5 Years Ago: #QPR Official Supporters Club (OSC) - Gone

[Macmoish]

5 Years ago

Aug 8, 2012 at 10:45am

Notice - We 'R' QPR Site Closing Down

networkmai​l-qpr-suppo​rters-centr​al@

WE R QPR
www.werqpr.com

Notice - We 'R' QPR Site Closing Down

The QPR Official Supporters Club has decided that other Social Media including Facebook and Twitter will be more engaging tools to communicate with its members. It has therefore decided the We 'R' QPR website will be closed.

Please keep an eye on www.qpr.co.uk where we will be announcing details of our new Facebook and Twitter details shortly.

Thanks for all the contributions everyone has made on the We 'R' QPR website and we look forward to connecting with you all online shortly!

qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32551/osc-website-closing#ixzz2blT5Wyl4

[Macmoish]

Then...

Monday, March 04, 2013
QPR Official Supporters Club (OSC) Committee Resigns En Masse - Statement

-
Monday, 4 March 2013
Statement from OSC Committee (sent by Linda Favell on behalf of all Committee Members)

We announce that, with immediate effect, the Committee members of the QPR Official Supporters Club (OSC) have resigned en masse and have no wish to continue serving in their respective roles.
It has become evident that the role of the OSC Committee has been diminishing increasingly of late. The historical objectives and purposes as listed in its Constitution are rarely sought by the Club. With technological media advances in recent years, the Club is able to communicate with individual supporters in ways that render the OSC Committee unnecessary. The Committee members have been keenly aware of this decline in the recent past, feel under-utilised and consider their contributions unappreciated and unacknowledged.
Ultimately, the decision was reached as a result of the sharp disdain experienced at the recent Fans Forum where seemingly fresh topics were brought to the Forum by various supporters’ groups and individuals despite the OSC having discussed the same issues with the Club over the past 18 months. The Club's demonstration of concern at the Forum suggested that the its executives and staff had been blithely unaware of some of these issues. This, in turn, has also demonstrated that the efforts made by the OSC Committee in voicing concerns on behalf of supporters - in an attempt to improve the match day experience - had at best been given minimal recognition, if not entirely dismissed.
The Committee, as a whole, has adopted the viewpoint of no confidence and stands down in the belief that working with the Club has been and will continue to be a futile exercise.

Topics raised at previous OSC meetings:
Date of meeting

Topic Raised

Comments
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

John Reid (LSA) complained that the LSA had written several letters to the Club, with no responses.

Philip Beard wanted to commit to open lines of communication with fans groups. He wanted to arrange and diarise a set of regular meetings throughout the year.
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

Stewarding, ticket sales, loyalty points, website information.

Items to be raised at future OSC meetings (see below).
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

Fans Liaison Officer.

Philip Beard said Club needed to prioritise and would be unlikely to be able to fund necessary headcount for this role. He considered communication should be straightforward.
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

Loyalty Points

Philip Beard recognised the need to review the Loyalty Points scheme.
OSC Committee meeting
29.2.2012 attended by Becky Grote and Dan Laryea

Stewarding issues

No further action despite several individual emails to the Club.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

OSC Membership (what benefits?) and Function

Philip Beard suggested OSC membership should be “opt-in”. He asked the Committee what it wanted the OSC function to be.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Family Stand – OSC stated that the issue should have been handled more sensitively, with prior consultation.

Philip Beard said the decision had to be made quickly and that the Lower Loft was the easiest section to change. The decision stands.
OSC noted that the Box Office staff had worked well when moving supporters’ seats.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Ticket Touts brought up at meeting and emailed to Box Office. What controls in place to prevent this. Can tickets be tracked back to individuals?

Club encouraged use of Viagogo.
Nothing could be done to stop ticket touts.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Club tradition and history. Wanted contact maintained with ex-players and staff to keep tradition alive.

Philip Beard happy to have a viable scheme set upif there was a particular purpose.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Hospitality too expensive for most regular supporters. Asked whether less expensive facilities could be provided for supporters’ special occasions.

All hospitality packages to be sold at maximum cost in order to accrue maximum profits.

qprreport.blogspot.com/2013/03/qpr-official-supporters-club-osc.html

[Macmoish]

How it was before that

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - OSC MEETING MINUTES
Posted on: Wed 07 Mar 2012

The Official Supporters Club held a committee meeting at Loftus Road on Thursday 10th February.

Click here (OSC meeting minutes 100212) to view the minutes from this meeting.

Committee Meeting Thursday 10th February 2012
6.00 pm, Loftus Road

Present: OSC members as invited

Philip Beard (PB)
Becky Grote (BG)
Daniel Laryea (DL)

1)EGM – outstanding issues from 2011

Philip Beard (PB) opened the meeting with a welcome and thanks for those attending. He also apologised for the delay in arranging the EGM. The purpose of the meeting would be to elect members of the OSC Committee and to address any outstanding issues, i.e. ticket prices.

PB gave an overview of the new structure of QPR and stated that it had been four months, 21 days since the structure had changed on 18 August 2011. Tony Fernandes and partners now owned 66%, the Mittals owned 33% with 1% owned by QPR fans. PB went on to give an insight into his professional background and introduced his colleagues from the Marketing Department: Becky Grote (BG) and Daniel Laryea (DL). PB assured the meeting that they had tried to listen to what the fans were saying and the demonstration of dissatisfaction at ticket pricing. The Board had made the gesture of refund vouchers on season tickets which he hoped was well received. Buying five players and loan signings were also a demonstration of commitment by the shareholders. With the run of the past few games, some transfer activity is needed in January, specifically in defence and attack. There is a determination to stick together throughout the season in order to maintain QPR’s position in the Premier League. Another aim in the short to mid-term will be to build a new training ground, with the Club looking at a number of potential sites for the new facilities. Also developing potential for a new stadium in the local vicinity.

John Reid (JR), Secretary of the QPR LSA, was then invited to ask questions. JR gave his warmest greetings on behalf of the LSA and assured the meeting that the LSA was happy to support QPR in whatever division. He remarked that the 25th anniversary of the LSA was approaching and he hoped that the Club and supporters would join in celebration of that event, specifically requesting input by way of commemoration in the match programme. JR informed PB, BG and DL that the LSA had written several letters to the Club in the recent past but had received no replies so far. The LSA would like to have regular, separate, meetings with the Club every three months and mentioned that as the LSA was an independent group, their perspective could perhaps be better than that of the OSC. The LSA would like to be involved in discussions regarding ticket pricing, new ground, etc.

PB apologised that there had been a lack of communication in lots of areas, and demonstrated that in the past this had even been true of the Club with its near neighbours, the Jack Tizard school. Their relationship and communication had recently improved significantly and they were working well together. PB remarked that communication with fans groups was not as good as it should be, but would like to commit to an open line of communication. He would revert to the LSA by way of follow-up. Although there had been a tough run-in of games recently, support is strong but we need to work together towards greater stability.

A point was raised from the floor by Michael Derrane that there were so many supporters’ groups, with factions and divisions, that the Club needed to reach out. Vic Stevenson pointed out that there were only two recognised supporters groups – the LSA and the OSC – the rest were messageboards or fan forums. It was further mentioned from the floor that all members had been given an equal opportunity to attend the EGM/AGM, demonstrating that communication was not entirely lacking. Several issues, including stewarding, ticket sales, loyalty points scheme, website information, etc were raised, most of which will be discussed at future OSC Committee meetings.

Bill Cox suggested that the Club could employ a Fans Liaison Officer, or perhaps have a regular contributor in the programme, to whom fans could correspond to aid communication. PB stressed the current need to prioritise within the Club and it was unlikely to be able to fund headcount for a function such as this, particularly when communication should be straightforward.

PB had not been involved in the loyalty points scheme but recognised the need to review it.

Vic Stevenson raised the issue of the £3.50 booking fee when buying tickets in cashless transactions. It was felt unfair that cash sales were not taken on some occasions and therefore fans were bound to pay the booking fee.

PB stressed that the Club was looking at its Premier League competitors, not to replicate their processes but there was a need to adopt best practices, to recognise the procedures of other Premier League Clubs and utilise the best ideas for QPR as there was a need to generate significant revenues.

The Club recognised that some fans groups had been disagreeing, that there were huge problems and would work on how to rebuild trust and understanding, perhaps with more frequent and larger meetings than this evening’s EGM/AGM. PB wanted to arrange and diarise a set of regular meetings throughout the course of the year.

Ron Hill asked that, on the revenue side, should the Club consider having a retail outlet on a local high street? PB had looked into the possibility of a QPR concession at Westfield, but the costs involved were huge and that a High Street store was probably not an option as the economics were not viable. It was considered that online retail capability was high and the Club was looking at improvements in that regard. It was stated by several members that some QPR items (calendars, replica shirts, etc) were being sold elsewhere at costs significantly lower than the Club Shop. PB explained that market forces meant that the Club could not compete with larger chains.

Ron Hill remarked that Fulham had recently sold tickets for their European games at a very low cost. PB stated that it would take around 5/6 years to compete with the bigger Premier League clubs, and the focus was to stay in the Premier League. PB then had to leave the meeting but would be happy to meet in future.


2) Election of Committee

BG and DL held this part of the meeting on behalf of the OSC.

Karen Hampshire (KH) was standing as Chairperson and gave an overview of her capabilities and suitability for the role. It was a unanimous vote for Karen to reassume the role as Chairperson.

KH then read the list of 10 other applicants for the remaining 10 places on the Committee:

Linda Favell Brian Paterson
Ian Stenning Alison Burgess
Russell Wilson Kishan Parmar
Rebecca Favell Simon Paterson
Nicola Hammond Andrew Pearson

At this point, Mark Wayne objected to there being family members being put forward for the Committee places. A debate ensued and it was largely felt that there would be no conflicts with members of same family serving on the Committee.

The following were voted onto the Committee without objection:

Nominated Seconded
Linda Favell Ron Hill Lionel Watson
Brian Paterson Ron Hill Rebecca Favell
Ian Stenning Vic Stevenson William Hampshire
Alison Burgess Zach Hampshire Mark Wayne
Russell Wilson Lionel Watson Michael Derrane
Kishan Parmar Ron Hill Vic Stevenson
Rebecca Favell Simon Paterson Zach Hampshire
Simon Paterson Lionel Watson William Hampshire

As Nicola Hammond and Andrew Pearson were not present at the meeting, it was felt that their applications to stand were no longer viable.

Mark Wayne requested that he be considered for a place on the Committee. He was nominated by Vic Stevenson and seconded by Jeremy Gardner. This was met with no objection.

KH gave apologies on behalf of Pat and Tom Harrison who had been unable to attend the meeting. She also informed the meeting that two past Committee members did not stand for re-election and gave thanks to Brian Ahearne and Zach Hampshire for their previous contributions.

3) 2012 AGM:
Minutes from last meeting
Overview of activities
Financial updates

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the AGM held on 16 February 2011.

Linda Favell (LF) informed the meeting that there would be nothing to report by way of OSC activities for the past year. Due to the unavoidable difficulties faced by the Club and the Committee in the recent past, the OSC Committee had been unable to fulfill its usual programme of fundraising and fan liaison.

LF gave the financial report for the past year, copies of which were distributed to those present. She explained that it had been mutually agreed to discontinue the Ron Bannister memorial fund which currently stands at zero balance. The last financial transaction had been a £50 donation to the Demelza Hospice in memorial of Neil Roberts. The balance of the OSC account had remained constant at £333.98 for the past eight months.

4) AOB

Ron Hill asked whether the Open Day, Christmas Open Day and Fans’ Forums would be reinstated in the near future. Although these items would be brought to a future Committee meeting, Becky Grote (BG) stated that Fans’ Forums would be something that are being considered for the future. Daniel Laryea (DL) remarked that the Open Day and Christmas Open Days are being considered and would be arranged. It had been difficult to do this year, due to the changing structure at the Club.

Ron Hill asked about the players’ participation at events such as the Player of the Year Dinner and Kit Sponsorship Evening. BG said there was a commitment amongst Neil Warnock, Philip Beard and the playing staff. Joey Barton had formed a Players’ Council where a rotation of players dealt with external representation – hospital and school visits, etc – as well as internal meetings. Thus, the commitment of the playing staff had improved enormously.

LF reminded those present to use the OSC email address to raise any issues for future Committee meetings, thereby raising issues to the Club and improving the Club/supporter relationships.

Michael Derrane again brought up the issue regarding lack of communication. It was felt by many that, having discussed this at length during the meeting, this would be a new start for the Club, the OSC, the LSA and the supporters as we now have a real opportunity to work together.

Although it seemed a very short-notice meeting, the EGM had taken a long time to come about, with the previous OSC Committee members pursuing the request many times since the Summer of 2011. It was recognised that during the establishment of the new structure at the Club, there would not have been any alternative but to wait until the time was right but that at their soonest opportunity, BG and DL had acted swiftly and effectively. A vote of thanks was given by KH to the Club, specifically to PB, BG and DL for the meeting arrangements, and to the members who had attended the meeting.

The meeting concluded at 8.30 pm.

OSC EDGM/AGM
(FINAL) 10th February 2012
Page - PAGE 2 - QPR OSC QPR OSC


qprreport.blogspot.com/2012/03/qpr-report-thursday-qpr-official.html

[Macmoish]

OSC 2010 - Constitution

- The Official Supporters Club (OSC) New Constitution-


QPR Official Site - OSC CONSTITUTION
Posted on: Mon 19 Jul 2010

Click here (OSC Constitution) for the Official Supporters Club's constitution for the 2010/11 season

QUEENS PARK RANGERS FC OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS CLUB
CONSTITUTION AND RULES

PART A: CONSTITUTION

1. Name
1.1 The organisation shall be referred to as the Queens Park Rangers FC Official
Supporters Club (hereinafter called “the OSC”)
1.2 The headquarters of the OSC shall be: c/o Queens Park Rangers Football Club,
Loftus Road Stadium, South Africa Road, London W12 7PJ

2. Objectives and purpose of the OSC
2.1 To encourage the support of Queens Park Rangers Football Club (hereinafter
called “the Football Club”)
2.2 To represent the views of the membership directly to the Football Club and form
a link between the supporters and the Football Club
2.3 To assist the Football Club whenever possible, as required
2.4 To work in a fundraising capacity predominantly for, but not restricted to, the
QPR in the Community Trust and the QPR Centre of Excellence
2.5 To encourage supporters’ social activities
2.6 To encourage friendly relationships with supporters of all football clubs
2.7 To forge a positive relationship between the Football Club and the local
community

3. Membership
3.1 Membership of the OSC will be open to all supporters as part of the Season
Ticket and Membership renewal/application process

4. Annual General Meetings
4.1 An Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the OSC shall be held every calendar
year, with effect from 2010, to carry out the following business:
(I) To receive an annual report of the OSC’s activities for the previous year
(II) To receive and approve the financial accounts of the OSC for the previous
year
(III) To appoint or sanction the appointment of members of the committee
(IV) To discuss other matters relating to business of the AGM as communicated
to the Secretary and included in the notice of the meeting
4.2 At the OSC AGM each member (over the age of 16) shall have one vote

5. Finance
5.1 The OSC Committee shall at all times ensure that proper records of account are
kept of all transactions connected with the activities of the OSC
5.2 Accounts of the OSC shall be prepared annually, and a copy made available to
every member attending the AGM
5.3 An OSC Committee Member shall not make any profit or gain from any OSC
activity or event
5.4 In the event of the winding up of the OSC all its assets, monies and other
securities shall be disposed of to Queens Park Rangers Football Club

6. Relationship with Queens Park Rangers Football Club
6.1 The OSC is managed independently of the Football Club as are its finances
6.2 The Committee will represent the views of the membership through the Football
Club’s representative attending meetings at intervals throughout the year

PART B: RULES
1. OSC Financial Year
1.1 The OSC financial Year shall run from 1 August to 31 July each year

2. The Committee
2.1 The Committee shall consist of at least 9 adult members, position of office to be
decided by the Committee. The Committee can increase the number of
representatives on the Committee by a majority vote
2.2 Committee members shall serve a term of office of three years
2.3 Any Committee member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the
Committee without reasonable explanation shall, unless the Committee shall
resolve to the contrary, be deemed to have resigned from the Committee (and
shall be ineligible for re-election for the next year)
2.4 The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members to assist in the
organisation of events, as and when required
2.5 It is expected that Committee Members shall not use any OSC meeting or event
as a forum for their own means or to further personal or political opinions or
agendas
2.6 All business of the OSC shall be deemed confidential and only relayed to non
members by agreed means and by the Committee
2.7 Unless specifically requested by the Committee, the publishing of OSC business
in any public domain is strictly prohibited. This, and the dissemination of any
OSC information, shall be considered a serious breach of membership rules
2.8 The OSC Committee has sole authority over entering into contracts, agreements
and payments on behalf of the OSC

3. Meetings
3.1 The Committee shall meet at such time or times as the Committee shall
determine, but at a minimum would aim to meet at least once a month
3.2 It is envisaged to hold regular meetings with Supporters’ Groups, at a minimum
on a bi-monthly basis, with feedback discussed at a separate meeting with a
representative of the Football Club also to be held bi-monthly
3.3 A quorum shall be deemed to consist of 50% of the Committee membership plus
one
3.4 Representatives of the Football Club may be asked to attend meetings as the
occasion/event dictates
3.5 The Committee may invite any person(s) to attend meetings in a ‘non-voting’
capacity
3.6 An Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the OSC shall be held once a year during
the playing season
3.7 The secretary shall post up at South Africa Road and also in the match day
programme at least fourteen days before the AGM a notice of the meeting
stating the time and the place where it will be held and the business to be
conducted
3.8 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee
or by written request to the secretary of a minimum of 30 adult members. Such
a request shall state the purpose for which such a meeting is required
3.9 At the Annual General Meeting of the OSC such members of the Committee who
have served their term of office shall retire and may offer themselves for reelection.
Co-opted members may offer themselves for election at the Annual
General Meeting
3.10 Voting shall be by a show of hands or by ballot paper whichever procedure is
deemed more expedient by the chairperson

4. Finance
4.1 The OSC shall have a general account (currently with HSBC) and all cheques
drawn on such account shall bear at least two of the designated signatories
4.2 Any monies raised should always be counted and verified by TWO members of
the Committee

5. Alterations to the rules
5.1 Any proposed amendments to these rules shall be put to members at an annual
general meeting of the OSC and shall then be adopted or amended or repealed
by 75% of the members present who are entitled to vote

6. Life Membership
6.1 The Committee shall have the power to offer life membership to members or
others wherein the Committee will have sole discretion over such invitation

7. Expulsion from the Committee
7.1 Committee members may be suspended or expelled from the Committee for
refusing to comply with the provisions of any of these rules or for any other
cause deemed by the Committee to justify such suspension or expulsion,
provided that at least two thirds of the Committee then present vote in favour of
his/her suspension or expulsion

8. Unspecified matters
8.1 Any matter not covered by the above rules shall be dealt with by the OSC Committee

QPR OSC

qprreport.blogspot.com/2010/07/qpr-official-supporters-club.html

[Deleted]

so who now represents fans that are not on twitter?

[Bushman]

Aug 12, 2013 18:56:06 GMT @mountpleasantrangers said:

so who now represents fans that are not on twitter?

Beard was never going to be comfortable with the OSC, especially when he was caught out by Flavell at the fans forum telling porkys.

Facebook and twatter are far easier to manipulate and control than meeting the OSC face to face.

OSC. RIP.

[Markqpr]

Aug 12, 2013 18:56:06 GMT @mountpleasantrangers said:

so who now represents fans that are not on twitter?

Have you tried emailing Beard and asking him?

[Bushman]

Or maybe twatter him.

[Macmoish]

Coming on for a year (as of March 4)

[Macmoish]

Without virtually a whimper: Gone

[Macmoish]

Bump 2 Years Ago (Yesterday)

Aug 12, 2013 14:24:33 GMT Macmoish said:

Then...

Monday, March 04, 2013
QPR Official Supporters Club (OSC) Committee Resigns En Masse - Statement

-
Monday, 4 March 2013
Statement from OSC Committee (sent by Linda Favell on behalf of all Committee Members)

We announce that, with immediate effect, the Committee members of the QPR Official Supporters Club (OSC) have resigned en masse and have no wish to continue serving in their respective roles.
It has become evident that the role of the OSC Committee has been diminishing increasingly of late. The historical objectives and purposes as listed in its Constitution are rarely sought by the Club. With technological media advances in recent years, the Club is able to communicate with individual supporters in ways that render the OSC Committee unnecessary. The Committee members have been keenly aware of this decline in the recent past, feel under-utilised and consider their contributions unappreciated and unacknowledged.
Ultimately, the decision was reached as a result of the sharp disdain experienced at the recent Fans Forum where seemingly fresh topics were brought to the Forum by various supporters’ groups and individuals despite the OSC having discussed the same issues with the Club over the past 18 months. The Club's demonstration of concern at the Forum suggested that the its executives and staff had been blithely unaware of some of these issues. This, in turn, has also demonstrated that the efforts made by the OSC Committee in voicing concerns on behalf of supporters - in an attempt to improve the match day experience - had at best been given minimal recognition, if not entirely dismissed.
The Committee, as a whole, has adopted the viewpoint of no confidence and stands down in the belief that working with the Club has been and will continue to be a futile exercise.

Topics raised at previous OSC meetings:
Date of meeting

Topic Raised

Comments
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

John Reid (LSA) complained that the LSA had written several letters to the Club, with no responses.

Philip Beard wanted to commit to open lines of communication with fans groups. He wanted to arrange and diarise a set of regular meetings throughout the year.
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

Stewarding, ticket sales, loyalty points, website information.

Items to be raised at future OSC meetings (see below).
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

Fans Liaison Officer.

Philip Beard said Club needed to prioritise and would be unlikely to be able to fund necessary headcount for this role. He considered communication should be straightforward.
OSC EGM/AGM
4.1.2012

Loyalty Points

Philip Beard recognised the need to review the Loyalty Points scheme.
OSC Committee meeting
29.2.2012 attended by Becky Grote and Dan Laryea

Stewarding issues

No further action despite several individual emails to the Club.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

OSC Membership (what benefits?) and Function

Philip Beard suggested OSC membership should be “opt-in”. He asked the Committee what it wanted the OSC function to be.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Family Stand – OSC stated that the issue should have been handled more sensitively, with prior consultation.

Philip Beard said the decision had to be made quickly and that the Lower Loft was the easiest section to change. The decision stands.
OSC noted that the Box Office staff had worked well when moving supporters’ seats.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Ticket Touts brought up at meeting and emailed to Box Office. What controls in place to prevent this. Can tickets be tracked back to individuals?

Club encouraged use of Viagogo.
Nothing could be done to stop ticket touts.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Club tradition and history. Wanted contact maintained with ex-players and staff to keep tradition alive.

Philip Beard happy to have a viable scheme set upif there was a particular purpose.
OSC Committee meeting
1.8.2012 attended by Philip Beard, Becky Grote, Dan Laryea, Jon Davies

Hospitality too expensive for most regular supporters. Asked whether less expensive facilities could be provided for supporters’ special occasions.

All hospitality packages to be sold at maximum cost in order to accrue maximum profits.

qprreport.blogspot.com/2013/03/qpr-official-supporters-club-osc.html

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - OSC MEETING MINUTES
Posted on: Wed 07 Mar 2012

The Official Supporters Club held a committee meeting at Loftus Road on Thursday 10th February.

Click here (OSC meeting minutes 100212) to view the minutes from this meeting.

Committee Meeting Thursday 10th February 2012
6.00 pm, Loftus Road

Present: OSC members as invited

Philip Beard (PB)
Becky Grote (BG)
Daniel Laryea (DL)

1)EGM – outstanding issues from 2011

Philip Beard (PB) opened the meeting with a welcome and thanks for those attending. He also apologised for the delay in arranging the EGM. The purpose of the meeting would be to elect members of the OSC Committee and to address any outstanding issues, i.e. ticket prices.

PB gave an overview of the new structure of QPR and stated that it had been four months, 21 days since the structure had changed on 18 August 2011. Tony Fernandes and partners now owned 66%, the Mittals owned 33% with 1% owned by QPR fans. PB went on to give an insight into his professional background and introduced his colleagues from the Marketing Department: Becky Grote (BG) and Daniel Laryea (DL). PB assured the meeting that they had tried to listen to what the fans were saying and the demonstration of dissatisfaction at ticket pricing. The Board had made the gesture of refund vouchers on season tickets which he hoped was well received. Buying five players and loan signings were also a demonstration of commitment by the shareholders. With the run of the past few games, some transfer activity is needed in January, specifically in defence and attack. There is a determination to stick together throughout the season in order to maintain QPR’s position in the Premier League. Another aim in the short to mid-term will be to build a new training ground, with the Club looking at a number of potential sites for the new facilities. Also developing potential for a new stadium in the local vicinity.

John Reid (JR), Secretary of the QPR LSA, was then invited to ask questions. JR gave his warmest greetings on behalf of the LSA and assured the meeting that the LSA was happy to support QPR in whatever division. He remarked that the 25th anniversary of the LSA was approaching and he hoped that the Club and supporters would join in celebration of that event, specifically requesting input by way of commemoration in the match programme. JR informed PB, BG and DL that the LSA had written several letters to the Club in the recent past but had received no replies so far. The LSA would like to have regular, separate, meetings with the Club every three months and mentioned that as the LSA was an independent group, their perspective could perhaps be better than that of the OSC. The LSA would like to be involved in discussions regarding ticket pricing, new ground, etc.

PB apologised that there had been a lack of communication in lots of areas, and demonstrated that in the past this had even been true of the Club with its near neighbours, the Jack Tizard school. Their relationship and communication had recently improved significantly and they were working well together. PB remarked that communication with fans groups was not as good as it should be, but would like to commit to an open line of communication. He would revert to the LSA by way of follow-up. Although there had been a tough run-in of games recently, support is strong but we need to work together towards greater stability.

A point was raised from the floor by Michael Derrane that there were so many supporters’ groups, with factions and divisions, that the Club needed to reach out. Vic Stevenson pointed out that there were only two recognised supporters groups – the LSA and the OSC – the rest were messageboards or fan forums. It was further mentioned from the floor that all members had been given an equal opportunity to attend the EGM/AGM, demonstrating that communication was not entirely lacking. Several issues, including stewarding, ticket sales, loyalty points scheme, website information, etc were raised, most of which will be discussed at future OSC Committee meetings.

Bill Cox suggested that the Club could employ a Fans Liaison Officer, or perhaps have a regular contributor in the programme, to whom fans could correspond to aid communication. PB stressed the current need to prioritise within the Club and it was unlikely to be able to fund headcount for a function such as this, particularly when communication should be straightforward.

PB had not been involved in the loyalty points scheme but recognised the need to review it.

Vic Stevenson raised the issue of the £3.50 booking fee when buying tickets in cashless transactions. It was felt unfair that cash sales were not taken on some occasions and therefore fans were bound to pay the booking fee.

PB stressed that the Club was looking at its Premier League competitors, not to replicate their processes but there was a need to adopt best practices, to recognise the procedures of other Premier League Clubs and utilise the best ideas for QPR as there was a need to generate significant revenues.

The Club recognised that some fans groups had been disagreeing, that there were huge problems and would work on how to rebuild trust and understanding, perhaps with more frequent and larger meetings than this evening’s EGM/AGM. PB wanted to arrange and diarise a set of regular meetings throughout the course of the year.

Ron Hill asked that, on the revenue side, should the Club consider having a retail outlet on a local high street? PB had looked into the possibility of a QPR concession at Westfield, but the costs involved were huge and that a High Street store was probably not an option as the economics were not viable. It was considered that online retail capability was high and the Club was looking at improvements in that regard. It was stated by several members that some QPR items (calendars, replica shirts, etc) were being sold elsewhere at costs significantly lower than the Club Shop. PB explained that market forces meant that the Club could not compete with larger chains.

Ron Hill remarked that Fulham had recently sold tickets for their European games at a very low cost. PB stated that it would take around 5/6 years to compete with the bigger Premier League clubs, and the focus was to stay in the Premier League. PB then had to leave the meeting but would be happy to meet in future.


2) Election of Committee

BG and DL held this part of the meeting on behalf of the OSC.

Karen Hampshire (KH) was standing as Chairperson and gave an overview of her capabilities and suitability for the role. It was a unanimous vote for Karen to reassume the role as Chairperson.

KH then read the list of 10 other applicants for the remaining 10 places on the Committee:

Linda Favell Brian Paterson
Ian Stenning Alison Burgess
Russell Wilson Kishan Parmar
Rebecca Favell Simon Paterson
Nicola Hammond Andrew Pearson

At this point, Mark Wayne objected to there being family members being put forward for the Committee places. A debate ensued and it was largely felt that there would be no conflicts with members of same family serving on the Committee.

The following were voted onto the Committee without objection:

Nominated Seconded
Linda Favell Ron Hill Lionel Watson
Brian Paterson Ron Hill Rebecca Favell
Ian Stenning Vic Stevenson William Hampshire
Alison Burgess Zach Hampshire Mark Wayne
Russell Wilson Lionel Watson Michael Derrane
Kishan Parmar Ron Hill Vic Stevenson
Rebecca Favell Simon Paterson Zach Hampshire
Simon Paterson Lionel Watson William Hampshire

As Nicola Hammond and Andrew Pearson were not present at the meeting, it was felt that their applications to stand were no longer viable.

Mark Wayne requested that he be considered for a place on the Committee. He was nominated by Vic Stevenson and seconded by Jeremy Gardner. This was met with no objection.

KH gave apologies on behalf of Pat and Tom Harrison who had been unable to attend the meeting. She also informed the meeting that two past Committee members did not stand for re-election and gave thanks to Brian Ahearne and Zach Hampshire for their previous contributions.

3) 2012 AGM:
Minutes from last meeting
Overview of activities
Financial updates

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the AGM held on 16 February 2011.

Linda Favell (LF) informed the meeting that there would be nothing to report by way of OSC activities for the past year. Due to the unavoidable difficulties faced by the Club and the Committee in the recent past, the OSC Committee had been unable to fulfill its usual programme of fundraising and fan liaison.

LF gave the financial report for the past year, copies of which were distributed to those present. She explained that it had been mutually agreed to discontinue the Ron Bannister memorial fund which currently stands at zero balance. The last financial transaction had been a £50 donation to the Demelza Hospice in memorial of Neil Roberts. The balance of the OSC account had remained constant at £333.98 for the past eight months.

4) AOB

Ron Hill asked whether the Open Day, Christmas Open Day and Fans’ Forums would be reinstated in the near future. Although these items would be brought to a future Committee meeting, Becky Grote (BG) stated that Fans’ Forums would be something that are being considered for the future. Daniel Laryea (DL) remarked that the Open Day and Christmas Open Days are being considered and would be arranged. It had been difficult to do this year, due to the changing structure at the Club.

Ron Hill asked about the players’ participation at events such as the Player of the Year Dinner and Kit Sponsorship Evening. BG said there was a commitment amongst Neil Warnock, Philip Beard and the playing staff. Joey Barton had formed a Players’ Council where a rotation of players dealt with external representation – hospital and school visits, etc – as well as internal meetings. Thus, the commitment of the playing staff had improved enormously.

LF reminded those present to use the OSC email address to raise any issues for future Committee meetings, thereby raising issues to the Club and improving the Club/supporter relationships.

Michael Derrane again brought up the issue regarding lack of communication. It was felt by many that, having discussed this at length during the meeting, this would be a new start for the Club, the OSC, the LSA and the supporters as we now have a real opportunity to work together.

Although it seemed a very short-notice meeting, the EGM had taken a long time to come about, with the previous OSC Committee members pursuing the request many times since the Summer of 2011. It was recognised that during the establishment of the new structure at the Club, there would not have been any alternative but to wait until the time was right but that at their soonest opportunity, BG and DL had acted swiftly and effectively. A vote of thanks was given by KH to the Club, specifically to PB, BG and DL for the meeting arrangements, and to the members who had attended the meeting.

The meeting concluded at 8.30 pm.

OSC EDGM/AGM
(FINAL) 10th February 2012
Page - PAGE 2 - QPR OSC QPR OSC


qprreport.blogspot.com/2012/03/qpr-report-thursday-qpr-official.html

[Macmoish]

Just a reminder of the Official SUpporters Club (OSC)