We revised our rules after 20 years in order to do lots of tidying but in particular to improve our communications, to strengthen our anti-discrimination statement and to create more protection for BU – your – assets.
If you recall, it goes back to 31 March 31 . We were just a Championship Club in those days when over 100 of you, loyal BU members, registered and zoomed up to our very first online AGM. BFC CEO Jon Varney kicked us off and his Q&A session started emotionally with Jamie Powell, back from treatment in America, looking great, who asked the first question. All the proper details of our AGM followed straight after and we covered a rare topic not covered since our launch back in 2001. We asked you to approve a complete change of our rules which had been part of our Board discussions since June 2020, sponsored by ex BFC and now BU board member, Jon Gosling
It started with a tidy up then grew into a root and branch review and you were happy and now so is our regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority. The finished job is here.
Several things about the old rules were bugging us!
1.Improve communications
The old rules lived in the world of paper with newspaper ads, letters, multi location events, snail mail.You all know that “fit for purpose” for an international, premier league, organization means online, email, voting at the press of a button and the knowledge that, COVID rules or not, we can all #Beetogether online. Our March AGM was a truly international gathering with BU members dialing in from Canada, France, Ireland and Israel.
2.Inclusivity – no discrimination
We feel the time is right to shout loud these principles for our international community, club and fans – as a large supporters group of nearly 3000 members, we restate our beliefs 20 years on. Online meetings include everyone but we wanted to do more. We wanted to emphasise, to strengthen, our BU principle that inclusivity means no discrimination. Our rule that states we will not tolerate discriminatory behaviour was strengthened and it was moved to the beginning of our rules, to our “Objects,” Rule 3!
3.More Protection
You know we are here because we have a unique role ensuring that our club is one the fans can call our own. We have a seat on the board of Brentford FC and a ’special share’ to safeguard its long-term future. BU members saved the club from financial disaster back in 2006 and began the partnership with Matthew Benham. Now, we have changed our rules to safeguard BU from attacks such as 100 new members joining from “near to another club” wanting to hijack your money. We closed that gap.
And we haven’t stopped being a bus stop in Hounslow!