The following message from Steve Leake appeared in the Crawley Town v Swindon matchday programme on April 2.

Hi everyone, it has now been about a third of a year since I was elected as Fan Representative onto the board of Crawley Town Football Club. As part of the agreement to have a Fan Rep, the CTFCSA have pledged £8000 to the club which is being used to fund the playing budget directly.

During my tenure I have met with Kelly Derham on three occasions and attended my first board meeting on 22^nd March. In our informal meetings we have hopefully addressed several concerns put forward by our fan base and in the board meeting I was encouraged to bring up any matters, no matter how large or small.

The club is looking to introduce an Early Early bird scheme for those who can purchase their season tickets in April at this season’s prices, but with an even greater reduction in the price. Hopefully details of this scheme will be in Kelly’s programme notes today (April 2). If not, please watch out on the club website.

They are also seeking to hold a players awards evening similar to last season but at lower prices. Once again please watch the club website for further details.

One matter that has been brought up by several fans is the future of the East Stand. The club is involved in discussions with the Council over this and the long term plans are to redevelop and provide a permanent structure. This is complicated by the fact that WSCC Highways own the land directly behind the East Stand, but rest assured the club is constantly in discussions with the interested parties in order to find an acceptable way forward.

For me and most of you, the most important matter is how we are progressing on the field. Selim confirmed it is still our aim to be in League 1 as soon as possible with a long term (8-year plan) to progress to the Championship. This is on the proviso that we establish our training complex, which will not only improve facilities for the first team but will also enable us to establish an Academy once more to bring on our own future players.

The last thing we discussed was the Senior Cup final and Kelly assured me that the club has already informed the Sussex FA that we will not accept the situation as it was last year, being stuck in a corner as if we were away fans when both clubs should have been considered as neutrals. This is not a Brighton home game.

In closing, I hope that we still make the play offs this season but if not, that we make a real go at winning promotion next season. The club are promising to build on what we have achieved this season and if each one us could only introduce a new supporter, that would make the task easier to achieve.

COYR

Steve Leake, fanrep@ctfcsa.co.uk