,000,000 I expect to earn 10,000. I deficit of £990,000. However if I earn £11,000 my deficit is now £989,000. However I can still say my income exceeded expectations.

Now Percy, I have no idea whether Newport County are skint or not. But the statement you rely proves nothing either way.

Percy plunkett wrote:Income exceeded forecast,so the doom mongers are wrong,we are not skint.

I hope you are right. However, if this is true, why was it reported that income was down by 40% due to COVID. This was written beside a BBC video caption featuring GF in June.

I am certainly glad that we are not skint as you say, but these are worrying times. Very worrying.

I just cannot see how we can restart in September without fans (therefore income) being present. I hope things change by then.

pembsexile wrote:

Percy plunkett wrote:Income exceeded forecast,so the doom mongers are wrong,we are not skint.

I hope you are right. However, if this is true, why was it reported that income was down by 40% due to COVID. This was written beside a BBC video caption featuring GF in June.

I am certainly glad that we are not skint as you say, but these are worrying times. Very worrying.

I just cannot see how we can restart in September without fans (therefore income) being present. I hope things change by then.

Hi Mike,

Having chided Percy for a lack of logic I'm afraid I have to do the same with your post.

To answer your question, we expected income to be down 40%. In the event if we are down only 39% income will have exceeded expectations.

Still rather banjaxes The Gimp's theory that we never disagree.

Evening Brendan,

I must have missed the bit about expecting income to be down 40%. I thought we had just missed 4 home games. Surely that is not 40% of income. I admit finance is not my strong point but as has been said on here, our outgoings (wages etc) are still relatively similar even though we won’t have those 4 match day fees etc.

I’ll leave it to others to ask the nitty gritty finance questions but I just hope the Board know what they are doing.

From what I can find online, the 40% reference was in this interview that Foxall gave to the BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53023681

So the forecast of a 40% drop in income has nothing to do with the last four games of last season but is based on the assumption (at the time) of no fans in stadiums until the new year.

The reference to income being better than forecast in these notes from a meeting at the end of June is under the heading 'cashflow', so that'll be financial performance year to date and it looks like there's been money coming in from some of the government schemes available to all businesses. Kudos to the board for taking advantage of these schemes. It might seem an obvious thing to do but if you look at the ruling that led to Wigan's points penalty, their board even missed the deadline to furlough players!

Stan is right to the extent that a better cashflow is a snapshot in time, not the full budget for the financial year as that has barely started.

If crowds are allowed in from October, even in reduced numbers (and October is a Boris Johnson announcement so likely to be absolute bolox) then obviously the income situation will be a lot better than the 40% reduction originally predicted.

If we are that flush does getting rid of Benno and Jamma become a bit more puzzling being the manager wanted both players to stay.
Reading messages on social media both players were sorry to have to leave

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

Percy plunkett wrote:Income exceeded forecast,so the doom mongers are wrong,we are not skint.

The problem is Percy without knowing any figures we simply don't know.

I owe £1,000,000 I expect to earn 10,000. I deficit of £990,000. However if I earn £11,000 my deficit is now £989,000. However I can still say my income exceeded expectations.

Now Percy, I have no idea whether Newport County are skint or not. But the statement you rely proves nothing either way.

Let’s hope I am right and you are wrong,you will have blood on your hands if the club is in trouble.

Guys. That 'income forecast' will have been guesstimated well over 18mths ago, and based on a prediction that we might be battling at the top end of the table with a play-off game at home a possibility.

The truth is, the only relevant fact to the bank and corporate governance is 'is NCAFC Ltd a going concern'? So, does our income plus our assets come to more than our outgoings? 18 even 12 or 6 months ago the answer was probably yes, but now we have limited income, same or slightly higher outgoings (an increase based on the players' cardiac tests I would assume) and assets of virtually nil. I would suggest we need to find a new ownership pattern within 2yrs or we're buggered.

Percy plunkett wrote:

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

Percy plunkett wrote:Income exceeded forecast,so the doom mongers are wrong,we are not skint.

The problem is Percy without knowing any figures we simply don't know.

I owe £1,000,000 I expect to earn 10,000. I deficit of £990,000. However if I earn £11,000 my deficit is now £989,000. However I can still say my income exceeded expectations.

Now Percy, I have no idea whether Newport County are skint or not. But the statement you rely proves nothing either way.

Let’s hope I am right and you are wrong,you will have blood on your hands if the club is in trouble.

Two things.

Firstly I can't be right or wrong on the topic because I have said I don't know. You like me don't know. In claiming that you do you are wrong.

Secondly, your second point is crass.

Brendan,we are a fan owned club,it is for the fans to contribute financially to help to sustain it.You claim to be a fan,can you remind us how much you have put into the club over the last 5 years.My last comment is perfectly true in this instance.

Percy plunkett wrote:Brendan,we are a fan owned club,it is for the fans to contribute financially to help to sustain it.You claim to be a fan,can you remind us how much you have put into the club over the last 5 years.My last comment is perfectly true in this instance.

Crikey Percy.
You are coming over bitter and twisted here.
That's way over the top.
Maybe if the board took a lot more notice of us Mineons, then pretty sure funds would flow more quickly into the coffers.
Just don't get it though do they?
Tin pot scheme for sponsorship with the anonymous £5K and very poor attitude regarding online gambling.

Frank Nouble 3 wrote:

Percy plunkett wrote:Brendan,we are a fan owned club,it is for the fans to contribute financially to help to sustain it.You claim to be a fan,can you remind us how much you have put into the club over the last 5 years.My last comment is perfectly true in this instance.

Crikey Percy.
You are coming over bitter and twisted here.
That's way over the top.
Maybe if the board took a lot more notice of us Mineons, then pretty sure funds would flow more quickly into the coffers.
Just don't get it though do they?
Tin pot scheme for sponsorship with the anonymous £5K and very poor attitude regarding online gambling.

Sounds like the Force has turned you against.

Percy plunkett wrote:Brendan,we are a fan owned club,it is for the fans to contribute financially to help to sustain it.You claim to be a fan,can you remind us how much you have put into the club over the last 5 years.My last comment is perfectly true in this instance.

I see. Unless I donate a sum of money to Newport County you believe I will be in part responsible for the deaths of my fellow human beings.

Nonsense.