Killie Trust

October 2020

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Dear Killie Trust member,

With so much going on since my last report, I have combined information from September and October to date. I hope that the information will be of interest to you, especially as we are still in uncertain times. I would once again like to thank you for your continued support to Kilmarnock FC.  All of the Directors appreciate the contributions made by fans whether through ‘Trust in Killie’, share purchase, buying items from the shop, Season Passes and PPV, visiting the Killie Club or supporting the team virtually on match days!

While the players are 100% professional and get on with the job, matches without fans loses the atmosphere and sense of community that we all feel around KFC. With current Covid restrictions in place it is more difficult to engage in the way we would like, but we are trying to ensure that we do as much as we can to keep everyone updated. It is a challenging time financially for football and we have had to take some difficult decisions, but we have done so with the best long-term interests of the Club at heart. As always, if there are specific questions, please get in touch! 

Covid-19 and impact on the Club

 

The impact of Covid-19 has really hit home at the Club in the past few weeks, with a number of players having tested positive. Initially, this led to the postponement of the match against Motherwell, as Health Protection Scotland decided that the whole first team squad should self-isolate.  A Betfred Cup match was then forfeited, with a second Betfred Cup match having a team with a number of our under-18 players included.

As there is a live investigation under way by SPFL into the circumstances surrounding the outbreak, I cannot go into full details as the matter is with our lawyers. However, I can say that the Club co-operated fully with the SPFL and Health Authorities and we are glad that the affected players are safe and well. It was unfortunate that some unfounded rumour and speculation appeared on social media, and I am aware that many fans were concerned by the discussions that took place in the media about potential sanctions, before the investigation has been concluded. 

In his press briefing, Manager Alex Dyer made the very valid point that, with the virus prevalent in the community, football is not immune, and it is not the case that everyone who contracts coronavirus has done something wrong – we are all potentially vulnerable in our everyday lives, as many of us know having lost family and friends.

The Club has now undertaken two deep cleans at the stadium. Environmental Health has made a number of visits and we continue to monitor all procedures to reduce the level of risk as much as possible. 

While the Health Authority had no issue with the Killie Club remaining open at the time of the outbreak, it was subsequently closed due to the restrictions imposed by Scottish Government, as it does not meet the criteria to be considered a ‘café’.

In my last report I was optimistic that we might see a limited number of fans returning as lockdown eased, and we had hoped we might see some movement on this during October.  However, despite some test events taking place at SPFL Clubs, the present restrictions have made that look less likely. Discussions are ongoing between SPFL and Scottish Government and with the safety measures we have put in - including the sanitising equipment bought by The Killie Trust - we will be prepared when given the go ahead.

Football Department

 

First Team

After some tricky matches, it has been great to see a better run of results for the team, and a rise up the league table to 5th place. The result away to Livingston was particularly pleasing given the short space of time the team had to prepare after returning from self-isolation.

The Manager had to make the tough judgement call regarding the Betfred cup match against Falkirk and came to the conclusion that it would not be correct to field a team of entirely youth players. This was backed by the Board and the Club issued a statement explaining the rationale.

The match against Dunfermline saw the return of several first team players, who took to the field with under-18s. Although losing the match, there were some promising performances from the youths, which bodes well for the future.

Kyle Connell has joined Airdrie on loan until January and development player Keir Russell will spend time at Spartans, also on loan.
 
Youth Academy 

Everyone connected with the Academy is delighted to have the partnership with The Killie Trust. Academy Director Paul McDonald describes this as “a fantastic opportunity for both organisations to work together sharing ideas helping to support youth development and produce home grown talent, both of us working towards one goal of ‘Making Kilmarnock FC Academy a High Performance Environment.’”
 
The Academy has faced a number of challenges due to Covid restrictions. Having returned in early August, it is not yet operating in a full-time capacity.
 
13 new players were welcomed into S1 at the School of Football at Kilmarnock Academy, giving us a total of 20 S1 & S2 players. Paul McDonald reports that the feedback has been incredible from the school staff, the families and also the young players and that they will be delivering a Presentation to our 3rd Year intake shortly, which will increase our programme to around 30 players or more.
 
The Academy Games Programme has been paused for a couple of weeks due to travel restrictions. But it is hoped this will recommence shortly.
 
As Academy Director, Paul also said how proud he was of how our young players rose to an extremely difficult challenge against a very strong and experienced Dunfermline team. We had nine academy players making their debuts, some of whom he has worked with since they were nine and ten years of age. Added to the sale of our under-18 player Liam Smith to Manchester City recently, Paul believes this will show our supporters that we have some extremely talented young players in the building, who staff in the Academy firmly believe in. With more hard work and opportunity they will hopefully represent this club more regularly in the future. Paul also extended a big thanks to the senior players who guided them through, saying that they are a credit to our club.
 
Finally, Paul is still hopeful that our under-18 youth team are granted the opportunity to play the outstanding Scottish Cup Final!
 
 
Kilmarnock Ladies FC
 
The first team season has now started, and we are looking at what we can do to support the team on matchdays, to ensure that they get coverage. There are also opportunities to sponsor individual players. This can be a huge help, for example by covering the costs of boots and kit, bearing in mind that the players are not paid, and are trying to balance football with work or study. If anyone is interested in helping out with this, please get in touch. More information on the squad is available on the Club website.

Academy graduate Josslyn Fletcher

Club Licensing

Having been audited by SFA in February 2020, the Club Secretary has reported that we have now received certificates confirming that we successfully retained the standards previously awarded:

Legal / Admin / Finance /code of practice – Gold
Youth – Gold
First Team – Silver
Ground - Silver

Finance and Commercial

 

Individual Shirt sponsorship

There has been a very good response by fans who wanted to sponsor players’ home and away shirts, and there are only a few left up for grabs! If you are interested, follow this link, click on individual player profiles to see who is still available, and get in touch directly with Ray Montgomerie - [email protected]


Shop Sales

Sales continue to be very good, with more than 1000 home shirts, over 500 away shirts, and around 500 junior shirts sold, surpassing previous kit sales. The new Killie Ltd range is proving popular and future ranges will include gym wear, and women’s and kids clothing. Stock for Christmas has already been ordered and will include duvet sets, as well as a range of other items, and a further limited-edition retro shirt is planned.

The new limited edition book Kilmarnock: 150 Years in the Making celebrating 150 years of Killie history in pictures, will also be on sale in time for Christmas shopping!


Name Bricks

Work is underway to revamp the “bricks” and create a new offering for fans. More details will be announced in due course.

 

Sponsorship Partners

With Covid impacting on many local businesses, the Club is grateful to those who have renewed their stadium advertising, and to new firms joining to support the Killie family. There are a few spaces available at a range of process depending on location, and anyone interested should contact Ray Montgomerie. Energy Check have also become partners, with more to be announced soon. 

 

Season Passes, Match Streaming and Pay Per View 

Since my last report a further 59 season passes have been purchased, taking the total to 2879.

Sales of pay-per-view have been steady and it is worth noting that the Club receives the money paid for PPV for our home league matches, while Betfred Cup matches see the receipts split. I am aware that some fans were disappointed that season pass holders did not get the Betfred cup match free. However, as many fans did appreciate, this would have cost us a considerable amount at a time when we are working extremely hard to ensure the player budget is protected.

Killie Club

Prior to the new restrictions being implemented, we were working hard to advertise the Killie Club across social media and also by leaflet drop in the local area. We are also looking at whether a “coffee shop” offering would be welcomed, in addition to the catering which has been on offer. The first themed “Curry Night” took place just before the restrictions came into play and was very successful. The Killie Club will be launching a new takeaway offering launching Monday 26th October. More news will follow from the Club. Again, it is worth emphasising that as with the shop, the Killie Club being now run by the Club ensures that profits are reinvested into the Club and helps support the football side. 

Killie Cares Fund  ( Lotto)

The Killie Cares Fund currently has 1250 subscribers, with an average of 850 weekly draw users.  It is now available on an App, which is easy to use, with play from £1 per week (£50 for an annual subscription) and you can sign up for yourself or gift a subscription to someone. We’re rethinking how to make this work for agents, and an update will follow very soon. There will be a further promotion of this in lead up to Christmas, with reminder that the profits are shared between the Youth Academy and KCST. Meantime, anyone interested can sign up here

Media and Communications

The Media Team has continued to focus on keeping fans engaged with the club via our social media channels, with a large amount of time taken up keeping supporters and members of the media as informed as possible surrounding the Covid outbreak and the sporting implications involving our contests with Motherwell, Falkirk and Dunfermline.

As stated in this report, we felt it was crucial as a club to explain the thought process behind difficult decisions made during an often fluid and unprecedented situation.
As part of our continually evolving Killie TV offering, we spoke to Under-18s head coach Craig Clark about the youngsters who many supporters would have seen for the first time against Dunfermline, to give an added insight into life in our Academy structure. The media team will continue to produce bespoke features for our fans to enjoy.

Former Kilmarnock FC captain Paul Clarke will join our commentary team for this weekend’s match against Hibernian and there are plans to have a number of former players involved for future matches.
 
A short fan survey covering our Killie TV offering will shortly be circulated to help inform our future plans.
 
The club has been prominent in publicising material surrounding Black History Month with all first team players showing their commitment to Show Racism the Red Card’s Fortnight of Action.
 
While the current Government Guidelines have caused a slight delay in the next planned episode of the ‘We Are Killie’ podcast, our manager Alex Dyer spoke to BBC Scotland for great insight into his background and career – find out more here.
 
If you are on LinkedIn, please connect with the Club account, as well as following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! 

 

Killie in the community

Billy, Phyllis and I recently joined a virtual meeting with the Leader of North Ayrshire Council to hear more about their Community Wealth Building initiative. They were very complimentary about Killie’s impact across Ayrshire, and are keen to work with us, in cooperation with East Ayrshire, to look at how we can work to bring mutual benefits to Club and community

The KCST team has recommenced the Community Programme for children, and details are regularly updated on social media.

Killie Legend Dylan Kerr’s work in poorer communities in Africa has prompted Susan Russell to start up a collection of boots and kit to send to them. We will announce a drop-off date and time at the Club, so please look out anything you might want to hand over and watch for more information.

KFCSA will be doing its annual “ Bring a Gift” collection, in conjunction with East Ayrshire Churches Homelessness Action (EACHA)  The collection normally takes place on a match day, but given current situation, we have agreed that collection will take place at Rugby Park, on Sunday 6th December.  KFCSA will announce full details in due course, but if you are starting to think about Christmas and can buy a toy or gift for a child or teenager, please add to your shopping list!

Remembrance Day

With current restrictions in place, large remembrance ceremonies are not able to take place this year, but the Club will be marking the occasion in an appropriate way. Pin badges with Poppy and Club Crest are available in the shop.

Ian Downie

The Club was saddened to hear of the passing of Ian, better known to Killie fans as “Nutz”. Ian was a popular figure and most Killie fans have stories to tell about meeting him. Our condolences go to his family, and the Club and supporters paid their respects as he made his last journey past Rugby Park yesterday.

 

Club contact details

A reminder that contact details for key staff at the club can be found by going to the link
https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/contact/
Please use the contacts if you have queries, or get in touch with me using the details below and I can pass on or provide a response.
 

My contact details


I can be contacted in the usual ways:

Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Cathy Jamieson
Twitter: @cathyjamieson
Instagram: cathyjamiesonkillie

Best wishes

Cathy

Killie Trust

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