by Philip Thomas
The recent period for C2A has been the most busy and eventful that our short history has seen. As we are all aware, events with Cardiff Rugby are ever changing and fast moving, and this is replicated within C2A. Firstly, the board wishes to thank Ian Tabor for his sterling efforts as Chairman of C2A and we are all sorry that time constraints mean that Ian is no longer able to continue as Chairman. Ian will no doubt remain a staunch supporter of Cardiff Rugby and we wish him the best in the future.
Also stepping down as secretary is Roy Pearce. Roy was one of the founding members of C2A and his work as Secretary of the Trust has been vital. He has long been the lifeline of the Trust and we are all glad that he will continue to be a strong link within C2A, but no longer as Secretary.
Both Ian and Roy were a key part of last summer's Project at Cardiff Arms Park - the refurbishment of the room utilised by wheelchair bound supporters. Sterling work was undertaken by many other volunteers and the transformation of the room is a testament to the hard work of C2A members. There are too many to name individually, unfortunately, but the ground now has a vastly improved facility because of C2A. As always, the Trust wishes to thank Andrew Thomas and Alun Doull of Cardiff RFC Ltd for their liaison and work with C2A.
There are many challenges ahead for the Trust and the reaction to issues regarding Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFC will determine the future for all parties. It is well known that Cardiff Blues are seeking to ground share the new soccer stadium at Leckwith and this, obviously, leaves the issue of Cardiff Arms Park and the future of the Premiership side (Cardiff RFC) a little more cloudy than previously seen. The Board wishes to thank Alun Doull for his open communication with regards to the entire process and we hope that more meetings can be held once a concrete agreement is in place for the Cardiff Blues.
The main thrust of the Trust's work on the proposed move has been to question the role of the Cardiff Athletic Club (CAC) in Cardiff RFC Ltd. This is a complicated issue but it is often forgotten that CAC is the major shareholder in CRFC Ltd and has three seats on the board. However, when announcing that a Heads of Terms Agreement was being discussed, CRFC Ltd noted that the Management Committee of CAC had approved the move of Cardiff Blues from Cardiff Arms Park. As there is no clear flow of information from the Board of CRFC Ltd to supporters, or from the Management Committee of CAC to its members, C2A proposed a motion at a CAC EGM that would increase the number of rugby section representatives on the Management Committee. Unfortunately, this was not passed but we remain hopeful for further progress.
The Trust is now well positioned to promote the views of Cardiff Rugby supporters and we urge all members to inform fellow supporters of the work of the Trust. Our ongoing relationships with Alun Doull (Finance Director of CRFC Ltd) and with Keith Morgan (the new Chairman of the Cardiff Athletic Club) allow the Trust to play a part in the future of our teams, which means that your voice will be heard.