Welcome to the Silkmen Supporters' Trust.

14th December 2018

The SST's Response to Amar AlKhadi's Responses to the SST Open Letter

12th December 2018

Amar AlKhadi
c/o Macclesfield Town Football Club
Moss Rose Stadium
London Road
Macclesfield
SK11 7SP

Dear Amar

On behalf of the Silkmen Supporters Trust (SST) board I would like to take this opportunity to
thank you for taking the time to personally intervene and provide responses to the questions
that were originally posed by us to Kevin Green Chief Executive at Macclesfield Town Football
Club on 24 th November 2018. As I am sure you are aware, your responses have now been
highlighted on the SST website in addition to the Star Lane End (SLE) and Wraggs to Riches
websites in the spirit of transparency and openness which we hope will continue to be the case
in future dialogue.

I would like to take this opportunity to advise you that the SST board now intend to scrutinize
your responses in more detail, and will then provide a written response which will be also be
highlighted on the aforementioned websites as an open letter. Once again many thanks for
your responses, and we look forward to further development of open and informative dialogue
between you, your senior representatives and ourselves.

Yours sincerely

Andy Worth

SST Chairman

11th December 2018

Amar Alkhadi's Response to the Open SST Letter (dated the 25th November 2018)

1. There is a strong feeling amongst Silkmen supporters that there is a significant
   disconnect between them and the majority shareholder Amar Alkadhi and
   Chairman Mark Blower. Could you please advise on how you intend to positively
   address this perception amongst the Silkmen faithful?

I don't think I have personally changed the way I connect with the silkmen supporters in the 16 years that I have been involved in the club. I have always liked to be a low-profile director and that hasn't changed. I think I have replied to messages and spoken to all fans who have approached me for a chat.

There have been a couple of instances over the last year where I have chosen not to reply to insults and threats from unhappy fans/ex-employees, but surely that is normal?

MB has made himself available whenever called upon and spoken openly and honestly about all matters, most recently with the SST board and before that with a number of supporters who asked to challenge him.

2. There is a perception that the Silkmen hierarchy is not trusted by a number of
influential local businessman; some of which have previously been involved but
sadly no longer seem to be. Could you please advise on how well you are doing
at attracting the interest of local businesses, and reinvigorating relationships with
previous influential local businesses who have proactively supported the football
club in the past?

While the contribution of the local businessmen that I think you refer to was undeniably, mostly, positive while the club was in the National league, the football league requires a much higher financial sponsorship contribution (which is allowable to be used for the football playing budget), which the these businesses cannot absorb.

3. There are concerns that as majority shareholder, Amar holds such an influential
shareholding that it significantly inhibits the possibility for an Annual General
Meeting (AGM) of shareholders, to discuss important issues around the future of
our beloved club. Could you please advise if there are any plans for an AGM in
the foreseeable future which we feel sure would help to facilitate a feeling of
transparency and openness from the club?

Company law was changed a couple of years ago so that no AGM needs to be held. We publish our accounts and the parent company accounts publicly, and we speak on a regular basis to stakeholders and fans. So all financial data is publicly available.

Apart from private information (players wages and contracts), I welcome any questions that need answering. Indeed MB has held a few "meet the chairman" sessions where direct answers were given to direct questions.

4. There are significant concerns about a perceived lack of investment in the
playing staff at the club which has contributed to the poor start to our season.
Could you please advise as to how the club intends to provide resources that
would ensure our survival in the EFL, and provide clarity as to the current
managerial situation because of the perceived ambiguity in official
communications thus far?

I am not sure that the fans are aware of the EFL has a salary cap mechanism in place lined to the revenue of the Club (Certainly Andy, you were not when we spoke) and we are using every penny that is allowed. We were utilising 97% of it by November (official figure from the EFL) but now we are at 100% because of additional signings (Nathan Cameron).

5. A number of supporters have expressed concern as to the apparent lack of
sponsorship for games since our return to the EFL which has inevitably attracted
increased crowds. Could you please advise as to why this appears to be the
case and what the club is doing to address this matter?

We feel that the Commercial Manager is doing a good job, but any help from SST or the local businesses that you mentioned, that used to sponsor last year but are not at the moment, will be very welcome.

6. The SST have been made aware of a number of concerns relating to fans
experience (particularly on London Road) that has created a perception of ‘them
and us’ between the London Road and Moss Lane areas of the ground. Dean
Holmes and Robert Stirling do a fantastic job at attempting to provide a positive
experience for fans in Butch’s Bar, but it is patently clear that the condition of
Butch’s Bar is extremely poor / not fit for purpose, and several of our members
have even indicated their concern about having witnessed rainwater seeping
through light fittings. Could you please advise as to how the club intends to
improve the fans experience in London Road as for example via such initiatives
as a new version of Butch’s Bar?

Agreed Butch's bar needs to be demolished, but we have invested significantly in others areas eg the Silkmen Cafe and a new heating system in the Mcllroy suite.

7. There is evidence that previous investment from the SST has been rewarded
with share provision but there is no evidence that this has been the case
recently. Is the club willing to consider the possibility that for every pound that
they invest into the club (which also includes the Super Silk Lotto investment)
that they will receive a share?

No reason why not but not for the lotto that's a completely independent fund raiser.

8. A number of our members are aware that 500 pounds a month from the money
accrued via the Super Silk Lotto is paid into the club coffers. Could you please
provide an outline of how that money is utilised? It is considered that an
awareness of how the money raised is supporting the club may encourage
further membership.

Personally, I am not aware of these details, but apparently the SST only run it because they volunteered to because certain members wanted a more tangible role in the Club, as a L2 Club there are some professional lottery schemes that we can join which could be far more beneficial to the Club, but we welcome and appreciate the SST's involvement.  In terms of what we spend it on, every week/month there are items of equipment requiring repair / maintenance and this goes some small way towards that.

9. On a positive note to finish, I would be most grateful if you could make media
manager Bob Trafford aware of the excellent feedback from many of our
members with regards to quality of the official website content, quality of
programme and willingness to provide speedy responses to efforts within his role
of fans liaison officer on behalf of the club.

Bob Trafford is indeed doing a very good job.

Macclesfield Town Football Club consistently punches above its weight and our current
position within the elite of 92 Football League clubs bears testimony to this fact. In a
recent address you yourself Kevin spoke of the importance of unity in engendering a
spirit of unity that could ensure our survival that facilitates such a belief. As a
consequence the SST board politely requests that you ‘put your money where your
mouth is’ and offer a honest and valued written response to what is asked of you within
the time-frame provided above.

6th December 2018

The SST Annual General Meeting

The SST Annual General Meeting followed by an Open Board Meeting was held in the McIIroy suite at Macclesfield Football Club on Monday 18th November 2018.

The minutes of both meetings  together with other relevant information has been made available for downloading below:-

3rd December 2018

Following on from the recent SST AGM and subsequent board meeting, the SST board have been working on a number of initiatives. I am therefore writing on behalf of my fabulous colleagues on the SST board to provide you with an update; most notably that which is in response to the open letter sent to the club last week.

Open Letter to Kevin Green; the Chief Executive of MTFC

A letter (see below) documenting the concerns raised by SST members and fans was sent to chief executive Kevin Green on the 24th November. We requested Kevin formally respond by Monday 3rd December.

Since this time majority shareholder Amar Alkadhi has contacted the SST and requested that he (rather than Kevin) provides a response. The fact that Amar has personally intervened demonstrates evidence of positivity with regard to the possibility of more open communication channels between the hierarchy of the club and the fans. In view of this, it has been agreed that the deadline be extended until the end of this week by the very latest to allow Amar the time to give a detailed response to us. This will of course be highlighted on the SST website in addition to Wraggs to Riches & The Star Lane End sites.

SST Website

The SST website is currently undergoing a revamp, so please feel free to browse through and see if you can spot anything new!

Home Page:  https://www.sstrust.uk

SST Membership

It is now so much easier to join the SST, as we have updated the registration forms to include account details & pay-pal details.

Join Us: https://www.sstrust.uk/join-us/

Fundraising 

Throughout the 2017/18 season and during the summer of 2018, the SST (in collaboration with the Super Silk Lotto on a number of initiatives) have provided funding towards the following:

• A  new lawn mower for the groundsman.
• John Askey’s home kit and Mitch Hancox's away kit.
• Trophies for the Player of the Year Awards evening.
• New hand dryers in the Star Lane Ladies' and Gents' toilets.
• Insulation of The Mcllroy Suite.
• A thank you event for the fabulous Silkmen volunteers.
• Two vital new computers for the administration staff at MTFC.
• New radio equipment for the stewards.
• A new glass washer in The McIlroy Suite.
• Copper piping for the main stand.

A huge vote of thanks to YOU in supporting these fundraising initiatives.

Easyfundraising 

Easyfundraising is the completely FREE way in which you can help raise funds for the SST which of course helps the Silkmen cause, and it can be done so easily whilst you shop online.

By using easyfundraising to buy goods from such well-known retailers as Booking.com and Amazon, a percentage of your spends goes to the SST at NO additional cost to you.

It's easy to register and use, so find out how using our '3 step guide' at https://www.sstrust.uk/fundraising/easyfundraising/

Santa, the SST and in turn your club all benefit. ?

2019

As 2018 draws to a close and with the input of new board members with new ideas, the SST are looking to re-launch in 2019 with contemporary aims and objectives. The more members we have, the stronger the influence we can have in support of our beloved  club. Of course the more we can do to help improve the fan experience. Whether this is about the need for a new Butch's Bar; a new scoreboard or new bins around the ground, we would like the fans that we represent to have more of a say. This is not only with regards to how any funds raised are spent, but as to how the voices of the Silkmen faithful are heard in helping influence positive change at our beloved club.

Andy Worth

SST Chairman