The Fan's Forum Sponsor Club - Your Questions and Concerns

Yes Paul it is hoped we will have a presence at the "Family Open Day" and i look forward to meeting anyone who pops by to say hello.

As Ras is trying to re ask my questions but rephrased into his own words to direct your answer

1. If you set up a fans forum sponsor scheme to raise funds for the club and then the club removes the forum and deletes all your members details, admits financially mismanaging the club and we are relegated out of the league, should you not be being more assertive with the club around what it spends your money on and how it manages the ffs in the future?

2. On the one hand you are organising meetings trying to get fans to protest, trying to improve how the board runs the club especially financially and how it interacts with fans and on the other you are asking fans to donate money to the club with no say on where its going. Is that not undermining the purpose of what the wellie group are trying to do?

3. You were treated like a mug by the board, is this not just encouraging them that they can treat such schemes like s***?

Jon, what do you think of the idea of using the ffsc as a pressure group? Some seem to be suggesting that it should only be relaunched if its influence is used to change things at the club. Will this happen? Will the funds go to anything particular, will the members get anything for their money?

The FFS is what it's members decide it should be, by majority decision. I think it can do some engaging with the football club and if we have something to say i'd like to think the FC would listen. However, the FFS as it stands is not a pressure group. The main reason the FFS was started was to provide some positivity, unity and indeed some fun. From the beginning we Sponsored Players who may not get Sponsored, we then Sponsored games, both of which members/Rovers fans enjoyed and in fairness was good value for money. It is very difficult to demand where the "Increased Revenue" goes, afterall we have got something for our money imo.

Jon, some seem to have reservations about your involvement with both the ffsc and the pressure groups recently. Maybe you could clarify your position?

I'd like to think my personal involvement with our little triumvirate (Mark C, pirate 49 and myself) are a separate entity. I run the FFS for the members who enjoy the FFS. I got involved with "The Welly Group" (as we seem to be now called) purely as a representative of many fans who felt there were no answers forthcoming from the club after our relegation. We listened to their concerns and tried to find a way forward to try to get some answers. The forums and other social media sites were full of disgruntled fans and i felt i may be able to help organise a way to help their voice be heard. In the past rightfully or wrongly the club has accused fan's of being "Keyboard warriors" i felt someone should put their head above the parapet and encourage fan's to come out more to encourage debate and a way to hopefully get the FC to communicate with us.



Do you like rabbits?

I have one in the bedroom, so i would have to reply - Yes.

Good questions
Jon?

1. If you set up a fans forum sponsor scheme to raise funds for the club and then the club removes the forum and deletes all your members details, admits financially mismanaging the club and we are relegated out of the league, should you not be being more assertive with the club around what it spends your money on and how it manages the ffs in the future?

I have to take it on Face Value - The Official Forum was removed for libellous comments and a lack of resources to moderate it properly, wether you believe this or not it is a bonafide reason. As you know "I" personally am being more assertive with "My" questioning of the club. And, the football club does not "manage" the FFS in anyway, so there is no question to answer there, we are completely independent.

2. On the one hand you are organising meetings trying to get fans to protest, trying to improve how the board runs the club especially financially and how it interacts with fans and on the other you are asking fans to donate money to the club with no say on where its going. Is that not undermining the purpose of what the wellie group are trying to do?

Well, i'd like to think by "organising" meetings as you put it i am contributing to encourage some change at the Football Club so that Fan's concerns are listened to, and of course hopefully acted upon. The word "Donate" is a misdinomer,  The FFS is a  "Club" run for and by it's members, we sell "Memberships", that membership entitles you to certain products/services, all members get something for their money, no-one is enticed to blindly donate. As there is a product/service recieved from the FC it is therefore normal turnover in effect and although we can ask that this "Increased Revenue" is used for something special we have no real say. I am not "Undermining" what the "Wellie Group" are trying to do at all, i am also doing something that encourages Supporter interaction with the FC.

3. You were treated like a mug by the board, is this not just encouraging them that they can treat such schemes like s***?

That is an opinion that has been said yes. But, what do you want me to do? Tell them to get stuffed? And put an end to a small FFS Club that means a lot to some people. I hope the club learn from the way the FFS was effectively closed down by the closure of The OF, but we were collateral damage that the FC didn't really think of, i believe they realised the damage they'd done to our members after the closure and i hope they will help rebuild bridges. Mistakes are made, its how you move on and learn from mistakes afterwards that matters

Your answer to 1. Would be valid if you had not spent weeks openly crticising the club for what they did on multiple media platforms. Suddenly you aree taking them at face value ?

Fair enough, i will leave you to it, feels uncomfortable to me .

Fans concerns wont be listened to if they believe we will carry on chucking money at them without demanding better

I think Jon's point that it is just increased turnover and not a donation as the FFS is a club buying product and services is well made.
Perhaps the removal of the expression that being a member of the FFS helps "support" the club would resolve the confusion.

Your answer to 1. Would be valid if you had not spent weeks openly crticising the club for what they did on multiple media platforms. Suddenly you aree taking them at face value ?

I did not spend weeks openly criticising, i didn't like it, i disagreed with it. But it's done and like it or not the reasons for closure were valid, what more can i do.



Fans concerns wont be listened to if they believe we will carry on chucking money at them without demanding better

I am trying to get better from the FC, of course i am, in fact i'm trying more than most. But your argument means - Don't put money into the FC, if nothing changes, are you suggesting fans do not attend matches, buy merchandise etc?. In truth it's the only real way to get what "YOU" want, but in most peoples eyes its also regarded as blackmail with Bristol Rovers FC as the victim.

Jon, I would just like to say I am more than happy that you run the FFS as you see fit, no one else puts in the time and effort that you do, so I will be backing the FFS as last year and am happy for you and the guys to use the funds in what ever way you think will help the young players/club the most. UTG. Hence I have no questions for you.