One thing that stuck in my mind from the meeting, was that WiSCA are not involved with the supporters trust but all other groups seem to be.
Are WiSCA any closer to involvement with the trust following the obvious success of the initial meetings and with the trust having some significant support from the club?

WISCA were originally involved in the early meetings but chose not to continue with their involvement. We have made it known to them, via a number of channels, that the door is wide open for them to return should they wish to do so.

I'm meeting with WiSCA next month to have a chat with them about them becoming part of the Trust which I sincerely hope they do. They have done some terrific work for the Club in the past and I would hope that continues.

TOGETHER WE REALLY ARE STRONGER

There are plenty of us who have struggled to keep up / come to terms with what has happened and where we are at. WiSCA have had it very tough, but they love this club and have worked damned hard for it and that is not something to be sniffed at. All the best with this - and of course if I can be of assistance, I will be there.

That's good to here, it would be a fantastic achievement for everyone who is proud of this club, if all supporters came together.

It could work both ways and be of benefit to WiSCA as well.

So we could still end up with two groups running coaches to games, with one by the group which used to be official, the broke away and is now back within the fold and the other that was formed as independent, then official and now on the outside of the revolution!

I don't think its the Trusts intention to take over running coaches or any other jobs that these groups do, that could change if the membership and the new board decide to go down that road.

Each group will run independently (again thats up to each groups membership to decide upon) but will form part of the trust, so yes having two groups running coaches is possible at this stage but that may change.

Its early days and it will take time for it all to settle down.

Ahh right. So the Original Supporters Club would still exist, but working as part of the Trust with the club rather than outside it (funds from coaches and the like helping the Trust and the club), and the same with the Disabled Supporters Group etc.?

I think thats the aim but the OSC have there own membership and they'll decide how that pans out, maybe in time they'll operate from the trust, who knows.

I would think ( and hope) the disabled group will be run from within the trust with a representative elected onto the board.

A new board in August and a clearer view of how the groups have stacked up will tell us more.

It is absolutely crazy to have different sets of cliques within a club, such as different supporters groups doing the same thing. There is a point in having different 'needs and requirements' to be represented, but why have two lots of coaches, two lots of supporters groups membership, two lots of admin, two lots of blah blah blah....?

Surely in an economic climate like we have it is wasteful to have all this duplication?

And how would new fans look at the situation if they wanted to go to an away game? How would they get to know about either set of group providing travel? With just a phone number as a contact - no info as to what each group stands for, represents, etc...

It really is a ridiculous situation that all parties need sorting out. It makes much more sense to unite under the banner of the new ST, run one set of transport, etc...

Scrap the politics, petty squabbles - work together as TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER!

It is, but like i've said thats up to each group, the new board in August will be appointed and the members will vote on the next steps the trust takes and who wishes to be on board.

I understand Squadbuilder will go it alone but have joined the trust and support it 100%, no politics/squabbles involved.

Please remember the trusts only been set up for a week, these things take time and need handling in the correct manner.

Sorry Al, it wasn't a moan at the ST, it was a moan at those groups that aren't wanting a united supporters group that can represent the fans as one body together.

I never took it as a moan mate, and you are right in your views.

After the elections in August it'll be a lot clearer.

Fingers crossed that all parties take the opportunity to seize this new wave opportunity and push forwards in the new era suitable for the club.

Might be wrong here, but I can't see WISCA getting into bed with the rest of the groups, I've been to Quins twice with them on weekend trips' staying at firstly Stevenage and then Feltham and had two fantastic weekends', BUT the wisca people including Lady Di are stauch TR fans imo and would take a lot of persuading to come on board.

I've never been involved with any supporters association until now, however the fact that the trust has been formed, to galvanise all supporters for the best of WT, seems the most important and probably only reason anyone should need.
I'm presuming that as the formerly official supporters club of WT, WiSCA will become almost obsolete should the WTST have the backing of the club, equally if enough members join the WTST from WiSCA it's numbers will drop and the WTST will be the largest group.
If as you say WiSCA is more aligned to TR than WT, then that explains perhaps their reluctance to be part of the WTST and also why we should just leave them to their own.

As I have said its only my opinion, but it would appear that some people are still loyal to the Richardson family and therefore reluctant to embrace the new regime, the reason I mentioned the two wisca trips was because of the Richardson family envolvement in them leaving me with the feeling that it might not be that simple trying to get them on board if there is any bitterness over the way they percieved to have been treated.

So we will have the Wakefield Trinity Supporters Trust and the Ted Richardson Supporters Trust? See what ends up more popular in the end....

If that is the case, then WiSCA as a WT supporters association are pretty much defunct anyway.
Wasn't the I in the anacronym "independent" how ironic.
Clearly now the way forward for supporters of the club is with the trust and affiliated groups.

Which brings it back to the question as to what do each of the groups offer? One has the ear of the club, and a mandate from the fans, and the other has.....?

I don't know anything about WISCA or any of the other supporters groups; what I do know however is that the ST is not starting out with a blank sheet of paper - whatever the relative merits or affiliations of the various groups, the fact is that people have put time, energy, emotion and dedication into them and in their day, I'm sure they were the best thing since sliced bread.

Given all of that, don't you think it's unreasonable to expect all the existing groups to blink themselves out of existence, just because the ST is the new best thing? It may happen eventually, but it's very unlikely to happen over night.

As far as I'm aware we aren't asking them to 'blink themselves out of extinction'. We are merely asking them and their members to support the ST so it can become the 'one true voice' that the club wants. All other groups are completely independent and able to function in what ever way they feel fit. It would just be easier if any concerns were raised to the ST and those concerns voiced to all the fans and the club, not just a minority. Saves the same thing being talked about/voiced to the club over and over again.

Independent until it became 'integrated' with the Supporters Club, because, if memory serves me correctly, the club only wanted one supporters group.

*****

Will be nice with the Trust, as alluded to by Sandal Cat, that this will be for the good of the club and it's future, rather than used for tittle tattle and such from the top table of the club.