2nd February 2021

Meeting with the board 28 January 2021

CUSP CUFC meeting minutes
19.30, 28 January 2021

Present:
Ian Mather, Shaun Grady, Godric Smith, James Mills, Ben Payne, Philip Saich, David Burkett, Paul Moffatt, Chris Neild, Mark Mumford Chaired by Dave Matthew Jones

EFL update
IM confirmed that he was on an EFL call the previous week and that there is a strong desire to complete the season, and that the government is behind this happening. Covid testing is going well and is being funded by the PFA. Initially 12 clubs out of 72 reported positive tests, and that has now reduced to 10.

Of the £50m rescue fund provided by the Premier League, £30m has been distributed to clubs to compensate for loss of gate revenue. CUFC have received a share which roughly equates to 30% of lost income, and we are towards the lower end of the payouts. The remaining £20m is a managed grant for which clubs can apply. If they do access this fund then there are limits on transfer payments. At the end of 21/22 season the loan would be written off – so effectively it is a grant. There is a strong feeling in League 2 clubs that this should be a loan and when repaid the fund remains to help clubs in the future who get into difficulty. League 1 agree with this approach and there are going to be further discussions with the Premier League about how this fund is managed. CUFC have no plans to access this fund.

New stadium update
IM has continued discussions with Marshalls and a planning document is set to be published in the next few weeks. There will be four development options and the estimate at the moment is that these will be considered by Council members in August/September regarding the allocation of land with a view to going out to public consultation in October. The preferred option provides land for the building of a new stadium. CUFC believe that CUSP and all fans will have a role here in co-ordinating communication and support for the preferred option. The site is likely to be on the north side of Newmarket Road, slightly closer to the Abbey. It is estimated that the new development could generate a £4.3bn growth in the economy and it fits with central government’s support for new developments.

Season tickets
The bring-a-friend tickets already issued are likely to roll over to next season. CUSP proposed a gesture to thank current season ticket holders for their loyalty and CUFC agree that this is a good idea so will investigate possibilities. The timing of renewals will be confirmed when there is greater clarity as to the timescale for fans to return.

Finances
The club will make a loss this year but one which was budgeted for so not unexpected. We are punching above our weight with iFollow – we are often in the top 5 (and sometimes top 2) in League 2 in terms of sales. The club would welcome additional ideas for promoting it. It is unclear whether iFollow will continue in its current form when fans are back – the clubs would like it to continue. A season ticket arrangement for away games was suggested by CUSP as a possibility.

Programme
CUFC is open to ideas on the future of the programme. The feeling currently is that it will remain as a digital publication as that minimises financial exposure and offers possibilities for video advertising, which key sponsors value. The printed programme barely broke even and the digital version generates a small profit. CUFC are, however, open to considering ideas such as a subscription-based publication.

Squad
The Club hoped to strengthen at centre back before the end of the transfer window. Obviously the departure of Harry Darling and Robbie Cundy was unfortunate timing, but it was the right move for Harry Darling and a good deal for CUFC and Bristol City decided to move Cundy to a League 1 club on Sunday after the HD deal had been concluded. This was obviously their prerogative. In response to a question as to why many transfer fees are undisclosed, IM stated that it can sometimes be because the clubs don’t want to reveal the fee as it can inflate expectations all round. In some cases players request it so that they are not tagged with a certain value.

Goal nets
The yellow and black striped nets were removed because the feedback from players and officials was that they could sometimes struggle to differentiate the nets from the background colours in the crowd so standard white was preferred.

Paul Mullin
Paul was on a one year deal. We expected him to be here until the end of this season.

Taking the Knee
CUSP said they supported the action the Club had taken. The club recognised that with hindsight it would have been appropriate to announce before the kick off that players would be taking the knee.

Diversity Code
EFL clubs have been encouraged to sign up to an FA Diversity Code, and CUFC are one of only a handful of League 2 clubs to have done so. The club recognises that there are areas of the city where it could do more to reach communities who maybe haven’t engaged with the Club before and were committed to doing so. David Burkett had some suggestions and offered to help with introductions where he coul.

Promotion
In answer to questions the Club said it was only focussing on this season and finishing as high as possible. The Club would be financially able to compete at a higher level if that situation ever presented itself.

Tactics
There was much appreciation for the playing staff and everyone at the Club for the performances so far. There were a few suggestions from fans on areas for improvement and a Fans’ Forum with Mark Bonner in the coming weeks would be welcomed.

Sarah King
CUSP announced that due to pressure of work, Sarah has sadly decided to resign from CUSP.

There being no other questions the meeting closed at 21.00.