Aston Villa Supporters Trust

The Birmingham Post have written an article (by Lisa Smith) on the Statue. Please click link here.  The macquette of the statue is shown off well.

We also have on BBC an excellent piece by Sitala Peek here.

 More updates here as we identify coverage.

The Supporters Trust has for sale on Ebay an item where the proceeds will be put towards the statue of William McGregor which is due to unveiled at Villa Park this Saturday. To access EBay page, click here.

This was the flag carried by Allan Evans, as Villa’s representative at Preston Cathedral in 1988 with representatives of the other 11 founder members of the Football League. It has been donated by the Football League and there is a letter to this effect which is included in the auction. There’s also a photcopied page with photos of the other 11 flags and the Villa one is blocked out, but you will see that this is of the same style.

The flag is in very good condition and can come with the flagpole which has some signs of wear on the gilt.

Your support is appreciated;  please pass onto fellow Villa fans or this message can be used for publication on other websites.

Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of the Football League, is to unveil the William McGregor statue at Villa Park this forthcoming Saturday prior to the home game against Spurs.  The ceremony is due to commence at 4pm outside the Directors entrance, Trinity Road stand. 

William McGregor was a Director of Aston Villa Football Club and moreover is credited with being the brainchild behind the formation of The Football League. The Club and Supporters’ Trust have been committed to honouring his massive contribution to English and World Football by placing a permanent commemoration for all to see at Villa Park.

The Supporters’ Trust has been working with the Club on this project over a number of years, and appointed the sculptor Sam Holland to design and build the statue. The funding has come from supporter donations and financial support from the Club. A time capsule has been placed in the base of the Statue.

The Supporters’ Trust would like to thank the Directors, the Club & its managers, Sam Holland, Lord Mawhinney, and the Aston Villa supporters for their donations in making this day happen.

For article on AVFC.co.uk,  click here

For further information, please visit the  following websites.

Sam Holland: www.samholland.co.uk

Football League: www.football-league.co.uk

Supporters Direct, the organisation representing over 150 supporters’ trusts in the UK, welcomed a series of recommendations (on 21st April) from the Parliamentary All Party Football Group (APFG) calling for greater and more formal supporter representation at football clubs, using the already successful model of supporters’ trusts – a model already seen widely in the top four divisions.

The report calls for the introduction of supporter representatives on the board of every club, and that this representative will be elected and sit on a Supporters’ Trust. You can read the report in full by clicking here – refer to Chapter 5.

This recommendation follows on from a similar call by then-Culture Secretary James Purnell in 2007.

The report, published today, also recommends that supporters are given more representation within the game’s governing bodies – including the FA Board.

Welcoming the recommendations, Chief Executive Dave Boyle said, “We’re very pleased that the group have recognised the importance of supporters’ involvement and taken account of the good work done across the game by supporters’ trusts.

Commenting further on some of the other recommendations, he added:

“There are some other important recommendations within the report. We are particularly pleased at their support for consolidating and extending the Fit and Proper Persons Test, having seen so many cases where owners of clubs were in no way suitable to own a community asset like a football club.

“As important as stopping the wrong person taking over clubs is stopping clubs doing the wrong things, and we endorse the recommendations on financial stability and on introducing a licensing system for clubs.

“We also share the concerns of the committee as to the wider financial health of the game and worry that an industry which saw over half of its clubs enter administration in favourable times will have severe problems in the middle of the worst recession for a generation.”

Villa and West Brom may be big rivals on the pitch but former players of both clubs are joining forces on Saturday to raise money for the Paul Birch Trust.

Members of both former players’ associations have volunteered to help with collections all around Villa Park for our former midfielder, who is battling cancer.

Among the ex-Villa men with collection tins will be Charlie Aitken, Gordon Cowans, Des Bremner, Kenny Swain and Garry Thompson who, of course, also played for the Baggies.

In all, 19 ex-players will be situated at various points around the stadium, each accompanied by members of the Aston Villa Supporters Trust.

“It’s terrific to have the club and its former players working in tandem for such a great cause,” says Villa’s FPA chairman Neil Rioch. “To have the opposition’s former players also offering their support demonstrates the mutual respect players have for each other.”

The Paul Birch Trust would like to thank Advek, the club’s official print partners, for providing free printing for the collection tins.

It is with regret that we have to announce that after many years of service for the Trust as the Press Officer, Neil will be resigning his post after making a life changing decision to relocate abroad.

Neil has been a key director in liaising with the media, none more so than during the Randy Lerner takeover where the phone was constantly ringing.

The Trust Executive thank Neil for his service and wish him and his family the best of luck in the future.

If anyone is interested in becoming the new Press Officer or taking a role in the Trust whether it is as a Director or non-Director role, then please contact us at enquiries@villatrust.org.uk

Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside of the Trust’s control, we have to announce a change in venue for the Trust AGM on 8th May.

The Holte Pub will now be closed on 8th May, so the venue has been changed to the Doug Ellis Box 9. Access will be gained via Villa Park Reception in the North Stand Car Park.

Notices will be put on the Holte Pub doors just in case to re-direct members.

After the formalities of the AGM we will relocate to the Bartons Arms in Newtown for a social drink.

The Trust’s Annual General Meeting will be on the 8th May at 1930 in the Drawing Room at The Holte Pub.  If you have not been,  this is a good opportunity to see the refurb’d venue.

The formal notice will be issued shortly to Trust members.  Non-members can attend the AGM if they notify the Company Secretary in advance at enquiries@villatrust.org.uk.

The Aston Villa Supporters Trust will be holding a collection prior to the home game against Bolton Wanderers to raise monies for the William McGregor Statue project to commemorate the founder of the Football League.

If you can offer a helping hand, please contact the Trust on enquiries@villatrust.org.uk, leave a voice message on 07958 422815, or write to us at 2 Coton Road, DE12 8NL.

Please don’t forget to donate to the project by either sending a cheque payable to the Aston Villa Supporters Trust to 2 Coton Road, DE128NL or by clicking on the Donate button on the left hand navigation bar to pay by Credit Card.

Please give generously. We welcome your support.

Thanks

Peter Warrilow, Chair

In an interview with the BBC, Sepp Blatter (FIFA President) has rejected the PL Gam£39 proposal, declaring it as “abuse” of association football impacting its that may impact the integrity of matches and competitions.  In addition, the FIFA President hinted that it may impact the decision of choosing England for the 2018 World Cup bid.  The full BBC article on the interview can be found here.

The Football Supporters’ Federation has vowed to step up its NO TO GAM£ 39 -A MATCH TOO FAR! Campaign following FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s opposition to the Premier League’s proposal. In statement issued on Friday (Fri 15/2/08) the FSF said, “Whilst Herr Blatter’s statement is welcome, this doesn’t mean the danger of the Premier League pressing ahead has passed. Supporters need to keep the pressure up. We confirm that we’ll be proceeding with next week’s campaign meetings around England.”

FSF Chair Malcolm Clarke said, “We might have gone one up ten minutes into the game, but there’s still a long way to go. We’ll be fighting right to the final whistle. We can’t afford to be complacent or think this proposal is off the table.”