Today, the Plymouth Argyle Board hold their scheduled Board meeting.
We do not know the Agenda, but likely to include and up to date financial statement, boosted by recent results (the good ones!) and Season ticket sales. It is also likely to have a briefing on the progress or otherwise of the new stand and HHP generally. It may in passing have reference to the decision of the PASB to disband.
For all Argyle fans the state and status of the playing staff and our current league position is paramount although attitudes to both may vary as we see daily on PASOTI and elsewhere.
And this is quite correct because in essence, this is what we are all about and what fuels life long addiction.
However, as we also see on PASOTI and elsewhere there are other, some would say secondary; some would say paramount, concerns. The Board are also aware of these, hence the PASB was brought into being to give fans vent to these through an organised structure whilst acting as a critical friend to ensure we, as a club, were kept on track and did not slip back into dark recesses of Administration. That was and is the narrative followed.
The interim PASB did itself no favours by and it will always be remembered (?) for taking 9 attempts to define what its terms of reference were. Nor did it help when the election, overseen and organised by the ERS manages to include children. Sorry, but you just could not make this up even if scripted by Ben Elton.
But the Board did not cover itself in glory by not trusting the PASB with news of not 1 but 3 new appointment of Directors to the Board, normally the day after we had had a joint meeting. Nor thinking we had any constructive comments to make regarding the internal workings of the new stand or ST pricing, to name but 2. The latter being the straw that broke the camels back.
So now as the PAFC Board meet they must decide if their experiment in "Fan Engagement" dies with the PASB or can be morphed into a new, improved version.
There will be voices that say that the Trust should be that body. It is clear the Trust have an important role to play in representing their members views. It is equally clear that they are not going to have sole rights any time soon when their membership figures are as low as a % of fans attending games. That is not a criticism of the Trust, just a simple statement of sense. It is also clear that you can not ignore the regional/other supporters groups. You can not shun the 80 year old Plymouth Argyle Supporters Club or the other well supported groups in Plymouth and around the country. But it is equally clear the Board do not intend talking at length to each group individually as stated at a recent PAFC/PASB meeting. It is clear the election process was flawed, cost a great deal of money and led to accusations that the PASB was not independent of the Club. Any new group must either be financed by the constituent groups or avoid the need to spend in the first place by avoiding elections.
Amongst the PASB members, who have taken soundings from individuals and groups alike it is clear there is an appetite for Fan Engagement (FE). Despite differences in nuance, there is a clear view that collectively it can and should be "part of the DNA of the Club" as Jon B memorably put it and which at our meeting on Saturday we all echoed.
Whilst it is clear that in broad terms, the fans current representatives know where (FE) should go we need to know from this Board if they are so inclined and if they are, on what terms they wish to. It has been said that the Board wish to engage, it is only left to discover on what terms.
As always, I am an optimist, having already stated my intention not to seek election (when that was still an option) I wish any new group of fans representatives well as I believe it is not only in the fans interest, but as importantly, it is also in the clubs interest to engage and be seen to be meaningfully engage. This is not that radical, it is what good companies have always done, look at Waitrose.
We do not know the Agenda, but likely to include and up to date financial statement, boosted by recent results (the good ones!) and Season ticket sales. It is also likely to have a briefing on the progress or otherwise of the new stand and HHP generally. It may in passing have reference to the decision of the PASB to disband.
For all Argyle fans the state and status of the playing staff and our current league position is paramount although attitudes to both may vary as we see daily on PASOTI and elsewhere.
And this is quite correct because in essence, this is what we are all about and what fuels life long addiction.
However, as we also see on PASOTI and elsewhere there are other, some would say secondary; some would say paramount, concerns. The Board are also aware of these, hence the PASB was brought into being to give fans vent to these through an organised structure whilst acting as a critical friend to ensure we, as a club, were kept on track and did not slip back into dark recesses of Administration. That was and is the narrative followed.
The interim PASB did itself no favours by and it will always be remembered (?) for taking 9 attempts to define what its terms of reference were. Nor did it help when the election, overseen and organised by the ERS manages to include children. Sorry, but you just could not make this up even if scripted by Ben Elton.
But the Board did not cover itself in glory by not trusting the PASB with news of not 1 but 3 new appointment of Directors to the Board, normally the day after we had had a joint meeting. Nor thinking we had any constructive comments to make regarding the internal workings of the new stand or ST pricing, to name but 2. The latter being the straw that broke the camels back.
So now as the PAFC Board meet they must decide if their experiment in "Fan Engagement" dies with the PASB or can be morphed into a new, improved version.
There will be voices that say that the Trust should be that body. It is clear the Trust have an important role to play in representing their members views. It is equally clear that they are not going to have sole rights any time soon when their membership figures are as low as a % of fans attending games. That is not a criticism of the Trust, just a simple statement of sense. It is also clear that you can not ignore the regional/other supporters groups. You can not shun the 80 year old Plymouth Argyle Supporters Club or the other well supported groups in Plymouth and around the country. But it is equally clear the Board do not intend talking at length to each group individually as stated at a recent PAFC/PASB meeting. It is clear the election process was flawed, cost a great deal of money and led to accusations that the PASB was not independent of the Club. Any new group must either be financed by the constituent groups or avoid the need to spend in the first place by avoiding elections.
Amongst the PASB members, who have taken soundings from individuals and groups alike it is clear there is an appetite for Fan Engagement (FE). Despite differences in nuance, there is a clear view that collectively it can and should be "part of the DNA of the Club" as Jon B memorably put it and which at our meeting on Saturday we all echoed.
Whilst it is clear that in broad terms, the fans current representatives know where (FE) should go we need to know from this Board if they are so inclined and if they are, on what terms they wish to. It has been said that the Board wish to engage, it is only left to discover on what terms.
As always, I am an optimist, having already stated my intention not to seek election (when that was still an option) I wish any new group of fans representatives well as I believe it is not only in the fans interest, but as importantly, it is also in the clubs interest to engage and be seen to be meaningfully engage. This is not that radical, it is what good companies have always done, look at Waitrose.
