Bairnstrust Annual General Meeting

5th April 2004

Park Hotel, Falkirk

Committee Present:
Michael White
Jack Gardiner
Stephen Bird
Murray McIntyre
Fergus Caldwell
Kirstie Adam
Stewart Wilson
Brian Guthrie
Bill Anderson
Wayne Toft
Steven Adam
Tom Jamieson


Stephen Bird called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone. He introduced guest speaker Andy Nichol and requested the meetings permission to allow Andy to speak first as he had other commitments.

1. Guest Speaker- Andy Nichol
Andy spoke enthusiastically about the post he has held for only 4 weeks and the Westfield Development.

West Stand

* Phase One, the completion of the building plan is due to be completed within the next two weeks, with the Mowlem contract coming to a close

* Phase Two will be the fitting out and commissioning of the building. This cannot be done until they are 100% sure of how everything works in the building for safety purposes but will be completed as soon as possible. The Clubs new offices are more or less complete. The remaining areas will be utilised by Health and Fitness Suite, 5-a-side changing facilities, Office lets and hospitality for the club on match days and for the community on other days. Discussions are underway with interested potential clients

* All decisions are being made against a backdrop of financial viability to aspire to a stadium the club and community can be proud of. Inside it is a quality building.

East Stand

This is part of a deal with the TCCE and is therefore funded from other sources. The situation is complicated but once it is completed it will double the current capacity of the ground.

South Stand

It is hoped this will form part of a successful bid with Sports Scotland to build an indoor football school. Sports Scotland have recently lost their offices and are looking to re-locate but the decision on this is not currently imminent.

North Stand

Various different options are currently actively being looked at for this stand but no further details can be given at present

Landscaping at the Stadium is part of a £1m investment in an Eco Park in the area, which also benefits from being part of the Falkirk gateway project and should make it easier to attract new investors to the area.

The following questions were posed from the floor: -

Q What is the timescale on completion?
A It is difficult to be exact at the moment. The applications for Sports Scotland are due to be in by mid April and the JVC are hoping for a positive decision on the TCCE within the next few weeks

Q Where will the away support be housed for Falkirk games?
A It could be within the main stand but the preference is not to do this and other
options are currently being looked at.

Q Will we have a 10 000 capacity stadium by the end of next year?
A No guarantees will be given but what has been achieved so far is remarkable and it is their job to ensure if it can be delivered it will be.

Q What is the current situation with regards to the blast zone?
A It is still an issue. However people specialising in are carrying out work in that area. Noises are positive that agreement will be reached in the near future and it will not restrict the development of the East Stand.

Q What are the security plans for the site?
A They are acutely aware of security issues and these are currently under discussion with the Health and Safety Executive. Security measures will be stringent as it is imperative that property is kept in top condition to maximise income.

Q What arrangements have been made to ensure fans facilities are in place for the start of the season?
A There are meetings currently underway with caterers, potential bar franchises etc. They have to ensure everything they do is financially viable and hope to satisfy most needs. They can’t say everything will be right from day 1 as every new building is different. Channels of communication will be kept open at all times

1a. Apologies
Apologies were received from committee members John Dick and Jean Toft, in addition to 27 members. Seven forms of proxy were registered.

2. Minutes of Last A.G.M.
Last years minutes were formally accepted as an accurate record. Proposed Brian Guthrie, Seconded Murray McIntyre. Both have been confirmed as attending last years A.G.M.

3. Secretarial Report
BairnsTrust now have a presence in the web at www.bairnstrust.co.uk and will update this site regularly. All minutes and correspondence will appear on the site. A newsletter is planned for members in the future to keep members not on the web updated.
There has been interaction with other Trusts as well as a good working relationship with Supporters Direct to share ideas to benefit the trust members.
The Trust hopes to have a new registered address at the stadium soon and will continue to make representation to the club.

4. Financial Report
Last years accounts have been audited and are ready to send off. An excellent deal was struck with the auditor this year and it was proposed that the same auditor be used next year, to which the meeting was in agreement (proposed Fergus Caldwell, seconded Stewart Wilson). There is a balance in the bank account of £2200 to meet ongoing obligations. The main outlays were the setting up costs of £1600, half of which was reclaimed from Supporters Direct.
Currently there are 41393 shares held in Falkirk FC as a direct result of the Trust and sharesave although membership had only increased by around 4-5 members per month on average. Currently six members have met the minimum share requirement to hold shares in their own right and more are expected to do so over the next few months.
Once the accounts have been signed off they will be published on the BairnsTrust website.
The meeting decided that Treasurer Fergus Caldwell should carry the proxy vote for BairnsTrust at the Falkirk FC A.G.M. later in the month (proposed Alastair Ferrie, seconded Stewart Wilson).

5. Chairman’s Report
Stephen Bird as acting Chair explained that Michael’s new position at the club had resulted in him taking over as acting chairman. It was explained the meeting had been held as late as possible as we had hoped it could have taken place in the new stadium.
On the SPL decision last year to deny Falkirk promotion, Stephen advised support had been received from all around the globe and representation had been made to the public petitions committee. A review of the structure of Scottish football is underway and it is hoped that Trusts will have representation.
BairnsTrust are working hard in many areas to raise the need for reform both in the interests of our fans and in the running of Scottish football in general and as such the following involvement is on going: -

* Three members of the Trust are to work with the club regarding the £25 season ticket letter and next seasons seating allocation

* Discussions are to be held with the FFC Board to improve communication

* Continued fundraising for funds – a new T-shirt and a football video from the last season at Brockville should be available shortly

* Investing funds raised in shares to ensure supporters have a say in the way the club is run.

* Involvement with Supporters Direct and possible representation in the review of Scottish football.

Stephen concluded by paying tribute to the amount of work and assistance received from Stuart Adam in Trust matters.

6. Annual Membership
There were no counter proposals received and the meeting unanimously agreed to adopt the resolution of a membership rate of £10.00 per annum with £5.00 concessionary rates. Proposed Stewart Wilson, Seconded Murray McIntyre

7. BairnsTrust Representation
The meeting was read the names of those who had applied for election to the BairnsTrust committee and it was confirmed there were no objections.
The meeting was told that Bill Anderson was the sole nominee as Fans Representative on the Board of Falkirk FC and it was confirmed there were no objections. This now has to be ratified by the Board of Falkirk FC.
Bill accepted the nomination commenting that he feels the supporters have been ignored not only throughout Scottish football but also more significantly in the past at our club. He promises to put the fans voice forward.
George Craig will continue to serve on the Board as a Board member in his own right and the meeting paid tribute to the phenomenal amount of work done by George on the board over the past few years.

8. Open Forum
Recently appointed Head of Supporters Services, Euan McIntyre, was present at the meeting and gave a brief resume of his position. He will have day-to-day operational responsibility for liaison with supporters through the media, BairnsTrust, website and other supporters organisations. He will work on management of the Supporters Charter being developed at present, developing a supporter’s database, fans newsletters and eradicating rumours.

9. Question and Answer
A short question and answer session followed: -

Q What do BairnsTrust believe to be the timescale for future building work?
A Stephen feels that the second and third stands will be started over the course of the summer and has no doubts the stands will be there.
George Craig confirmed that the club are making daily representation to the JVC and appreciates there has to be rolling construction.

Q What is the date of the expiry for the £25 preferential season ticket offer?
A It was confirmed it closed on 31st March

Q Will the £25 reserve a season ticket offer now be opened to others?
A Michael advised it would, as higher indication of season ticket sales will allow them to provide monies to fund next seasons team building budget.

Q. Will there be a provision for season tickets within unreserved seating areas?
A. Michael confirmed the club were open to constructive suggestions and would discuss this with the three representatives from BairnsTrust

Q. Is there a ceiling figure on player’s wages?
A. Michael stated that the club is looking to have a wage structure that was pretty rigid on basic salary with more money available on bonuses, shut outs etc.

10. Date of Future Meetings
With no further questions the meeting was brought to a close with confirmation that BairnsTrust meetings would continue to be held on the third Monday of every month. The venue will continue as Elliots, Graeme Road, Falkirk until we can have access to the new stadium. As always all are welcome.
Stephen formally thanked everyone for attending and drew the meeting to a close inviting those present to view a copy of the new Brockville Memories video due out soon.