ELECTION OF THE SOCIETY BOARD – 2021
The Railwaymen Supporters Society Limited Ballot Paper for the Election of the Society Board 2021.
Please read the instructions carefully.
You are entitled to vote for up to THREE (3) candidates.
Any spoilt paper will be excluded from the election process. A spoilt paper will comprise:
- any ballot paper received after the deadline time and date;
- any ballot paper that includes more than three votes (you can of course vote for less than three candidates if you wish);
- any voting indication which does not use a cross (X) or where the votes cast are unclear;
- any ballot paper which does not show your membership number, name, and address;
- any duplicate voting slips received ie where it appears that one member has submitted more than one vote, either in hard copy, electronically, or a combination of the two; all duplicates will be considered spoilt;
- any voting paper that the Returning Officer deems to be of doubtful validity.
ONLY ONE BALLOT PAPER PER ENVELOPE OR EMAIL.
The decisions of the Returning Officer are final in all cases.
Please place a cross (X) within each box on the ballot paper for up to THREE candidates you wish to elect to the Society Board.
Also enter your name, address and membership number in the spaces provided.
If you are unsure of your membership number, then please email or call the Returning Officer at neil_le_milliere@btinternet.com or on 07946615889.
When you have made your choices, email or post the ballot paper to the Returning Officer appointed by the Society Board to count the votes.
The postal ballot closes at 23:59 on Thursday 18th November 2021 by which time the ballot paper, a scan, or photo of it must have been received by the Returning Officer.
Download a Ballot Form here or by clicking the below picture.
BALLOT PAPER
Please place a cross (X) within each box on the ballot paper for up to THREE candidates you wish to elect to the Board of the Society.
Robert Dutton
Jonathan Manning
David Tomlinson
Liam Connolly
Please print (all details) your name, membership number and address:
Name: __________________ Membership Number: ______________
Address: ________________________________________________
______________________________________________
Return this page to the Returning Officer at 43 SOUTHEY ROAD, LONDON, N15 5LJ or neil_le_milliere@btinternet.com All ballot papers must be received before 23:59 on Thursday 18th November 2021.
STATEMENTS AND NOMINATION DETAILS
ROBERT DUTTON Nominated by Trevor Griffiths and Simon Lewis
I would like to be put forward to The Railwaymen board elections as I believe I can help the board to make a difference in their work, especially with projects related to our younger fan base.
I’m 27, live in Whitchurch, Shropshire, and my other interests aside from Crewe Alex include attending other sporting events such as cricket and horse racing, coaching my U18 football team at Whitchurch Alport FC and socialising with friends and family.
I have been attending Crewe games for over 24 years and have been a season ticket holder for over 20. As well as being a season ticket holder, I have been a regular away follower too, regularly travelling to games with Sandbach Travelling Alex. As well as following Crewe, I have also been a regular follower of England, attending a number of games both at home or abroad, including Euro 2016, Russia 2018 and Euro 2020.
During my time as a Crewe fan, I have been a regular supporter of Supporter Group Events, both with the old Crewe ASI and with the Railwaymen. I also sat on the committee for the Crewe ASI, before the group folded. During the past few months, I have been part of a working group with The Railwaymen, as we look to form a ‘Junior Railwaymen’ group, working to come up with new initiatives to enhance the matchday experience for the younger fans, whilst also looking at ways to attract more families and younger fans to the club. This is a project I’m both excited and passionate about as I have two younger brothers who would benefit from such initiatives. It’s my firm belief that we need to invest further in younger fans than we do currently, to ensure the club maintains a strong fan base for many years to come.
I believe I would be an ideal person to work with the current board on the Junior Railwaymen project as I have experience of volunteering already with junior football at Whitchurch Alport Juniors, where I am currently Chairman and have coached teams for a number of years. During my time as a committee member, I’ve helped organise fundraising events such as race nights, bingo nights, junior tournaments and presentation days, so I believe I can use this experience to help organise events which our younger fanbase will enjoy and which will then encourage them to be supporters of the club for many future years to come.
To summarise, Crewe Alexandra has and always be my passion, and I’d love nothing more than to work with the Railwaymen to contribute to the fan led projects of the future.
JONATHAN MANNING Nominated by Alan Platt and Richard Judson
Iwas born in Crewe and live and work in the town.
I am a relatively well-known qualified lawyer working for a local firm of solicitors in Crewe having previously been a partner in that firm and as a result I have a deep long-lasting understanding of Crewe the surrounding area its history and above all its people.
My family and I have a long association with Crewe Alexandra. My grandfather playing for the Alex in the 1920’s and I played for Crewe Alexandra juniors in the 197% in the days before hffS, if anyone can remember that far back. I still regularly play football today although perhaps now at a very reduced pace!
Most match days I can be found at the game with my family passionately cheering on the team. At home games from the main stand and in the away end on away game days. To my delight my children have also accepted the lifelong commitment to being a Crewe Alex fan and my constant pressure and encouragement appears to have paid off.
A once in a lifetime opportunity has been afforded to us the fans to be part of our club moving forward and to have a voice and dialog at the very heart of Crewe Alexandra It has been a very long time since anyone could have dared to think that would come our way. I believe that we should grasp this opportunity to work with the new owners of our beloved club and to enhance upon the good relations we have with them so for the benefit of us all, the fans, the Railwaymen members and the community as a whole.
As a Crewe Alex fan it must be said that massive thanks must go to the Railwaymen organisation, the new owners and the people behind it for getting us the fans to this present position. But we must not rest here. I believe we should take the relationship further and try and enhance the relationship and realise the potential for Crewe Alexandra to become a fully inclusive community club. A football club for the benefit of all and everyone which we all hope it can become.
I would relish the opportunity if I was chosen to represent the individual Railwaymen members and serve on the board of the Railwaymen Supporters Society. i would hope my experience as a lawyer and of Crewe people generally could assist the board in the journey along the way to achieve the overall goal of a truly inclusive community football club. The journey is one however which will never end and we all, the members of the Railwaymen and fans alike, must continue and strive to improve Crewe Alexandra so it continues to give us the passion and pleasure we all get from being Crewe Alexandra fans.
DAVID TOMLINSON Nominated by Paul Hulse and Alex Hulse
Occupation: TRAIN DRIVER (Transport for Wales).
Voluntary Occupation: Football Supporters Association National Council Member and The Railwaymen Supporters Society Board Member.
I am a lifelong home and away supporter of our great club.
Prior to becoming involved in the Railwaymen Supporters Society, I held the position of Supporters Liaison Officer at our club, one of the few SLO’s appointed from a club fan base, becoming the link between the supporters and the club, attending meetings with supporters and club officials, assuring supporters views were heard and taken into account when club decisions were made. I was a member of the clubs Safety Advisory Group and represented the club and supporters at Football Authority meetings, I have also been a ground Steward.
As a Supporter I was both a Junior Alex and Crewe Alexandra Supporters Initiative committee member, where I rose to the position of Chairman, leading the group and dealing with the football club and the media.
I follow England and became involved in their Supporters sections, putting the voice of the supporter into the FA at various levels, I have represented supporters and the FA on host cities visits prior to World Cups and UEFA tournaments, I am now part of the FSA Freelions Fans Embassy providing support to England Supporters.
Within the FSF/FSA I have undertaken the role as a Director, Northern Chairman, I am currently on the National Council, and the international Embassy team.
I am privileged to have been involved from the inception of the Railwaymen Supporters group, followed by helping the Railwaymen Supporters society move successfully towards the position of owning 10% of our great Club and being in an influential position within Crewe Alexandra.
I believe our investment and involvement has significantly improved the chances of the club moving forward and continuing to be the great club we all support. The voice of the supporter within football must be heard and their views taken into account when decisions are being taken. The work and progress of our society has so far, made a big contribution within the Club. During the current difficult times we are all going through and beyond our involvement will prove so important.
It is important The Railwaymen Supporters Society is the first port of call for supporters, we must also keep our standing within the football club high so that we are respected to such a level that they contact the society to discuss issues as well as the society contacting them. We should all be rightly proud of what the Railwaymen have achieved, and we need to keep moving forward.
I believe my industrial relation skills developed over 20 years as a union representative for ASLEF, which I combine with my role as a Train Driver can complement and add to the board of the Railwaymen. My duties with ASLEF include representing members in disputes and disciplinary hearings, along with securing the best terms and conditions during negotiations with train operating companies. I also have the responsibilities of putting together yearly duty and annual leave rosters working within the agreed company and national rules and regulations.
I hope the experience and knowledge I have obtained whilst undertaking both my work duties and roles in football put me in a position to help our society and supporters move forward to a position where our voices are heard and views, policies and ideas will become even more influential and continue to make a real difference. This is why I hope I am successful in gaining a position on the Railwaymen Supporters Society Board.
LIAM CONNOLLY Nominated by Liam Connolly and Andrew Connolly
As a passionate fan of Crewe since the age of 9 I would consider it an honour and privilege to serve on the board of the Railwaymen supporters society. I am part of the Senior Management team of the Andrew Connolly Practice and am a qualified financial adviser. On a personal level I have been coming to the Alex since the tender age of 9 and like all of you was bitten by the Crewe bug all that time ago! This has transferred onto my step-children who are now all avid Crewe fans and come with me to the games at every opportunity.
My vision is to become a link between the community and club. I have demonstrated my commitment to the club through the sponsorship of the Family stand, where as a family business we know the importance that football has for family and the community bringing in new and young fans, just like myself twenty years ago, We currently do this by putting on events to encourage families to come through the gates of Gresty road and discover just what a special club Crewe is.
As a member of the board I would work to bridge the gap between the club and the community. I want to help develop strategies to bring more local sponsorship and opening the club to a wider audience and to be completely inclusive for the local community within the Cheshire area. I want to explore ways of taking this out into the community and Create projects that will be of benefit for years to come. I see this as a fantastic way to raise the profile of Crewe. Being a fan all my life I have embraced the ethos of the club which believes in investing into young potential and creating homegrown stars, this is something I support strongly and always will. I will bring the same dedication to the board as I have following the Alex and will always act with the supporters And community in mind, after all it’s the supporters who make the football club special and we are all part of our community. I believe strongly in the supporters society and what it stands for. This provides the fans with a voice with the running of the club which again I feel links the fans and club together. My hope is to represent the fans and support their voice in the coming years. Crewe Alexandra is a special and unique club and I hope I get the opportunity to represent you and the club.
