On Wednesday 7th February a meeting was held with the sole aim of starting the process of bringing together all the groups associated with Brentford Football Club. It is my belief that without the co-operation and interaction of each of these groups our overall aims of a healthy future for Brentford Football Club will be much harder to achieve.
How did the idea begin?
The idea was born initially out of a point raised at the Fundraising Meeting back in October. It was suggested that a group be set up to ensure that fundraising events etc were properly co-ordinated, did not clash with other schemes and were carried out in the best possible manner, to achieve the best possible results and delivered as professionally as possible. It was suggested that this group consist of a representative from each of the associations, a community representative and be lead by Bees United.
Following the suggestion I arranged for the first meeting of the steering group to take place. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances there were only four of us in attendance representing Bees United, Brentford Football Club, Lifeline, Programme Collectors Club and the ‘community’.
After much discussion we all felt it would be highly beneficial to Brentford Football Club and Bees United as a whole to understand much more about the community at large. However this is and will be a huge task and the decision was made to tackle it one bit at a time. We felt that we should start with those ‘communities’ that belonged to the Brentford ‘family’. Bees United’s constitution focuses heavily on its community responsibilities, we want to be a ‘community club’. However we cannot hope to achieve this without first understanding ourselves.
In addition, it was felt that once an understanding has been gained and relationships established, even if not fully developed then it must be communicated what and how each group fits into the overall scheme to supporters, to allow each Brentford fan to know exactly who to approach.
A semi social evening was arranged with presentations from 2 of our most prominent community groups, the GPLZ (Griffin Park Learning Zone) and the CST (Community Sports Trust). All the other groups were invited to write a brief synopsis of themselves for inclusion in an information pack. Each synopsis will be published, in a forthcoming programme and at coinciding intervals on this website.
What Happens Next?
It is important that we do continue to develop the relationships begun at the meeting and the Steering Group will meet once again to discuss the next steps. The steering group will be made up on a regular basis of representatives from Bees United, Brentford Football Club, CST, BIAS, Programme Collectors Club, Lifeline, BSA, Out and About with the Bees and the community. Other groups will be invited to attend as and when they wish to do so.
We can all learn from each other, utilise each others contacts and work together to build a bigger, better and brighter future for Brentford Football Club. After all, whilst we all have our own remits and responsibilities, the ultimate goal is the same. The survival and growth (eventually) of Brentford FC.
Natasha Judge