Notice to Members - AGM 2007

So you want to become a Board Member? Or you want to propose a Resolution at the next Board Meeting?

Maybe you don’t and maybe you won’t. You may be reasonably happy with the way the club is run and don’t particularly want to stick your head above the parapet. On the other hand you may be bristling with concerns, bursting with new ideas or just feel that things could be run a lot better. If so, the Board would positively welcome your input.

FC United is a constantly chattering village. In the pub, on the terraces and on the internet, views flow back and forth. The Board is only aware of a small fraction of these exchanges. And allowing the midnight ramblings of an anonymous internet persona to dictate Club policy isn’t the firmest platform for democracy. The person may not be a Member or even an active supporter. What the club needs is for the Membership to push these issues up to the Board through the formal routes laid down by the constitution. The door is always open but, in truth, precious few have taken the trouble to come through.

What’s in it for a Board Member? Financially, nothing. You don’t even get travelling expenses. You occasionally get your head pecked at matches. And, while the time commitment is reasonable, you’re guaranteed one long night a month burning the midnight oil in a Board Meeting. It’s also, for the most part, a largely anonymous role. Board Members are not there to make a name for themselves. They are there to serve the Membership and set policy and ensure that decisions are implemented.

We’re not an intimidating bunch. Board Meetings are about as informal as you can get and, while roles are taken seriously, humour is never far below the surface. Factions are non-existent. In interpreting the rationale of the club, we all draw the line in different places. But, excepting the obvious issues, we have to be pragmatic not dogmatic. There is a wide range of views, of course, but the Board rarely splits or votes in the same way each time. And votes themselves are surprisingly rare - we tend to seek a consensual path which respects everyone’s views and sensibilities.

In short, everything is geared to ensure that your voice on the Board will be a powerful one.

At present, the majority of the Board were on the original steering committee and, perhaps, might be regarded as self-selected. Last October we were lucky enough to have three new Members all of whom made an immediate contribution to the Board.

Disappointingly though, the Election was effectively no contest as we had only as many candidates as there were vacancies. Thus we effectively didn’t have a debate among the Membership as to future direction and, arguably, democracy within the club has suffered as a result. And, most importantly, the founding Board Members have no inalienable right to remain on the Board in favour of better and more representative candidates. Ultimately, it’s the successful future of the Club that matters.

This year we’re hoping more people will push themselves forward and use their personal statements positively to let the electorate know what their views and priorities are. Given the club’s rate of growth and future ground development plans, we’re keen to broaden the skills and expertise on the Board further.

Equally disappointing, despite promises and even threats (!), the three General Meetings held to date have produced very little in the way of formal Resolutions coming from the Membership. The noble exception to this of course was the painstaking tidy up of the constitution for which the Board remains extremely grateful!

And yet we know from the lively debates that ensue during the Q&A parts of General Meetings that there are lots of issues of concern to the Membership. We need these issues to be formalised so that they can be properly debated. It goes without saying that we also need to ensure that as many supporters as possible become, and remain, Members.

Over the next week, every Member will have another opportunity to make their mark on the Club. The club will contact every member letting them know formally how this can be done. We look forward to hearing from you.


Please note that resolutions and applications for the board need to be received in the FC United office no later than Sunday 30th September 2007, being 28 days before the date of the AGM.

The AGM will be held on Sunday 28th October 2007, venue and times to be confirmed.