As we reflect on the 2023-2024 season, we would firstly like to take the opportunity to thank our Trust members and Tranmere fans for your incredible support. Although we all would’ve liked to finish the season higher up the table, fans continued to descend on Prenton Park and travel up and down the country to support Nigel and the team. With the recent signings that have been made, let’s hope that the 2024-2025 season can bring success for our club once again as we aim for promotion to League One.
It has been an incredibly challenging season for us as we sadly lost the driving force and Chair of the organisation, Ben Harrison, who dedicated so much time to the Trust, Club and local community. We miss his motivation, passion and optimism, as well as his presence in and around Tranmere. In Ben’s absence, the Trust board has been committed to completing the Fan Park project; something that he spent many years working tirelessly on, to create a place unique for Tranmere fans and the local community to enjoy.
The last twelve months have been particularly challenging for those involved in the project. As we have touched on in our previous updates, we have unfortunately been faced with a number of hurdles that have subsequently meant that the Fan Park project is taking longer than anticipated to complete. At the beginning of the construction phase, we were faced with delays to the ordering of parts of the structure. We have been hit with increased costs of materials, as well as the need to increase the depth of the footings on the site by 0.75 of a metre, consequently incurring further costs. These are just some of the issues that we have continued to face. As a result, the initial lease agreement and construction phase expired which has meant that there has been a pause in work on the project. As a group of volunteers, we are still committed to completing the project with all parties and continue discussions with the Club. With only four weeks until the start of the 2024-2025 season, we are disappointed that the Fan Park will unfortunately not be ready to open its doors to Tranmere fans and those that have contributed so generously. We hope that we are permitted to continue work as soon as possible, not only to enhance the matchday experience and provide a unique facility on a non-matchday, but to generate revenue for the Club and provide a community hub central for those in the local area.
The consequences of the delays, additional cost incurrences and scale of the project has impacted the Trust’s cash flow. Earlier this year, we wrote to each bondholder to request that bond payments were deferred. We have received overwhelming support from those who have agreed to accept the deferral and would like to thank everybody for their understanding and continued patience as we work tirelessly to progress the project.
We would also like to thank those who donated to the Crowdfunder, the wider fanbase, local residents and all those involved with the project for their patience throughout. Once construction is able to recommence, we will be in a position to provide a timeline to complete the project.
We are looking forward to bringing the Fan Park to life and still have sponsorship opportunities available. To enquire, please email: simoncrabtree1974@gmail.com.
AGM
We are pleased to announce that our AGM for Trust members will be held at 18:30 on Wednesday 7th August in the current Fan Park marquee. If you would like to contribute to the meeting by suggesting an agenda item or motion, please email these to trusttranmere@gmail.com by Monday 22nd July at 12:00.
A calling notice with the accompanying documents will be circulated prior to the meeting.
We look forward to seeing our members next month.
Strengthening the board
Earlier this year, we announced that we were looking to strengthen the Trust board in specific areas. We received a number of expressions of interest and, now that we are in the close season, will reach out with all those who contacted the Trust. We would like to thank everybody who expressed an interest in joining the board.
Football Governance Bill
The Trust is proud to have signed the Football Supporters’ Associations’ open letter regarding the Football Governance Bill as we, and other supporter organisations across the country, collectively sought the support of all parties to include the Bill in their manifestos.
Merchandise
We will be launching new Trust merchandise in the near future and welcome any ideas that our members may have. Feel free to send us any design ideas to trusttranmere@gmail.com. We have a small number of limited edition Adidas Gazelles available, as well as copies of Pat Nevin’s Football and How to Survive It, bucket and bobble hats.
Community Activities
Over the festive period, we continued to co-ordinate the packing and delivering of Christmas hampers in our local area. We packed and delivered 200 hampers to individuals who were referred to by fans.
At the start of the 2024-2025 season, we will be relaunching our football boot and trainer collection initiative. All of the donations that we receive will be distributed to schools and to community groups for spare kits. With the cost of living crisis affecting so many of us, we’re aware that boots and trainers can be so expensive as parents and guardians have to buy new school shoes for the start of the year.
Membership
As we approach the start of the new season, our annual Trust membership can be purchased from our online store here. We also continue to draw our 500 Club winners each month. Details of our winners can be found on our website once we have their permission for details to be shared. To be in with a chance of winning up to £1250, sign up to our monthly draw for just £5 a month. All funds help to support Trust and Club initiatives.
After a very busy and challenging year, we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your patience and support. We look forward to welcoming you to our new Fan Park and hope that it will be home to many promotion parties in the near future.