Fans forum this Saturday and the supporters trust

I expect that most Cru fans who post on here will already be aware of this, but just in case it's passed you by, there will be a fans forum at the Maesgwyn Hall on Mold Road, Wrexham (opposite the Uni and the Racecourse) at 5:30 pm on Saturday, 6th July.

Anthony Murray will be there to talk about the season so far, and there will be discussions on how to progress the club such as increasing revenues and improving the match day experience.

It will be interesting to discuss what options, if any, we have regarding our home ground. I'm sure most of us would love to move from Queensway, but where can we go?

We hope to encourage more people to join the supporters trust, which can make a difference. We don't have a benefactor at the moment so the only investors we have are the fans. Everyone who joins the trust has an equal share and a say in how the funds are spent.

Since the  AGM two months ago, the supporters trust has spent or is committed to spending about £2,500 for the benefit of the club. We are sponsoring our head steward to qualify as a ground safety officer, we have introduced recyclable beakers for the bar to cut down on plastic waste, and we have started to bring in new merchandise.

Our latest merchandise has arrived this morning, and will be available at the forum. The new mugs are priced at £5 each.

Hope to see you there.

How did the forum go for anyone that attended? 

Why the desire to move from Queemsway? Whilst not smack bang in the middle of town, as you say, what alternative is there? Queensway reminds me of those Aussie grounds, with the banked, grasses pitch sides. I like it and walkable in 15 mins from the middle of town

Edit, I've just seen your comment on the plastic free thread ref. moving grounds. Interesting on moving away from Wrexham, my initial instinct would be that's a bad idea. Obvs Wrexham is the biggest town in north Wales and i don't see a deeside or other Flintshire area pulling any crowds. I've not actively followed Cru that long, but it seems odd to consider moving, just as you're getting settled in a location. It would put occasional fans off I suspect and only the hardcore would follow, thus having to build a new fanbase in a new location. 

Btw, thanks for the update generally, much appreciated

Queensway has been good for us in that it's been available and it's cheap, allowing us to get out of the financial mess we found ourselves in three years ago.

The problem is the lack of facilities, especially hospitality for sponsors, also the design of the ground for athletics with the stands so far from the pitch has had quite a negative affect on atmosphere. Worst of all, is that people in Wrexham generally don't want to go there, even some of our long standing fans have stopped going because of where we are.

Another problem we have is trying to be noticed in the shadow of the football club. Just take a look at the Leader online today, if you know where to look in the sport section, you will find a match report from Sunday's game against Workington. But look on the front page and, today alone, there are no less than ten stories relating to Wrexham FC and it's fans, and the football season hasn't started yet.

https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/

I'm only a 20 minute walk from Queensway myself, and I'd love to see the club stay in Wrexham, but we're not welcome at the Racecourse, and the other ground where we are welcome has a pitch unsuitable for rugby.

Ultimately, it boils down to money. We have the lowest playing budget in the league, even West Wales pay more than we do. It's fair to say we are more dependant on central funding than any other club, and that might disappear at the end of next year, so we need to find ways to improve income through things like hospitality and sponsorship, bigger attendances and growing the supporters trust.

Our community set up is largely based in Deeside, our A team play there, the wheelchair teams play there, and Wales Rugby League have a training centre there. Flintshire council also appear to be very supportive of both rugby codes. If we can find a suitable football club willing to take us in next year, we might as well give it a go. At least the conversation has started now, it's important that we all talk about this, everyone's opinion is important.

I just want to add that the presentation from the coaching staff at the forum was outstanding. I've never played rugby, but Anthony Murray's talk about how they prepare for games was one of the most interesting I've ever heard. We might have the lowest paid squad in the league, but they are extremely professional. For us fans, the game against Oldham is on Sunday, for the players, it started on Monday.

With the good run of results we're having, there's a good feeling around the club at the moment, despite the uncertainty about the ground and the future of league 1, so let's enjoy it while we can.