Carlisle United’s Supporters’ Trust are more involved with the club than ever under the Piataks.
That’s according to trust director Billy Atkinson, who says the relationship between the fan group and the Brunton Park regime is “more advanced than it’s ever been.”
Atkinson made the comments at the trust’s annual general meeting this week as he spoke about the “relevance” of the trust.
The trust reduced its stake in the Blues from 25.4 per cent to ten per cent last year as part of the Piataks’ takeover.
Atkinson, though, says dialogue with the American owners, as well as other leading figures at the club, is stronger than ever and offers fans a positive route to have their voices heard.
“The involvement this trust has now with the people who own and run this club – it’s not just the owners, the people who run it on a day-to-day basis - is far, far, far more advanced than it's ever been,” said Atkinson, who represents the trust on the board of CUFC Holdings.
“When Norman [Steel] was on the board, we were ignored....
“It sort of changed when Jim [Mitchell] and I started to try and work with the board more than they had previously…but it doesn't compare to how these people see us or deal with us.
“The relevance is we're still a shareholder. You [as trust members] all own part of Carlisle United.
“I know it’s a smaller part than we had this time last year but it’s still part of Carlisle United.
“We're the only supporters, apart from about six per cent of private people who've historically owned some club shares…but they get no say in it, really.
“The trust meet with the owners regularly. Matt [Spooner] is doing a sterling job as the 1921 [United’s operational board] representative and he does represent the supporters.
“It’s easy to say, ‘You’re part of this or that’…he's got a responsibility as a board member of Carlisle United as well as a responsibility as a board member of this trust, and he has to balance it out.
“But you've got an access to these meetings that other supporters don't have. They have some access with CUSG [supporters’ groups], but they're not on the board. We are.
“If you want the supporters’ trust to be relevant, and as the majority of people say to me ‘to be heard’, you need to join the trust. These owners embrace the trust, work with the trust and listen to the trust, believe me.”
Trust leaders, meanwhile, have expressed their ambition to grow trust membership to the 2,000 mark.
It has grown in recent years from around the 400 mark to 1,160, said chair Dan MacLennan, who was among the board members re-elected on Sunday.
He said: “Our current membership number is 1,160. Three years ago it was approximately 400.
“It has been higher – last year when [the Piataks’] Castle Sports Group were taking over the club there was increased interest. Some of those people haven't renewed.
“But in three years we have trebled. But we want to keep growing. Hopefully some of the things we implement contribute to that.
“If we can get up to 2,000 it would be fantastic.
“We've simplified the membership process. For £10 a year, we think it's great value – ten per cent off in the club shop, ticket priority level, trust stuff, competitions, and we're always looking at other things; if any member has ideas, let us know.
“We all have this will to increase the membership.”
MacLennan also expressed the hope that the election of a new board member – 26-year-old Riegan Thompson – will help to attract more young fans to the trust.
“Riegan is one of the youngest board members we've ever had,” he said.
“That opens up hopefully younger members to see he's only 26 and has got involved. It's another angle/voice/view coming to the table, which is what we want.
“Moving forward to 2025...it's been a massive two years for the club and the trust. Two years ago it was geared around the takeover, which took far longer than anyone wanted or needed but had to for various reasons.
“Since then there's been that much happening at the club, us and the owners have been getting used to working with each other, and we're getting there.
“The owners respect our place, which hasn't always been the case, and we've got the opportunity to build the trust which is worthy of the fanbase.”
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