CUSG Meeting Summary
Remote meeting via Zoom, 02.09.2024
Attendance – John Kukuc (Chair), Simon Clarkson (SLO), Dave Brown (London Branch), Alastair Woodcock, Matt Spooner, Kieron Bulman (CUFC Supporters’ Trust), Keith Elliott (CUSAT), Keith Ward (Scottish Supporter), Philip Walker, Anthony George (South Cumbria Supporters’ Club), David Gale (EDI Rep), Nigel Clibbens, Amy Nixon (CUFC)
Apologies – Teresa Mulholland (EDI Rep), Sonny Kirkwood (Warwick Road Enders), Nataly Mason (Womens’ Rep)
Statement – Paul Simpson
The Carlisle United Supporters' Group (CUSG) would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for the immense contribution you have made to the history of Carlisle United.
Your legacy at the club is nothing short of extraordinary, and your dedication, passion, and leadership have left an indelible mark on our hearts and the club's story.
We are deeply grateful for everything you have done, and your impact will be remembered for generations to come.
Thank you, Paul.
John Kukuc introduced the meeting, giving a formal welcome to David Gale, EDI Rep (covering for Theresa Mulholland).
1. Club Update
Nigel had circulated his report prior to the meeting, which had been prepared before Saturday’s announcement regarding the departure of the manager and senior coaching staff.
Click HERE to read the full club update.
Nigel gave an update on the situation regarding the loan from Pioneer. The balance outstanding on this loan had been £417k at 30 June 2023 in the year end accounts. Castle Sports Group had repaid £100k to reduce this debt, on acquisition of the club last year. This was over and above the agreed repayment plan and agreement previously agreed with the club said Nigel. The extra payment was negotiated in the deal.
The 30 June 2024 debt balance was circa £236k. Nigel expected the June 2025 balance would be approximately £180k. It was being reduced by cash repayments and sponsorship.
Keith Elliott asked a question about ‘style of play’ referred to by Tom Piatak in his interview with the club’s media team today. Style of play has been at the forefront of recent discussions, said Nigel. He stressed that the club wanted to adopt a specific style of play and clear football identity, and delivering this would be a key part of the remit of the new Sporting Director and Head Coach roles.
He reiterated that Tom was not dictating playing systems or formations.
Matt commented that Tom clearly does not see himself as a football expert but can identify good, exciting or dull play on the field, like fans can. He wants to set basic standards for the type of play the club will adopt. The new Sporting Director will have a very different remit and it will be a very different appointment to the previous director of football role.
Nigel said the football operations model to be adopted at CUFC has already been employed by many other clubs even most in L2 and some in the National League.
Simon suggested the Sporting Director will need to be ‘vastly experienced’ given the requirements of the role. Nigel said that not many people in this role are well known to the public. The club would seek to appoint someone with prior experience, he said.
Keith Elliott asked about recruitment policy and the position of Greg Abbott. Nigel said that the recruitment team did their job well in bringing in the players over the summer strengthening the squad in the areas that were targeted, to the profiles specified. He clarified the process -- the manager specified the profile characteristics he required for the system that was set. The Head of Recruitment role alongside the analyst is to identify potential targets that match those requirements. The options are discussed and reviewed by the football staff and shared and discussed with ownership. Then the manager decides the ones to go for. Everyone then does their best to get them in.
Matt said that there are many elements that impact whether you can get them in. He saw a marked improvement in the drive to improve this process. While there had been more injuries at CUFC, there have been more injuries in general across the game. Matt said that the football side of the business is so different it almost needs its own director to look after it.
2. Backing the Blues exhibition
The exhibition will run until 10 November at Tullie. This National Lottery Heritage funded project is the first exhibition at the museum after redevelopment work. The wider project celebrates and preserves the club’s legacy and is a collaboration between Carlisle United, Tullie, Carlisle United Community Sports Trust, University of Cumbria and Cumberland Council.
The project has so far brought a huge programme of activity including school workshops, community wellbeing activities, youth programming and bespoke events. Other scheduled events have so far included free talks, closer look tours and the hugely popular player appearances. Late night opening and a CUFC quiz is planned for Thursday 26 September.
Tullie is open seven days a week and exhibition day tickets will be available for £7 (10% off with a match ticket), or you will be able to visit as many times as you like with an annual ticket for £15 which will also give unlimited access to the rest of the museum when it reopens in the autumn. Under-18s go free.
Following the exhibition, a pop-up mini version of the exhibition will tour to local venues. Longer term the volunteers known as the Carlisle United Collective will archive all the items and establish a permanent display of objects to be exhibited at Brunton Park.
We have received a huge amount of donations but items can still be donated for the archive. If you would like to donate any items or join the Carlisle United Collective to support various aspects of this project, please contact slo@carlisleunited.co.uk
3. Finance/disabled bank account
£5143.31 in the bank. £3500 ring fenced for memorabilia project
£82 has been paid out in prediction comp prizes
John and Simon are signatories on the disabled fans’ group bank account. Nigel Davidson is also a signatory. £350 approx is in the account. Options are to keep the account open or close it down and transfer to the main CUSG account with ring fencing.
To consult Dave Gale on this matter.
4. 74-75 anniversary event
John said a role was required to lead on the event. Matt said historically events like these are CUSG run. Nigel said for this event the club should take the lead.
Nigel said the new East Stand facilities could be utilised.
A target date of Friday 13th December was agreed. This would be confirmed as soon as possible.
5. EDI update
EDI & Mental Health Representatives meeting
Our latest meeting was held on Tuesday 27th August 6pm at the Turf Inn, this meeting was held for us to go through the EDI calendar again to check all volunteer’s availability as we have many different groups joining us this season. Andys Man Club Carlisle and Barrow visit was a great success during the CUFC V Barrow game, with both first team players wearing the branded AMC t-shirts during warm up. The exposure of the group during the game lead to further increased numbers at their Monday night meeting following the match, with 5 new men attending the group of 41 guys.
EDI Videos
Due to the success of the EDI representative videos shared on the club website and socials we were contacted by ITV news who would like to film our Cumbria Deaf Association representatives Shelley and Rebecca at the CUFC V Fleetwood Game fixture, this will be an opportunity to showcase Shelley as a signer and Rebecca’s experience as a deaf supporter.
The Northeast and Cumbria news also contacted us to film Ross Mattinson whom is our EDI Autism representative, they came along to the Barrow game and filmed Ross in the fan zone, the feedback has been fantastic and another opportunity to showcase the inclusivity of the club.
Link to the video attached below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/crkmj0vzj0lo
Her Game Too
Her Game too is moving at pace, Nataly Mason is now the CUFC Her Game Too Representative, she is officially recognised on their website, and we have plans to promote via the scheduled match day visits. Nataly has also attended the CUFC Community Sports Trust Emerging Talent Centre for Girls, and we have plans to celebrate women and girls’ representation during International Women’s Day next year.
Nataly was also filmed via ITV News to promote CUFC and Her Game Too, link below:
https://www.itv.com/news/border/2024-08-16/carlisle-united-appoint-new-her-game-too-representative
EDI calendar
EFL calendar and special guests/guest speakers/workshop/training around specific themes relating to calendar has been created and a rota has been implemented for EDI volunteers.
All match day guests will meet at Tullie House for a tour of the Blues Exhibition followed by a walk to Brunton Park, tea and coffee in study centre with opportunities for workshops/training for fans/and match day stewards.
Dementia Group
Alzheimer’s UK, Dementia friends and Age UK joined us on Saturday 31st August V Tranmere Game, along with Peter Jones a long serving referee who is now living with Dementia. Peter is working with the FA visiting many football clubs to advise on their facilities and how they can best support their fans whom are living with the condition, it was a joy to have Peter as this was the first time he had revisited Brunton Park since 1986! Kevin Walsh and Peter also provided a whistle stop session on being more Dementia aware to some of our match day stewards.
I will be continuing to work with Peter, Keith Ward and Dementia Friends to arrange for our own Dementia café to open the end of September.
Walk to the Match 2024/25
Walk to the match to continue this season with groups booked in with Tullie house prior to the walk up until the exhibition closes in November.
Sensory Packs
I am investigating producing our own CUFC Sensory packs for SEND fans, I am exploring items with Steph from Club shop and her supplier with the go ahead from Nigel Clibbens. More information to follow soon.
Events coming up in the EFL & EDI calendar for September:
Suicide Prevention Day, World Heart Day, Cumbria Pride
Simon asked about the disabled car parking issue at the ground. Dave said that parking is important for him and lack of spaces is a problem.
Nigel said communication was an issue, but explained that the club was looking to understand the state of play around the re-development at the ground. The biggest issue is the growth in the number of staff and players, along with stewards and catering staff. Seven spaces had been released to disabled people on the West Side. On the East side of the ground, some re-arrangement had created more space. Space is still tight, said Nigel. Some staff had moved to the supporters' car park. The club are looking to increase space in the supporters’ car park.
LED boards at the East Stand side are causing some issues for disabled fans. Line of sight over the boards is a problem. Some fans tried the Warwick Road End platform on Saturday. Nigel said he visited and spoke to fans affected during the second half of the Tranmere match and the club were looking into the issue.
6. SLO update
The dynamics of the match day have changed with the new facilities in the Warwick Road End and the success of the West Stand Fan Zone. More fans arrive much earlier than before and so the SLO team are dynamically changing where we base ourselves. We try to collate issues to raise with the club, so that they can be resolved (where possible). The EDI reps in the fan zone allow the SLO team to expand our ground coverage on a matchday.
Key to providing good quality information for our fans travelling away is the development of strong relationships with other SLO’s and the Dedicated Football Officer. We have been renewing those connections with L2 colleagues so that we can collate the relevant information. An additional and very rewarding new offering is an away mascot where we have reciprocal agreement from the opposition. The demand for this was phenomenal with all games being allocated within a few hours and we now work with the London Branch mascot co-ordinator to finalise arrangements, that includes the provision of a goody bag.
We are always on the lookout for more meeters and greeters, so please get in touch if you would like to join the team. As a thank you for helping you will receive a complimentary match ticket.
7. Upcoming events
Simon shared the current calendar of events on screen, which can be viewed HERE.
A ‘Cycle to the match’ event was to arrange for the upcoming Green Football Weekend (18 Jan 2025).
A joint club/Tullie House open day was being arranged to coincide with half-term (October 28).
8. Group Updates
Scottish supporter
Keith Ward had taken part in ‘The Walk to the Match’ from Tullie House to Brunton Park and attended the Study Centre where a talk to stewards had been given by Kevin Walsh, with additional comments from Peter Jones, an ex-referee, on the effects of dementia. Several members of the Piatak family had dropped in to say hello. The planned Dementia cafe was due to start on the 3rd Friday in September and will continue as a monthly event.
Keith raised an issue of uncomfortable seating conditions in the West Stand, which Nigel said he would look into improving.
Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust
Kieron said the Trust’s statement about Paul Simpson’s departure had been released on social media today.
The recent members’ meeting was successful and the live stream proved popular. He thanked the Piatak family for attending and John Watt for staffing the event.
Work on the re-brand was now complete with new name/logo and website in place.
He stressed that the organisation was attempting to move away from acronyms such as 'CUST'.
The first batch of 30 memorial plaques have been ordered.
London Branch
1. Paul Simpson
1.1. We would like to record our appreciation to Paul Simpson for everything he has done for our club and wish him, Gav Skelton, Billy Barr and Jake Simpson every success for the future.
2. 74-75 Tee shirt
2.1. Sales are going well, and we would hope that this will be another sell out over the next few months raising over £600 for the Carlisle United Community Sports Trust.
3. Summer Trip - 43 members had a great time in Vienna on our annual trip.
4. Tom 11 and Alice Piatak – we were delighted to welcome Tom II and Alice Piatak to an online Q&A at our AGM. We appreciated that they interrupted their weekend away to take part.
5. Events
5.1. Carlisle Week-end – we are looking forward to our planned trip to Carlisle for the match against Fleetwood on the 14th September. We will be visiting the Backing the Blues Exhibition at Tullie House in the morning, followed by hospitality in the 7475 Lounge and then the match.
5.2. 50th Anniversary of the London Branch – Our 50th anniversary event will be at Sutton Cricket Club on 12th October following the Wimbledon away game. We are hoping that we will be joined by the Piatak family, Nigel Clibbens, Amy Nixon, James Phillips and Jon Colman. We are also looking forward to having a number of former players as guests. There will be a buffet and after the event live music from member Simon Hindley. We are expecting around 80 attendees.
6. Away match mascots – New away mascot coordinator Ruth Vamadevan has been busy organising mascots for the away games for this season with the help of SLO Simon Clarkson. Almost all matches have now been booked. This season the LB are providing a goody bag for the mascots consisting of a Carlisle United drawstring bag and items including autograph book, pens etc.
7. Away match meeting pubs – pre-match meeting pubs were well attended at Gillingham and MK Dons including many non-members. The Bradford meeting pub is The Corn Dolly, 110 Bolton Road, BD1 4DE and Swindon is The Gluepot, 5 Emlyn Sq, SN1 5BP. Meeting pubs can be found on our website www.carlislelondonbranch.org
Dave Brown thanked Keith Elliott for delivering goodie bags
CUSAT
Hi everyone, we've a 4 night stay planned prior to the Morecambe game in April . 3 nights in Ireland and one night in Liverpool, I can supply full details but will get it circulated on social media shortly. No issues to mention but from a personal point of view, all the best to Gav Skelton who me and Sue have sponsored over a number of seasons, wishing him well in the future and it was a pleasure to sponsor him. Cheers Keith E .
Keith thanked Nigel for providing clarity tonight on the questions he had answered.
South Cumbria Supporters
All members from last season have re-registered for this season (88 total).
First trip of the season will be to Bradford away (30 going) this weekend. Car shares to midweek home games are being planned.
Advertising is to be arranged locally, with posters promoting the group. Anthony asked if the club can help raise awareness on social media. Nigel said he would be happy to help. There was another committee meeting this Thursday.
Anthony thanked the London Branch and the Supporters’ Trust for their help with setting up MemberMojo.
Warwick Road Enders
The Warwick looks better than ever with all its new facilities and the fan zone has been a huge success. Everything looks and is so much better than what it was before. I think everyone who stands in the Warwick echoes this.
GoFundMe target for waving flags (£350) was smashed and we raised £450 in a week.
We are hoping these will be ready for the Fleetwood game on 14 September.
In total the three flags will cost around £300 (leaving us £250ish, which includes money we already have in the PayPal to spend on other resources). This is something Nigel and I have briefly spoken about and I've spoken to a lad from Dundee United on how he makes displays etc. (Visit displaysDUFC on Twitter/X for a better look.)
In my opinion, the atmosphere in the Warwick on Saturday was great and I was told Barrow was unreal so let's hope we can carry this into our next matches.
We did a march from the city centre for the Barrow game and it seemed to be a success too, not as many people as we'd expected to be honest but it was great either way. Hopefully, others will join us on our next march (tbc).
Sort of seems like a new start for the Warwick as well as the club, hopefully it's the start of something special for both…
9. Next meeting
Monday October 21
