AGM attracts 16 shareholders

Just 16 Hereford United shareholders attended this evening's AGM which was held at the Three Counties Hotel at 7pm.

Chairman Graham Turner took the meeting and was accompanied on top table by fellow directors Joan Fennessey, Grenville Smith and Hugh Brooks.

As recently reported Aidan McGivern resigned as a director last February and Dave Preedy, who was appointed as a director last March, is no longer a director as he needed to purchase some shares in the club within two months of his appointment. However the chairman stated that Preedy was on his way to obtaining some shares. The inference is that he will be re-appointed as a director shortly.

The first part of the meeting looked at the accounts for the year ending last May. Huw Brooks reviewed them and he and Graham Turner answered several questions from shareholders.

Brooks stated that this was the third year in a row that the club had made a profit allbeit a much smaller one. The main reasons were the reduction in gate income and less money from transfers. He reminded shareholders that the previous accounts included a one-off profit of £110,074 which was the surplus arising from settlement of the CVA.

The chairman was asked about the redevelopment plans for the ground and stated that everything was moving very slowly. He thought that plans for the Blackfriars end would include the old social club.

Mention was made of the catering franchise and the extra donations received this year. The catering franchise comes up for renewal in two years and the extra donations were understood to be help with the new floodlights.

The subject of admission charges to games was discussed. It was generally agreed that it was important to try and get children to come to games with the hope they would become supporters of the club for many years. The chairman said that the club was looking at the whole question of admission including season tickets prices for next season.

A vote was taken on the report of the directors and the accounts which was passed unanimously. Also passed were votes to re-elect directors and the auditors.

That ended the formal part of the evening. The Chairman then agreed to a question and answer session with shareholders.

Most of the questions were about individual players and it would be not correct to publish the answers of the Chairman (who, in any case, was very guarded with his comments).

Suffice it to say that the Chairman felt there would be some players who would leave at the end of the season and some he hoped would stay.

However he did reveal that Martyn Giles was still suffering with a back problem and Steve Jennings had returned to Tranmere for treatment. He thought Jennings would be 50/50 for the Milton Keynes game a week next Saturday and gave the impression that Stuart Fleetwood might be in the squad on Saturday.

Close to the end of the meeting the chairman was asked what had happened to the club's former mascot Billy The Bull. His reply was that he didn't think mascots were very important and if it came to a vote he would vote no.

The meeting ended just before 8pm.

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