Murry Toms stands down as Fan Elected Director
The Robins Trust’s Fan Elected Director Murry Toms has decided to stand down from his role on the Cheltenham Town board with immediate effect due to personal reasons.
Murry was elected by Trust members to serve a two-year term as FED, but has decided to stand down after 12 months because of his busy work life and the desire to spend more time with his family.
Murry’s impact since taking up his role in April 2017 has been huge.
His creativity and enthusiasm saw the club run a successful “12th Man” initiative for the final home game of the season against Hartlepool United last year, leading to a bumper home crowd.
He also played a leading role in establishing and running the #OurTown season ticket campaign – leading to record sales – as well as the Blue Day that saw more than £5,000 raised for charity.
Murry said: “It was an absolute privilege to work with the supporters as FED. We’ve done some great things together and it is my hope that we’ve underlined the value of fan representation at board level.
“The relationship between the fans and the club is the single most important thing and that demands respect on both sides. It’s what makes this place so special, and the thing that will serve it so well in the future.
“I’m sorry it’s come to a premature end, but there is no shortage of talented and committed people that can take it on to the next level and I will help them as much as I can.”
Before informing the club board of his decision, Murry spoke at length with Trust chairman Dave Jennings and other members of the Trust board.
Trust chairman Dave Jennings said: “On behalf of the Trust and all Robins fans I would like to thank Murry for his hard work, creativity and impact during his year as FED.
“All of the Trust board are sad to see him step down from a role he was having an outstanding impact in, but we all appreciate the valid reasons why he has made the decision.
“Our Trust board will discuss what to do next but we feel that this gives us a chance to take stock of what the Trust does next.”
As the fourth largest shareholder in Cheltenham Town Football Club – and second largest shareholder on the current board – the Trust should have a significant say in club matters.
The club have committed to having a Fan Elected Director, but in light of this latest development the Trust board would like to discuss the role of the FED going forward.
We will be in contact with the Club in the near future and will update supporters as to the outcome of these discussions as soon as it is possible to do so.