Programme notes 2011/12
Gillingham
Annual General meeting – A brief summary
We held our meeting ahead of the match against Hereford.
Roger Bunce, the Chairman welcomed the attendees and then asked for a minutes reflection for Iris Higgs who passed away during the previous season and whose presence is sadly missed. (For those fans that haven't visited The Legends lounge, her famous match worn shirt adorned with badges, is now been framed and is mounted near the entrance.)
Roger then went on to say that he would be reflecting on another successful year for the Supporters Club which had once again been able to support the centre of excellence trip to Northern Ireland with a donation of £10000. Whilst fund raising income income was slightly down on the promotion chasing season the year before £35000 against £37000, it had been achieved against the background of a relegation season on the field. This lack of league points during that season, was the sole reason for the impact on the pounds for points initiative. However, on the flip side, the half time draw paid record prize money for a season which was remarkable given the time the team went without winning a game especially at home.
After expenses ( e.g. 50/50 draw prizes) the Supporters Club still made overall contribution to the Football club of around £20000, including a number of ground improvements, benefiting fans in general and also directly, by subsidising the Supporters coach travel on the long trip to Carlisle for that match.
The committee stood for re-election en bloc and we are grateful that those in attendance supported their re-election unanimously. Marc Walters who was co-opted after the loss of Iris, was ratified as a full member.
Roger also acknowledged the work of Mavis Knight, who stood down at the end of the season and thanked her for all of her work with particular emphasis on the the pounds for points initiative and end of season dinner. The players performances during the season certainly didn't reward Mavis for all the hard work she put in recruiting contributors to the fund. Thankfully, although Mavis is no longer a committee member she will still be striving hard with the pounds for points during the coming season and we are very grateful for her continued support and contribution in this respect.
With vacancies on the committee we were delighted to be approached by Mick Castle and Michael Watkins in the weeks leading up to the meeting and who were appointed to the committee after members ratified their appointment at the meeting. Welcome both and we are look forward to your input and assistance during the coming months.
Roger outlined the recruitment leaflet that is to be launched soon and confirmed membership remained open for the coming season and thanked all those that contribute in many ways to the club. From half time draw and scratch card sellers, those who participate and are involved in pounds for points, the members and of course all fans who support our initiatives
We are also grateful to Nick Watkins and his team at the football club and many thanks to Nick who took time to attend the meeting and answer questions from those gathered.
For all details on the Supporters Club see www.swindontownsupportersclub.com
Half time draw
The winners for the Hereford match were.
1 D Seagar of Swindon Ticket number 504 won £ 422
2 E Hunter - Stanley of Chippenham Ticket number 961 won £46
Hereford
We held our AGM ahead of today's match and will bring news of this in our next programme notes including a summary of our last years performance and those committee members elected to serve for the forthcoming season..
Special day out for members
Ahead of that we would like to welcome the following members to a special day out at the County Ground. Their names were drawn out of our register of members in a lucky free draw and is one of the benefits of being a member of the Supporters Club.
They are S Coulthard, R Freegard, M. Coulthard, S. Hopkins, S Coulthard, J. Lodge, K. Colsell, M. McQueen, A. Putnan, M. Sykes.
We hope you enjoy your day
It is always nice to get feedback from those who attend and after our last event we received the following letter
I thank you for a wonderful afternoon in the executive lounge at the game v. Notts County. I was lucky enough to be sat next to Swindon Town legend Jimmy Allen and enjoyed talking to him about his years at Swindon Town for both of us; me as a supporter and him as a player.
Once again many thanks for a memorable afternoon. T. Cox
Half time draw
The game against Barnet saw the second highest prize fund of the season. Thank you to all that participated, the lucky winners were.
1. J Phipps of Swindon 806 £479
2. AJ Angell of Chippenham 1063 £53
Mike Dew
Congratulations to Mike who is our membership secretary and who recently celebrated his 70th birthday.
David Talbot
In our previous notes we reported that town fan David Talbot was arranging a collection on behalf of the Prospect Hospice at the game at Macclesfield to celebrate his 50th anniversary of following the Town. We understand the amount raised on the day was around £257. Thank you to everyone who donated. .
Barnet
Supporters Club AGM
A reminder that this will take place in Legends lounge ahead of Hereford game on Saturday 8th October
It will commence at 11.00 and all members, non members and prospective members are welcome. Please note :existing members only may vote on any resolutions in the meeting. Any proposed changes to rules etc. must be with the secretary at least 14 days ahead of the meeting. (Please note this time frame as we incorrectly quoted 7 days in our notes at the last match )
Half time draw
The draw has got off to a cracking start this season, thank you to everyone for their support.
The winners at the Southend match were 1. C Liddiatt of Chippenham 681 £437 2. Clive Walton of Purton 441 £48
Pounds for points
After a slow start to the season, the three wins on the bounce before last Saturday gave a timely boost to the fund which now stands at £546. Thank you to the STFC disabled group who are contributing £2 per point
A win today will help even more and it's never too late to join. !
Important note for those travelling to Macclesfield
David Talbot is marking the 50th Anniversary to the day of supporting the “Town” by arranging a collection for the Prospect Hospice inside the ground at the away match at Macclesfield next Friday. Fans making the trip will have the opportunity to donate to this very worthy cause both before and at half time during the game.
Here are a few facts about David, who now lives in the Macclesfield area and his thoughts
Number of years supporting Swindon 50 years
First Game : Saturday September 30th 1961 result 4-0 to Swindon - reason for starting to support them - they outplayed my previous team Lincoln
Best Game Ever Seen: Saturday January 28th 1967 v West ham United 3-3 away
Best Game Never Seen: Birmingham away 6-4 - reason my restaurant was too busy for me to go
Best Swindon Player Ever Seen - Don Rogers
Reason I love Swindon: Especially living in the North West - the barmy army
Hopes for the season: Promotion with Paulo Di Canio
Best away trip: Anglo Italian cup 1970
Most memorable occasion - dining with Delia Smith in her new restaurant as was then in the 1999-2000 season at Norwich City
With many thanks to Dave Walker, Derek Elston, Paul Plowman, Jason Haynes, the chuckle brothers and Will Bryant for all the brilliant memories I can remember over the last 50 years - David
Good luck from the Supporters club David with your initiative. Here's to your next 50 years supporting the Town !
Roger
Finally today,
On behalf of the Supporters Club, its members, committee and every fan that knows him a very happy 65th birthday and also for his retirement. Thankfully, that retirement is NOT from his role in the Supporters Club, where he has been a guiding light for many years.
Congratulations Roger, who will be here today of course, celebrating in style with the loves of his life his family, wife Janet and all at STFC.
Ann Alder Vice Chair STFC Supporters Club
Southend
Welcome today for a match that sees the return of Paul Sturrock with his team from Southend. I will be looking forward to the opportunity to meet up again with Paul again as he was always very approachable and I really appreciated his counsel, help, support and wisdom.
Half time draw .
There are two results to bring you
Southampton
1. P Rosier of Ramsbury with ticket number 1150 won £300
2. C Simms of Witney with ticket number 279 won £ 30
Rotherham
1. K Beck of Wotton Bassett with ticket number 353 won £423
2. P Coombes of Yate with ticket number 1226 won £45
AGM
The Supporters Club AGM is to take place in Legends lounge ahead of Hereford game on Saturday 8th October
It will commence at 11.00 and all members, non members and prospective members are welcome. Please note :existing members only may vote on any resolutions in the meeting. Any proposed changes to rules etc. must be with the secretary at least 7 days ahead of the meeting.
Old Programmes available
Brian Fullam advises us that he is looking to dispose of 65 Swindon Town programmes covering the 1989-1994 period (mostly 1990/91).
If anyone is interested in taking them off of him, please e-mail Brian at “brianfullam@btinternet.com” for further information.
Pounds for points
Another 3 points last Saturday doubled the total raised under this initiative to £261. We had been waiting since the opening day of the season to reach this figure and if any one wishes to pledge additional funds, do please contact Mavis Knight in person or by e-mail at mavis@swindontownsupportersclub.com
Bingoal
With 10 goals already this season, the Bingoal is up and running. This free competition for members is worth £200 to the winners. For further details click on “How to join” of our web site and click on the drop down “Bingoal” tab.
The numbers members can tick off of their “Bingoal card up to and including the Rotherham match are.
45, 63, 77, 20, 71, 25, 84, 39, 69, 81
Roger.
PS For those avid listeners of Steve Wrights's afternoon show on Radio 2 you may have heard Roger choices being broadcast recently. Amongst his choices were “Love me Do “ by the Beatles and “Hey Mr Tambourine” Man “ by The Byrds. You may have heard it here first. !!!
Rotherham
An early afternoon start for the second consecutive game , this time for the Sky cameras as they take in our clash with early season pacemakers Rotherham.
I would like to welcome both the cameras and the fans of Rotherham who have no doubt made the trip to the County Ground from various parts of the UK rather than just the geographical base of Yorkshire. Enjoy your visit to the County Ground.
Disappointment on the field with the game against Oxford but the half time draw paid another terrific prize to the winner of the draw. The full result was :
1. L John of Swindon ticket 880 paid £520
2. Name awaited, ticket number 1501 will pay pay £58
Just in case any one got home after purchasing a ticket at the Southampton game and wondered why, the ticket named “Barnet” as the team we were playing, it was due to the fact the swift turnaround after the great win at Bristol City and the bank holiday prevented the printing of a special ticket for that game, so instead we used the one destined for Barnet later in the season – so if you hold a ticket with the winning numbers don't forget to claim.
We will print a differently coloured ticket for the Barnet game later in the season, to differentiate between the ticket sales – hopefully that will avoid any confusion.
Pounds for points.
Mavis has asked us to point out that no invoice will be sent to those fans who participate and the the three points that the team won during that month will now be included in Septembers invoice.
If you want to join this scheme, to support youth development at the football club, Mavis will be delighted to hear from you. Your participation results in recognition, both on this page of the programme and our web site. An ideal way to support the Town and also identify your personal interest in supporting the Town. Indeed for a minimal outlay, businesses have an opportunity to promote their name to many thousands on a regular basis on this page.
Full details on our web site at http://www.swindontownsupportersclub.com/11.html
It's not too late to join and contribute this season.
Finally today
Supporters Club membership remains available for the season and I will be delighted to welcome new members. The small administration/ membership fees are as follows.
Adult Members ...£5 p.a. Disabled supporter / Senior Citizens.................£3p.a.
Under 18’s......... £2p.a “Family” up to 5 people,Maximum 2 Adults...£10 p.a.
The Supporters Club offers a number of benefits to members and is of particular of interest to those that travel away with SAS Travel, where members receive a discount on the standard fare. In fact any member travelling with SAS to the first 4 matches this season, will have saved £5 – covering the membership costs already. We also offer members a number of free competitions to win valuable prizes. Full details of all benefits can be found in the the “How to join “ section of our website at www.swindontownsupportersclub.com.
Application forms to join can be are downloaded from that site or are available from committee members on a match day, or from SAS Travel.
Oxford
The first game of the season, saw us getting the start we were all hoping for. Three points in the bag from a pretty comfortable win ( in the end) and a great start to our half time draw. Prizes totalling £461 were given away to winners, who were
1. Alan McCluskie from Swindon with ticket number 404 won ££415
2. Clive Walton from Purton with ticket number 360 won £46
The win also got the Pounds for Points up and running for the season with £129 in the kitty.
Without doubt, today's match has been looked forward to from ends of the A420 and the many communities, in between. Many a debate will have been passionately made about the merits of each squad as the fledgling season gets quickly underway.
Despite the changed kick off time and being a Sunday, we are sure of a great crowd and for those Town fans who were unable to get to the Crewe match I am repeating the Supporters Club information included in that programme.
Membership remains available for the season with the Supporters Club and I will be delighted to welcome new members. The small administration/ membership fees are as follows.
Adult Members ...£5 p.a. Disabled supporter / Senior Citizens.................£3p.a.
Under 18’s......... £2p.a “Family” up to 5 people,Maximum 2 Adults...£10 p.a.
The Supporters Club offers a number of benefits to members and is of particular of interest to those that travel away with SAS Travel, where members receive a discount on the standard fare. In fact any member travelling with SAS to the first 4 matches this season, will have saved £5 – covering the membership costs already. We also offer members a number of free competitions to win valuable prizes. Full details of all benefits can be found in the the “How to join “ section of our website at www.swindontownsupportersclub.com.
Application forms to join can be are downloaded from that site or are available from committee members on a match day, or from SAS Travel.
I hope that Supporters found the new card entry system a real benefit. We are delighted that we have been able assist with the funding for this, sharing the cost on an equal basis with our close friends and and our appointed travel partners SAS Travel.
This season we have already, in addition to the card entry system mentioned above, also sponsored a number of players and the “collect a card” initiative included in the back of the programme. We are committed also to match day and match ball sponsorship later in the season which will entitle members , drawn out in a lucky draw, to enjoy a very special day out at the County Ground. There are other projects in the early stages of planning which will develop as the season progresses.
I hope that everyone today has a great day out at the County Ground as we renew our rivalry with our “neighbours” but naturally hope it is the Town that have the local “bragging” rights, come the end of the game at around 3.00 pm - RogerThe first game of the season, saw us getting the start we were all hoping for. Three points in the bag from a pretty comfortable win ( in the end) and a great start to our half time draw. Prizes totalling £461 were given away to winners, who were
Crewe
I guess this is the day that many fans have been waiting for all summer and judging by the turnout and enthusiasm shown at the open day for the dawn of a new era, expectations are high. I was delighted also that many fans approached us on the day to register as members of the Supporters Club for the coming season.
Naturally, I will be delighted to once again share the company of those existing members at the coming matches. Existing members will have been sent their renewal forms with their newsletter. Membership is still open for the coming season and the cost is as follows.
Adult Members ...£5 p.a. Disabled supporter / Senior Citizens.................£3p.a.
Under 18’s......... £2p.a “Family” up to 5 people,Maximum 2 Adults...£10 p.a.
We offer a number of benefits to members particular of interest to those that travel away with SAS Travel, plus a number of free competitions to win valuable prizes. Full details of all benefits can be found in the the “How to join “ section of our website at www.swindontownsupportersclub.com.
Application forms can be are downloaded from that site or are available from committee members on a match day or from SAS Travel.
I hope that Supporters will find the new card entry system a real benefit. We are delighted that we have been able assist with the funding for this, sharing the cost on an equal basis with our close friends and and our appointed travel partners SAS Travel.
Once again this season we will be operating the 50/50 half time draw and the pounds for points sponsorship, should you wish to join the latter please again visit our website for contact details of the organiser Mavis Knight,. If you already know Mavis, do speak with her and she will be pleased to share the details of the scheme with you and register you for the coming season.
As far as the 50/50 draw is concerned last season saw a record number of ticket sales in any season meaning not only more funds were raised for our causes , but also prize winners benefited through increased prize money being paid. With your support we will try hard to beat that record this season.
On the field it was pleasing to see the Centre of Excellence once again competing in the Northern Ireland Milk cup competition – a trip once again paid for by the Supporters Club. Irrespective of results, the competition is as much about the off the field personal development of those lucky enough to be selected as it is on it where they get the chance to play against sides from all across the globe. Congratulations to the team for reaching the final of the “Bowl” which they sadly lost against AB Copenhagen
At first team level we wish Paolo and his charges every success as they attempt to get us out of this division and back to Division 1. The excitement mounts as kick off draws near.
Come on you Reds !
Roger