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QUEEN of the South supporters still believe in being granted a greater say in the running of the club after their bid to have a fans’ representative on the Palmerston Park board was rejected.
The Queens Trust, with the backing of Dumfries and Galloway Council, won the right to bring a motion at the club’s annual general meeting on Monday to ask for a directorship or a non-voting seat on the board.
The Trust, which has 216 members, was set up 13 years ago with the aim of ‘encouraging and promoting the principle of supporter representation on the board and to be the vehicle for democratic elections to the board.”
However, after making their case to the AGM, the current directors were amongst those who voted against the resolution, which failed by a two-to-one majority.
John Johnstone, Trust committee member, expressed the organisation’s disappointment but hopes it is not the end of the supporters’ moves.
He said: “We weren’t surprised that it was turned down. The Trust formed 13 years ago and the club have always said they weren’t against it but they’ve never given us an opening or an indication that it would be likely.
“We’re glad it finally got onto the agenda at the AGM and that there was a vote on it.
“The people on the Trust are wanting the best for the club and it works at other clubs – bigger clubs and smaller clubs – and we don’t see why it wouldn’t work at Queens as well.
“It’s just about involving the fans and showing they’re open. You never know what support could be out there if there was a different approach to how the club was run.
WINNERS
“The Trust has been waiting 13 years and it’s still not happened. Will it ever happen? That is the question.”
The club insist there were ‘no winners’ after voting the motion down and have insisted they remain open to input from supporters.
Director Mark Blount said: “It was important that it was added to the agenda, it brought the issue out into the open and gave the shareholders the opportunity to have their say.
“There are no winners. We put forward our case that we work in a streamlined way and due to confidentiality we felt that it wasn’t right to have a supporters’ representative on the board.
“As the chairman outlined in his speech, we are half way through a vision that we have to make the club sustainable and we want to see that through.
“But we won’t be around forever and, who knows, the next board may see things differently.
“We always have and always will operate an open-door policy. We are approachable, if anyone has any gripes then come and speak to us.”
