Sent in great haste from a mobile phone
-------- Original message --------
From: Leeds United Supporters Trust <[email protected]>
Date: 20/06/2014 20:15 (GMT+00:00)
To: John <[email protected]>
Subject: Leeds United Supporters Trust - Statement from the Chairman
Leeds United Supporters Trust Statement - Friday 20th June 2014
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Statement from the Chairman
Dear Trust Shareholder,
Since October 2009 it has been my privilege to serve as Chairman of the Leeds
United Supporters Trust, working with some of the most honest and genuine
people I have ever met. It has been a tremendous journey, and in more ways than
I could have ever imagined the experience has mirrored the ups and downs that
as Leeds fans we understand better than most. I have always done my best to
voice the opinions of our members to the club, to the media and to anyone who
has had an interest in Leeds United, and I have done so with purpose and
conviction. I hope that the members of LUST appreciate that.
Back in 2009 the Trust had 224 members, was disregarded and discredited by the
club’s owner Ken Bates, and while it had good people on its board it didn’t
feel like it was realising its potential. It was with that in mind that I
joined and became Chairman, with a refreshed board and a determination to
rebuild the Trust into a strong, credible organisation fit for the purpose of
tackling the circumstances that the club and its supporters found themselves
in. I am very proud to have been part of the team that built the Trust into
what it is today: an organisation with a membership of over 9,000 and the ears
of the local authority, local MPs, central government and the media, but most
importantly with the ear of the club.
We have achieved everything we set out to achieve and more. As a board our
members could have asked little more of us, and as Chairman I couldn’t have
hoped for more than we have achieved. In this respect I feel that my journey
has come full circle and that now is as good a time as any to stand down, take
a rest and hand the stewardship of one of the largest and most respected
supporters’ trusts, not only in the UK but across Europe and the world, to
someone who can continue to raise its profile, serve the best interests of its
members and work with a new owner. The Trust faces new challenges, and having
represented our members under two former owners to the very best of my ability
I feel I can stand tall and proud of my efforts, and hand over the job to
someone else.
To my fellow board members I would like to express my sincere thanks for all of
the time, the effort, the hard work and the dedication you have shown and given
freely. It has not always been easy - we have tested each other’s patience at
times, and the differences in opinion have often been as great as the results
we have achieved. But quite simply I could not have wished for better people to
support me and serve our members than all of you who have served on the board
with me for the last near-on five years. My thanks to you all.
To our members, who in their thousands have given us support, it has been an
honour to serve you. I have not always agreed with the mandate you have asked
us to follow, and I have had strong reservations about some of the opinions you
have asked us to voice on your behalf, but the purpose of the Trust is to give
you a voice - one voice, your voice - and I have always tried to make sure my
personal opinions have not deterred me from making your opinions the priority
and making sure they are heard. For giving me the opportunity to do that, and
for giving me the kind of support that has been a source of great strength to
me, I will always be so very grateful. You truly are the best supporters in the
world.
In many respects I got a lot more than I bargained for when I came to the
chair. I knew it would be difficult, I knew that with my head above the parapet
I would get shot at, and I expected to be the subject of a fair amount of
personal attention, but I had no idea how much my family would be affected by
it all. Had I realised the extent of the suffering I would be putting them
through I probably would not have taken on the role at all. To my soul-mate,
Kirsty, who has suffered more than most and paid a price for my ambition and
for the ambitions of thousands of Leeds fans, I can only say thank you for
supporting me all the way through this. Nothing can ever repay the debt of
gratitude you are owed. To my kids, who have lost out on my time, my attention
and often my patience while I struggled to serve our larger Leeds United
family, I am forever grateful to you and love you all dearly.
To those who have sniped, snarled, lied and judged from afar, and who will
probably take a great deal of pleasure from my decision to stand down, I hope
one day you have the pleasure of realising what ‘Marching On Together’ actually
means. The Trust will go from strength to strength long after Gary Cooper is
gone and will continue to represent its members - Leeds fans - which is a
source of great comfort to me.
Thank you to all who have supported me. I will always be proud to be a LUST
member, and will continue to fulfil the duties of Chairman and to support the
board in any way I can, but will stand down at this year’s AGM satisfied that I
have achieved all I set out to do, knowing that LUST is in great shape and
ready to face new challenges.
It really has been emotional.
Gary Cooper
Proud ‘moron’ and ‘dissident’
MOT
Supporters can also join more than 9,000 other Leeds fans and have their voice
heard as members of the Leeds United Supporters’ Trust by filling in the form
at www.lufctrust.org. Membership is free. Keep checking for updates on
www.lufctrust.org, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.
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John 'Grampa' Sykes
Rest In Peace old lad
28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013
MARCHING ON TOGETHER
