Dear ,

Here's your BFCST April Review, covering the below:

1. Members Survey - make your voices heard
2. Supporters' Trust Meeting with BFC
3. Donation to Ukraine
4. Competition for Trust Members to play at Oakwell
5. AGM Confirmation and Ticket Details

Remember to add BFCST to your safe senders list to ensure all e-mails avoid your junk folder.

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There's no hiding the fact that the football club have suffered an alarming fall from grace since we narrowly lost to Swansea in the Playoffs less than 12 months ago. We scored the least amount of goals at Oakwell in our history, whilst managing to be the only Championship team ever to go from finishing in the Playoffs to propping up the foot of the table the following season.

Supporters may cite different reasons for the abominable 21/22 campaign, so we want to hear from all BFCST members on a number of topics regarding the football club, the owners, and the matchday experience.

To maintain credibility in the responses, we're facilitating this through an online voting form. Simply click the 'Share Your Feedback' button, enter the e-mail address used to join BFCST, and give us your thoughts on five topics regarding Barnsley FC and the last 12 months - starting with your response to Paul Conway's comments in August 2022 that had the sentiment, 'when we're no longer wanted as owners, we'll leave'.

Share Your Feedback

If you're not yet a member of BFCST you can join here today and make your voice heard.

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BFCST have a meeting planned today with CEO Khaled El-Ahmad, and Marketing, Commercial and Business Director Andrew Clark, to address recent challenges at Oakwell that have resulted in our relegation to League One. We also want to look ahead to what could prove to be a very difficult Summer for the football club.

A full review of this meeting will be communicated to members, with the focus centred around the below concerns:

1. As a paid Director of Barnsley Football Club, and as someone who has taken a salary as acting CEO, why does Paul Conway refuse to speak to supporters? Given that supporters have backed the club in it's hour of need during a pandemic, financially, why are the supporters being treated with such a high level of disrespect and disregard after one of the worst seasons in our history? Especially as that season started with Paul Conway as CEO. We deserve much, much better.
2. If Paul Conway continues to refuse to engage with the supporter base, how do those at the club plan to build bridges with supporters that are choosing to walk away after a lifetime of unwavering support?
3. The harsh reality is that the appointment of the last two Head Coaches has been an abject failure. What is the strategy for our next appointment, what qualities are we insisting on as part of that, and how will the next Head Coach instil belief in the squad and the supporters for our future in League One? Will we wait to review the applicants, or is there a pro-active plan that targets our new Head Coach, similar to the appointments of Daniel Stendel and Gerhard Struber?
4. Based on the 20/21 accounts, and with a revenue shortfall next year of between £6m and £8m due to relegation, how precarious is the future of Barnsley Football Club? What risks are there, and what strategy is being worked on, to ensure we're competitive in the 2022/23 season?
5. When will the club communicate with supporters and admit the mistakes of the 2021/22 season? Relegation was confirmed against Huddersfield but we've so far been treated to silence in terms of an announcement or an apology.

This is part of a continuous effort to work in the best interests of supporters, with actions in the last three months including meetings with Dan Jarvis, the local media, Tracy Crouch MP in regards to the Fan-Led Review, and seeking reassurances and clarity from the Football Supporters' Association and the EFL around the future of our football club - in terms of finances, ownership challenges, and continuing to play our home games at Oakwell. We'll provide a full update at our AGM on 17th May which will be subsequently shared online.

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For the game against Reading, we promised to donate all profits from Redfearn's Bar sales, in the FanZone, to the humanitarian relief effort in Ukraine.

Thanks to those supporters who attended that day, we made a donation this week of £1,000 to the the Drinkers for Ukraine fundraising initiative.

The Just Giving site and the BFCST donation can be seen here, raising a total of €53,000 for the appeal

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Is Oakwell calling? Fancy your chances playing against the likes of Danny Nardiello, Bobby Hassell, Paul Reid, Martin Devaney and Bruce Dyer?

We've reserved two places in the Match Day squad for the supporters' game on Sunday 8th May as part of the 'through it all' campaign.

To enter the draw just follow the steps below:

1. Reply to this e-mail confirming your interest and availability
2. Provide your contact details in that e-mail
3. We'll randomly select two winners on Thursday 5th May at 6pm
4. BFCST members only

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The next BFCST AGM will be on Tuesday 17th May at The Garrison in Barnsley, where we'll be joined by Premier League promotion heroes Adie Moses and Neil Thompson.

The AGM will kick off at 6:30pm, followed by an informal Q&A with our special guests at 7:30pm. All Trust Members are welcome to attend but only fully paid members can vote and elect people to the board.

Event info below with a link to claim your free ticket and confirm your attendance.

• Tuesday 17th May at The Garrison, Barnsley
• 6:30pm - BFCST AGM

Trust members only - memberships available on the night

• 7:30pm - '25 Years' Q&A

Trust members only - memberships available on the night

• 9:30pm - Close

Free Tickets Available Here

The agenda for the BFCST AGM on Tuesday 17th May is below:

• Minutes of the last AGM held on 20th February 2020
• Election of four board members from the candidates nominated
• 18/19 and 19/20 BFCST Accounts
• Review of 2020-2022 BFCST Activities
• Fan-Led Review - read the full report here
• AOB

If you're a fully paid up Trust Member and want to be considered for election, please visit the online application form here and follow all instructions before the next AGM.

If you're not yet a paid member of BFCST, and want to vote at the AGM, you can join here ahead of 17th May

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In a turbulent season full of disappointments, Barnsley supporters still travelled far and wide supporting the club, deserving better than what was delivered in the last 12 months.

Please take the time to complete the survey and make your voice heard.

You Reds.