HCST Aims and Objectives 2023

The vision, aims and objectives are reviewed by the HCST Board and updated as necessary.

Purpose and Vision

A Supporters’ Trust is a Community Benefit Society and as such is to be the vehicle through which a healthy, balanced and constructive relationship between the Hull City AFC and its supporters and the communities it serves is encouraged and developed.  The business of the Hull City Supporters’ Trust is to be conducted for the benefit of the community served by the Club and not for the profit of its shareholders. Our vision is to have a real and significant influence, on behalf of all Hull City AFC supporters (locally, nationally and globally), in the running of our Club.

Objects

Our objects are enshrined within the Rules of our Society.  These objects are to benefit the community by:

(a) Being the democratic and representative voice of the supporters of Hull City AFC and strengthening the bonds between the Club and the communities which it serves;

(b) Achieving the greatest possible supporter and community influence in the running and ownership of the Club;

(c) Promoting responsible and constructive community engagement by present and future members of the communities served by the Hull City and encouraging the Club to do the same;

(d) Operating democratically, fairly, sustainably, transparently and with financial responsibility and encouraging the Club to do the same; and

(e) Being a positive, inclusive and representative organisation, open and accessible to all supporters of the Club regardless of their age, income, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality or religious or moral belief.

Short-term objectives

Short-term objectives are defined as those that are being targeted over the following 12 months.

(1) Maintain a meaningful dialogue with Hull City AFC in accordance with the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Guidelines and as directed by the EFL (Currently Regulation R118)

  • Maintain an independent representative relationship with the club to enable HCST to raise matters which are important to supporters, flag up potential issues and aim to maintain harmony between the football club and its supporters.
  • Regular participation in the Supporters Committee Meetings.

(2) Support the development of a strategy to ensure that Hull City AFC’s history is preserved

  • HCST aims to be at the forefront in recognising our club’s heritage. 
  • This could include the expansion of the Trust’s Museum Webpage (maybe even to an external site) in coordination with other interested organisations 
  • HCST will also assist in the creation and maintenance of a physical representation of Hull City AFC’s history.

.(3) Maintain a high profile with Hull City supporters

  • Definition, agreement, and implementation of regular feedback sessions with members and supporters (outside of the regular meetings).
  • Engage with supporters to encourage a wide demographic participation in the Trust and on the Board.
  •  Participate in the regular Supporter Committee Meetings
  • Continually drive increased representation and promotion of the women’s game, especially in the Hull area
  • Work closely with the Club to increase the enjoyment of match day experiences for all supporters
  • Represent the views of the members through the club, local media and in relationships with the local council and local businesses

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Medium-term objectives

Medium-term objectives are defined as those that are being targeted over the following 24 months.

(4) Strengthen FA heritage rules

  • Engage with the FA, Premier League, EFL and FSA, as appropriate, together with any other independent governance body in the future to implement rules protecting the heritage of clubs and in particular to prevent future unwanted name change attempts.

(5) Build a working partnership with other club related organisations and former players

  • Promote and actively support the work being carried out by the Tigers Trust
  • Work closely with the Senior Tigers to support heritage activities
  • Become the go-to point of contact for ex-players (and staff) to generate publicity (e.g., for Book Launches)

(6) Remain fully supportive of The Football Supporters Association key campaigns and encourage open dialogue on these with the club on behalf of our affiliate group The FSA

  • Active communication and support of the initiatives defined in the Fan Led Review
  • Strive for better recognition of the Trust and supporter representation on the club board (e.g., Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City and Grimsby Town)
  • Fan safety (e.g., education on use of Pyrotechnics in and around stadiums)
  • Abuse and anti-social behaviour 
  • Safe Standing / Standing for Choice
  • The Twenty’s Plenty and reciprocal ticket pricing initiatives.
  • Her Game Too

Long-term objectives

Long-term objectives are defined as those that are being targeted over and beyond the next 24 months.

(7) Giving supporters a voice on the Board

  • In football things can change quickly and we need to be at the forefront of discussions and negotiations. This will lead to supporters becoming more involved with the Club. Positive, constructive, and open-minded influence at the highest level will significantly assist in the development of the “One Family” that the new owners aim to achieve.

(8) Bringing benefits to community assets

  • In England, an asset of community value (ACV) is land or property of importance to a local community which is subject to additional protection from development under the Localism Act 2011. Voluntary and community organisations can nominate an asset to be included on their local authority’s register of asset of community value. In this case, this relates to the MKM Stadium.
  • HCST listed the Stadium as an ACV in 2015. This was renewed for five years in 2021.
  • Hull City is more than a football club, it is part of the community. It is part of the city’s soul, and the Stadium forms part of the city’s infrastructure.
  • We will explore and produce a strategy / methodology by which we can ensure supporters get a say in how these community assets are managed and developed in the future with the whole community.