Chairman's comments Dear members, and fellow TUFC supporters, Firstly, we congratulate all at Torquay United in making such an excellent, and increasingly entertaining start to the season. Long may it last! Furthermore, we hope that you and your families stay safe and well during this difficult time. Despite this, I would like to reassure members that your TUST board has been working hard behind the scenes during the last several months in following your remit to support and keep alert to Torquay United's future potential sustainability. Furthermore, to maintain our community outreach on behalf of our supporter base and club. Secondly, we thank you all for your continued support despite the challenges you may all be facing. We have not received one request to cancel a subscription or take us up on our offer to waive this temporarily during this Covid crisis. YOUR NUMBERS COUNT! Fifty percent of the balance of TUST's income is added to the 'contingency fund', which is there in case it is needed due to any immediate concern that our club's future is at significant risk. The rest is devoted to TUFC related community outreach initiatives, as agreed at the last AGM. Speaking of AGMs, please note that our 2020 AGM will now be online via Zoom, due to the current and ongoing government coronavirus related restrictions. However, I believe that this provides our 'exiled' members who may live a long distance away, with a number actually abroad, the opportunity to attend. We ask any members who have difficulty with using online to contact us as we would like to make every effort to be as inclusive as we can. The AGM is set for Wednesday, 25th November at 6:30pm and hopefully you will have already received the details. Further instructions re the link up with the meeting and passcode etc. will be sent to you in due course. Although we have a strong and professional board in place, we are keen to talk to anyone interested in becoming a board member. Particularly, we would like a younger supporter, another female member and someone with an interest in marketing to join our team. Please get in touch via info@tust.co.uk if you would like to know more. Finally, if you read our monthly minutes and weekly Fan Zone bulletins from the Herald Express, you will be aware of the many actions the board have taken on your behalf. These have included keeping abreast of the national football situation, successfully lobbying our local MPs, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in relation to the government including non- league clubs in any support package as well as the FSA's 'Let Fans In Campaign', obviously with the appropriate safety measures in place. We received detailed and supportive response from all three. Furthermore, we have held virtual meetings with the TUFC directors' representative (Dom Mee) as well as with the Devon Supporters' Trust group (TUST, Argyle ST and Exeter City ST), where we have been able to support each other and share many ideas. Meanwhile, we have also kept in touch with our friends from the Torquay United Community Sports Trust, our MPs, local councillors and business fraternity. Thank you all for your continued loyal support of TUST and our beloved club. Michel Thomas
Summary of October board meeting Review of the commencement of the season Despite the disappointment of fans not being allowed to attend games, the team has made a successful start to the season, currently five points clear at the top of the National League following the hugely impressive 5-0 win at Hartlepool on Halloween Night. In the circumstances, the coverage of all games home and away via video streaming is a welcome service. This has given exiles the opportunity to see home games and many supporters who wouldn’t normally get to see away matches have been able to do so. Feedback from members has indicated that the TUFC's coverage has been positively received but a few have experienced difficulty with the purchasing process and there has been some dissatisfaction with the variable quality of the commentary. In particular it is felt to lack appropriate recognition and reference to visiting teams and respect for the away fans who may be watching and thereby contributing to the Club’s revenue. The coverage provided by Bromley has set the standard for this level with an extended programme including interviews before and after the game and half-time chat. The coverage had provided several camera angles and the effective use of action replays. Meeting with club representative Our next meeting with Dominic Mee (Media and Supporter Liaison Officer) has been scheduled for 4th November. We will report on the outcome of this shortly. Lobbying and support In September we contacted the three local MPs and Oliver Dowden (Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport) to campaign on behalf of TUST in support of fans returning to stadiums. Favourable responses had been received from both Kevin Foster (MP for Torbay) and Anthony Mangnall (MP for Totnes and District). Our Chairman reported that he had exchanged correspondence with Kevin and spoken at length with his representative. He continued to be supportive of TUST, TUFC and the football community in general. Devon Supporters Trust Group The latest meeting of this group was hosted by TUST on Zoom on 22nd October. Among the issues discussed were extending the group to cover the SW, the impact of Covid on clubs, trusts’ work in schools, the role of Disability Liaison Officers and the Jack Leslie Campaign. AGM Sadly, we will not be able to meet our members in person this year but we hope that as many of you as possible will attend. It will be particularly good to welcome any exiles who would have been unable to attend a local venue. Full details will be sent to our members next week and we would urge you to join us and take the opportunity to let us know what you think.
SUPPORT TUST - ATTEND THE VIRTUAL AGM ON 25TH NOVEMBER AT 6.30PM.
Details to follow
