As previously commented, Leicester City’s financial troubles and the threat of a future points deduction became clear in March. Since then, there has been a significant increase in membership of the Foxes Trust. This increase in interest and enthusiasm is welcome, albeit the catalyst for it is clearly not ideal for the club and its prospects. Also welcome has been the number of offers from new members to get involved in the work of the Trust. The Board has encouraged this all along, but take-up has generally been low until recently.
We have now completed the process by which the new volunteers and existing Board members have filled in a self-assessment skills audit. The new volunteers cover a wide range of skills and experience and will be a valuable resource for the Trust. We were pleased to offer each of the eight new volunteers a place on the Trust’s Subgroups – the ones that we deemed best met their interests and experience. The Subgroups are where the bulk of the work of the Trust is done and are also routinely used by Trusts to get people involved who may wish to become Board members at some point. Six of the eight have accepted the offer to join the Subgroups.
So please welcome to the Trust Subgroups:
Ryan Murrant who joins the Engagement and Membership Board Subgroups
David Ilnickl who joins the Communications and Membership Board Subgroups
Paul Rains who joins the Membership Board Subgroup
James Harlow who joins the Women’s Game Board Subgroup
Colin Phillips who joins the Engagement and Finance Board Subgroups
Andy Buckingham who joins the Communications and Finance Board Subgroups
We asked each new addition to explain their backgrounds to the membership
Ryan Murrant – “c10 years of working within the EFL and SPFL in Head of Communications and Fan Engagement Lead roles. Worked closely with the FSA and supporter groups at Doncaster Rovers, Motherwell and Brentford to engineer continuous change. Presented on best practice on Supporter / Club relationships for the EFL, The Rugby Football League, UEFA and the Estonian and Danish Premier Leagues. Now a gamekeeper turned poacher if you like!”
David Ilnickl – “I’m really excited to be joining the membership and communications Subgroups, hopefully bringing valuable experience from over 16 years working in customer experience and communications focused roles.”
Paul Rains – “Strategic player, with good negotiating skills. Previous board level experience of a not-for-profit membership organisation with over 20,000 members. Six Sigma trained so I always aim to deliver customer satisfaction, whilst increasing the efficiency of business processes.”
James Harlow – “As a dedicated former chairman of LCFC Womens supporters club with extensive experience in promoting women’s football, I bring leadership, organisational, and advocacy skills to the trust board. My expertise in business change management and strong communication abilities will help to drive effective transformations and foster a supportive, inclusive environment for all”
Colin Philips – “As a lifelong supporter, and qualified Chartered Accountant, I am pleased to offer my experience and skills to the Finance and Fan engagement Subgroups”
Andy Buckingham – “’Having worked as a Communications Partner in Central Government, dealing with internal comms and stakeholder engagement, and before that, with accounts examinations and providing technical advice on a national basis, I hope to contribute experience and guidance in Comms activities and in understanding the complexities of football finance.”