"Fan engagement is on the rise across the league, and whilst there is still some way to go, there has never been a better time to be involved in a supporter organisation. It would be great to see a heavily contested election. It's for the benefit of our club that we have as many people looking to get involved as possible. If you have a keen interest in this area, I would seriously recommend applying." - Thomas Concannon, Premier League Network Manager - The FSA
NUST CHAIR'S INTRODUCTION
It's an exciting time to be a Newcastle United supporter both on and off the field of play as Eddie Howe's Mags start their assault on 3 fronts. There has never been a better time to get involved with one of the UK's largest and democratically elected Supporter Trusts - NUST.
Consultation with the club has never been better and NUST is pleased to have such a strong relationship with representatives at NUFC to help shape the future of the club off the pitch. In recent weeks NUST has been instrumental in working with the club on new FAQs for the member ballot / general member sale as well as the advent of away ticket transfers in case of emergency. These are just two of many subjects we have been consulted on recently and both have come as direct results of member feedback.
As members may know, the Trust rules require elections to the Board on an annual basis. This gives an opportunity for members to step forward and take a greater role in shaping the Trust’s future by standing for election to the Board. It also offers members who do not wish to stand an opportunity to vote for those they feel best able to take on the role of Board member.
As six new Board members were elected in 2023, and with the remaining members all having under three years tenure, we are now seeking two new members to join the existing Board.
Each appointment will be for a period of three years. We would strongly encourage members to get involved by either standing for election or choosing their preferred candidates.
Please see details of the election process below. The elections will be run under the control of an Election Management Group which will be Chaired by Ashley Brown, the Football Supporter Association’s Head of Governance and Supporter Engagement. Ashley will act as our Independent Chair for this election. The other member of the Group will be former Trust Board member and current Trust Secretary, Colin Whittle.
Election Timetable and How to Stand for Election
Period 1: Nominations open - Monday 14th October 2024, closing Friday 1st November 2024
Members to register their interest in standing for a position on the NUST Board by downloading a nomination form here to be completed and returned together with a statement in support of your nomination (which should be electronically typed, not hand written) and be between 400 and 1000 words to the Independent Chair of the Election Management Group, Ashley Brown - [email protected].
You can find a Statement Template here
NB - The links for the nomination form and statement template can be found in your downloads folder when clicked (please use a desktop / laptop to do so)
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR TWO NOMINATORS MUST ALSO BE MEMBERS OF NUST
We are also giving prospective applicants the opportunity to showcase their personality by sending a video that should last no longer than 3 minutes to our Board Chair, Paul Karter. Once your nomination is in and validated, you'll be sent Paul's number by Email or WhatsApp to send your video to him. This video should outline why you would make an exceptional Board member, and what your own focus would be should you win a seat.
If by the close of the nomination period there are nominations equal to or less than the number of vacancies then these will be presented to the NUST Board for an affirmation vote for those nominated to become Board members. Should there be more nominations than vacancies then there will be a contested election where the nominees are subject to the votes of the membership.
Period 2: Candidates validated by the Election Committee: Monday 4th November - Friday 8th November 2024
Our Election Committee will validate that all candidates and nominators are active members of NUST. Once validated, candidates will receive a message to send their supporting video via WhatsApp or text to the NUST Chair.
Period 3: Member email sent with validated candidates - Week Commencing Monday 18th November 2024, with voting closing on Friday 29th November 2024
Candidate information (nomination form and statement in support) to be sent to members via email and will be available on the NUST website for members to view and vote should a contested election be required.
Members to vote for their preferred candidates via Election Runner, a link to which will be sent in the member email. As we are seeking to elect two new Board members, each NUST member will be allocated two votes, so please review each candidate and choose the two that you believe will best represent our membership. NB: Only our independent chair will have access to Election Runner.
Period 4: Votes validated by Independent Chair and shared with Election Committee - Week Commencing Monday 2nd December 2024
NUST Board to receive the election results from the Election Management Group and will announce the results of the election via member email. Election Committee to notify successful and unsuccessful candidates by telephone. These results will be formally ratified at our AGM in early 2025 (date TBC)
Additional information:
You can find our election policy here.
For further enquiries regarding the election process please feel free to contact the Independent Chair of the Elections Management Group Ashley Brown by email [email protected]
Why join the Board?
Want more information about what the role entails? Please find further information about joining the Trust Board, including quotes from the existing Board and testimonials from prominent public figures related to the club here.
