United Against Racism –
The Trust Board felt it was important to start this month’s update with a comment regarding the recent is sues relating to racism and discrimination that are sadly continuing to rear their ugly head.
In our last update we commented on the vile abuse that Yan Dandha had received on social media. Sadly, our own Ben Cabango has also suffered similar abuse in recent weeks, souring what was a very proud mo ment in keeping a clean sheet for Wales’ win against Mexico.
On neither occasion was the individual responsible for this abuse a member of the Jack Army. Sadly, it is a sad fact that some individuals have sought to link our club to their own extreme, often racist, political views. Many of you will have seen YouTube clips and social media posts from racist organisations and individuals seeking to gain exposure, or even just notoriety. While we know that every effort has been made by the
club and the relevant authorities to stop such events, where they have the power to do so, this is not al ways possible especially when they are on nearby public ground.
It is our view that social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter need to do far more than they are. Anyone engaging in such abuse should have their social media account closed. It should be far easier to trace these accounts back to their owners, so that the appropriate authorities can hold them to account. Sadly, social media companies are showing very little interest in properly addressing this issue, so we call on the UK Government to force these companies to do more.
While we cannot control what social media companies do, we do have much more influence in how our club acts towards these people. In our recent derby match, we joined forces with both clubs and a variety of other supporter groups, such as our DSA, the Jacks against Racism and Fascism and Cardiff’s Supporters’ Trust, to issue a joint pledge in the fight against racism and discrimination and to condemn discrimination and abuse of all kinds.
This is just a start, and we will be working closely with the club and other supporting groups to do more, in order to do everything we can to ensure the Liberty Stadium is a place where everyone feels safe and in cluded, and such abuse is not tolerated.
Club Update
While many of us are also keen supporters of our respective international football teams, it is a common refrain from supporters of club football that international breaks are often an unwelcome disruption to the club fixture list. For once, we think many Swans fans would have welcomed this break as our team looked a little weary going into the break, after a run of 9 matches in 28 days.
We were all crossing our fingers that those players who were representing their country came back without any injuries. While the likes of Andre Ayew and Marc Guehi have both suffered knocks, initial signs seem positive and we hope to see both Andre and Marc, and of course Conor Hourihane, back on the pitch very soon. It was also great to see Jamal Lowe break his goal drought in his debut for Jamaica, and we look for ward to him going on another long goalscoring run as a result!
Despite a disappointing couple of results prior to the break (we won’t mention the opponents), we still find ourselves in a very strong league position, with a playoff place almost confirmed and the second automatic promotion place tantalisingly within reach.
We have nine cup finals ahead of us, potentially twelve if we have to settle for the playoffs, and we are sure the Jack Army will be firmly and loudly behind the team as we get back to league action this evening against Birmingham!
Remembrance Wall
As many of you will have seen from our recent statement, the Supporters’ Trust has been working closely with the club’s management team on the creation of a Covid-19 Remembrance Wall at the Liberty Stadium, to be located outside the South Stand.
The Remembrance Wall will comprise individual plaques for Swans fans who have passed due to this pandemic. The individual plaques will feature the Swansea City badge and the name of the person who has passed.
The Trust has agreed with the Club to share the costs of providing and installing these plaques for all sea son ticket holders and Trust Members we have lost.
For season ticket holders who have passed, please submit names by clicking HERE and filling out the brief form. If possible, please provide their season ticket number but, if this is not known, please provide their address where asked.
For Trust Members who have passed who were not also season ticket holders, please can you send an email to info@swanstrust.co.uk with their name and address, and we will ensure they are also included. Alternatively, we can be contacted using the various contact methods available HERE
We also understand that family and friends of supporters who are not season ticket holders or Trust mem bers may wish to have their names added to this wall. We would, of course, welcome any such requests, and these can be requested HERE. Please be assured that the £50 charge in this instance is the cost of providing and installing each plaque and neither the club nor the Trust is making any profit from this.
Due to the unprecedented events of the last year we felt it was only right that a permanent memorial was created at the stadium, so we can remember those we have lost as a result of this pandemic and also re member the sacrifices and efforts made by so many.
We hope this will provide some comfort to everyone who has been affected during this time.
Season Tickets
As our members will know, the area of season tickets has been something the Trust have been working very closely together with the club on, particularly since the start of this pandemic.
We are sure the announcement regarding the significant reduction in general sale season ticket prices for the 2021/22 season will be very well received by our members and fans generally. We applaud the efforts of the club’s management team in proposing these prices and obtaining the agreement of our fellow share holders.
As the representatives of the fans within our club, we have always advocated match day pricing that makes attending the Liberty Stadium as accessible as possible for all, so we were obviously delighted to support these proposals.
As noted in the club’s official statement, the Trust have been working closely with the club’s management team on the communications strategy for this initiative and to ensure that the numerous scenarios our fans will find themselves in have been covered.
We understand from yesterday’s club update that season ticket sales figures have been very strong to date, largely as a result of these efforts. As we move into April and the general sale period, we hope that as many fans as possible are able to take advantage of these prices so that, when we are able to get back into the Liberty Stadium, it will be packed to the rafters … hopefully cheering us on in the Premier League!
Liberty Stadium Catering
Many of you will be aware that the Club has made the decision to move the catering provision in-house, rather than outsourcing to a third party as previously. This will provide a perfect opportunity for the club to improve the matchday experience, with better food and drink options making up a key part of that.
Many of you will have seen the surveys sent out by the club looking for feedback on various food and drink options. These surveys were developed in conjunction with representatives of the Trust, and we have also held frequent meetings with the club’s representatives on this matter.
These discussions will continue over the coming weeks, so please keep an eye out for further surveys that we will be promoting through our usual channels. If you have any general feedback you would like to share, then please reach out to info@swanstrust.co.uk and we will be happy to pass that on!
Swans Trust Website
Based on the feedback of our members, we have made a change to our www.swanstrust.co.uk website to remove adverts, which had become increasingly intrusive in their nature. We hope this makes using our website a much more pleasant experience for everyone!
Over the coming months, we will be looking to redevelop our website and content. We will also be looking for volunteers with a web design or IT background to help with this project. If you are interested in helping out, or know somebody who is, please reach out to us at info@swanstrust.co.uk!
March Prize Draw
We’re delighted to announce the winners of our March Draws are as follows:
- Book: Swansea ‘Til I Die – A Century of Supporting the Swans (personally signed by Trust President Alan Curtis MBE) – Gareth Roblin
- Book: Swansea Moments – A Hundred and One Years of Supporting the Swans (personally signed by Leon Britton) – Huw Buckley.
The winner of our Junior Trust member draw for March was:
Book: Swansea ‘Til I Die – A Century of Supporting the Swans (personally signed by Trust President Alan Curtis MBE) – Owain Cordingley
For March, to recognise International Women’s Day, we also held a draw for all our women members, and our first ever winner was:
- Swans Away Shirt (Mint) – Rita Mugford
Congratulations every one of you!
Swansea City Supporters’ Trust
6th April 2021
