There are times when it is a good idea to take stock of an organisation: where it is going, what its aims are and how it goes about its business. No, I am not talking about Celtic PLC but it would certainly do them no harm to do this. I am talking about the Celtic Trust. These reflections usually take place on a significant anniversary or in relation to some important change or event. In this case given this is our 26th year of existence it is not the date. The only change which has taken place is that we have, this week, launched a new website and payment system which we hope will make it much easier to join and to keep your details up to date. This was raised as an issue at our last AGM and hopefully members and those considering joining us will be satisfied that we have responded so comprehensively to their concerns on this issue.
So why reflect on the Trust now? Well, it is more to do with the state of Celtic than it is to do with any organisational issues the Trust has. As a supporter organisation, we have a duty to respond to the utter shambles that is our season. It should be noted that this has been a long time coming and notwithstanding the fact that a League and Cup double is still a possibility, I don’t think anyone thinks it is likely. Any long-time observer of the Celtic Trust or anyone with access to the internet will know, or can easily confirm, that the Trust, along with others, have been saying that there have been governance, and consequently performance, issues for Celtic for a very long time. We have been able to coast along and avoid any real problems because our closest rivals have been even worse in terms of governance. We have rode our luck for years, but make no mistake, what has happened this season is no surprise as painful as it is.
So what do we do? Well, it won’t surprise many that the Trust position is that we do what we have always said we should do:
- We continue to bring small shareholders together to form an effective voting bloc and also to buy shares in our own name and on behalf of all members.
- We work with other supporter organisations to fight for improvements to fan engagement and to protect our support more widely in relation to the police and government and, finally
- To call out this Board for its failings and argue for change.
So our objectives are not new but we have to reflect on how best to achieve them. In the current situation, the combining of fan organisations within the Celtic Fans Collective is the most effective way to promote change. The Trust has always worked cooperatively with other groups and is often the first to push for fan unity and we continue to do so.
In terms of the first objective, we need to be more effective in getting our message out – a long-standing weakness of the Trust which we all acknowledge. Hopefully the new website and payment system will go some way to do that but it is not enough in itself. We need all members to try to play a role in promoting the aims of the Trust and informing people of our achievements as a means of convincing them. We need to get our message out to all shareholders to invite them to register on our Shareholder Portal so that they can be contacted and invited to vote along with the Trust when it matters. If you think you can help with that, please consider joining us. Even if your contribution will just be to amplify our messages on social media and within your own group/CSC etc, this matters. If you are up for doing more then we will welcome you with open arms. In our view there is only one road and, while it is a long road, it is at times like these that we are most likely to be listened to by people who are frustrated with the current Board. There will always be ups and downs in football, but if we don’t secure our position and get our message out during the downs, when people are more likely to listen, then we will keep finding ourselves in the same weakened position every time. If you have any questions that are not answered by the material on our website then please get in touch at trust@celtictrust.net .
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