The 1895 Trust

Thanks to all who attended our AGM in the Tolka Bar last Thursday. It was a productive meeting on which we discussed the further plans and objective of the Trust, details of which will be available in due course as well as last year’s account results.

On the night we ran the 2017 Members Raffle, the results of which were:

1st: Declan Maher (€75 Voucher for the 1895 Trust Red Bubble Shop)

2nd: Aidan Geraghty (€30 One4All Voucher)

3rd: Eddie Burke (a copy of Gods vs Mortals by Paul Keane)

Thanks to all who attended our AGM in Tolka Park last week. It was a very positive meeting with a lot of good points raised and a lot worked on, details of which can be found below, as well as last year’s account results.

On the night we ran a raffle, the results of which were:

1st: Peter Murray (framed signed jersey)

2nd: Ian Smith (matchworn jersey)

3rd: Luke Dunne (a copy of Gods vs Mortals)

The 1895 Trust Co-operative Society Limited
Society Number: 5594R

Special General Meeting

Location: The Bar, Tolka Park
Date: April 20^th, 2017
Starting Time: 19:30

Names of Trust committee members: Ben Dale (Acting Treasurer), Lee Daly (Acting Chair), Ruaidhri Croke (PRO),

Conor O’Briain (Acting Secretary), Will Clarke (Acting Community Officer), Gavin Doherty (Membership Officer), Aoife Gorby (Ordinary Member), Ciaran Doyne (Commercial Officer).

1. Financial Update.

2. Membership Update.

3. Presentation on discussions with Club Board reps.

4. Debate on any motions submitted.

5. Elections to the committee (20:45).

6. Any Other Business.

7. Question and Answer Session (21:30).

To submit motions for debate or to stand for election to the committee, please email shelstrust@gmail.com.

Summary of Trust Situation in 2017

Current Challenges

Unclear mission and function

The Trust was founded to enable Shels fans to one day take a stake or outright mutual ownership of the football club. However poor relations with the club board, our campaigning on the Dalymount move and lack of consistent achievements have all distracted from or impinged on this goal.

Critically tarnished brand/perception from non-members

The protest at last year’s game against Waterford and the ongoing boycott have increased the divisions within the club. Without people participating in fundraising for the club, which we propose to increase this year, as well as a more divisive atmosphere in general, it will be difficult to achieve fan ownership in part of in full.

Few clear arguments in support of supporter ownership

Although we have accumulated significant funds, they are nowhere near what is required to take on the running of the club, much less see it promoted and return to some form of success. The movement in the UK has also slowed down and hit difficulties, meaning the concept seems less appealing to fans.

Potential Outcomes

Status Quo:

Pursuing our current aims with our current structure for the current season is what we are proposing. However, we have hit significant issues with keeping a consistent committee together and in recruiting new members, which we feel is a result of the challenges outlined previously. Undertaking some fundraising initiatives to benefit the football club will go some way to addressing these we feel and

Conversion to “safety net” model:

Should these efforts fail, we propose to suspend any and all campaigning efforts such as the one undertaken on the Dalymount move and carry out the minimum necessary to keep the Trust as a going concern. We propose focusing entirely on accumulating funds through ongoing subscriptions for a future eventuality when the club’ existence is under threat or there is an environment more conducive to fan ownership. It would also entail shrinking the committee by at least half, with these individuals agreeing to effectively function as trustees, meeting only to fulfill the legal obligations imposed by continuing as a co-operative, such as financial returns or holding of an AGM.

Disbandment:

The other option open to the membership is to disband the Trust and disperse some funds to fans who have contributed through the years. Although not ideal, members must remain realistic about the prospects of achieving anything approximating our aims and aware of the difficulty there has been in renewing the composition of the committee.

Our current recommendation is to continue with the status quo for the rest of the season, and review the situation at an EGM later in the year.

Fundraising for the Club:

To improve our image within the club, assist it through its current situation and give a focus for members, we suggest the Trust makes a commitment to hold the below fundraisers, with a projected target revenue of 12,000.

Mini World Cup: 8,000

Last Man Standing: 2,000

FAI Draw sales: 2,000

The 1895 Trust Co-operative Society Limited
Society Number: 5594R

Annual General Meeting

Location: The Bar, Tolka Park
Date: April 20th, 2017
Starting Time: 19:30

Names of Trust committee members: Ben Dale (Acting Treasurer), Lee Daly (Acting Chair), Ruadhri Croke (PRO),

Conor O’Briain (Acting Secretary), Will Clarke (Acting Community Officer), Gavin Doherty (Membership Officer), Aoife Gorby (Ordinary Member), Ciaran Doyne (Commercial Officer).

1. Financial Update.
2. Membership Update.
3. Presentation on discussions with Club Board reps.  
4. Debate on any motions submitted.
5. Elections to the committee (20:45).
6. Any Other Business.
7. Question and Answer Session (21:30).

To submit motions for debate or to stand for election to the committee, please email shelstrust@gmail.com.

Our AGM for this year is going to be held in the Tolka Bar, Tolka Park on April 20th at 7:30pm. This will be our 5th AGM, and it will be 5 years since our very first foundational meeting this November.

We currently have four vacancies on the Trust Committee of Management, and would really encourage anyone who is considering becoming involved to do so. Please contact shelstrustgmail.com with any questions on what serving on the Committee entails or if you wish to nominate yourself.

Membership
For this year, we are keeping our pay-what-you-can membership fee intact. This can be paid through a one off yearly payment, with a minimum fee of €15.00, but the majority of members are now on a reoccurring scheme through PayPal or Standing Order. Recurring membership carries with it a number of rewards and here’s what’s on offer for the 2017 season:

· €5 a month: A commemorative badge celebrating Shelbourne Ladies 2016 historic treble triumph, 1 ticket for our end of season raffle and full membership of the Trust.

· €10 a month: As above plus an additional raffle ticket.

· €20 a month: All rewards for preceding levels plus a second commemorative badge celebrating Shelbourne Ladies 10th Anniversary.

· €50 a month: All rewards for preceding levels and a Shelbourne mug from the 1895 Trust RedBubble online shop.

Our goal this year is 80 recurring members, and we have two donors who have agreed to donate an additional 1000 Euro each if we reach that target. Please upgrade your membership, ask family and friends to sign up, and post to social media using the #drivefor80 and #redstogether hashtags.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 20th of April for the AGM.

The committee of management are pleased to announce the co-option of four new or returning members to roles on the committee: Ben Dale, Lee Daly, Conor O’Briain and Will Clarke.

Ben Dale is an accountant and an avid Shels fan, who has played schoolboy football to a high level. He works for one of the big four auditing firms, where he audits small and medium sized businesses.

Conor O’Briain is a solicitor, specialising in immigration and asylum law. He lives locally to Tolka Park and attends games with his young family.

Lee Daly is a founding chair of the Trust and returns to the committee after an eight month absence.

Will Clarke is Director of Club Operations at St Joseph’s Boys AFC and was previously Jim Crawford’s assistant during a brief stint at Shamrock Rovers.

The co-option of all four will have to be ratified at a future AGM/SGM. The committee would like to thank Ken Buckmaster, who is stepping aside as finance officer after over 3 years of hard work.

The new committee has already met and is working on plans for 2017 as well as solutions to the current issues facing the football club. We hope to have further updates soon.

Membership rewards:
All membership rewards will be sent to recurring members soon, including tickets for our end of season draw. If you want to sign up or increase your subscription, you can do so at https://the1895trust.com/join. Rewards for 2017 are currently being finalised.