GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

these are going to be transitioning into some of your industries, some of your

employment sectors, some of your unions.

We have got some serious challenges. What I would say is access to the

advice, guidance and experience of our affiliates within the GFTU, I know, is

going to be an important source of support in these endeavours. I would like to

formally thank Doug and the Executive for their support during probably the

worst period of these attacks on our association, and I am taking aside all the

things that are valid about executive pay, about the choices that we make. I

cannot recall, but it may have been de Gaulle who said, “To govern is to

choose”. We are quite resource heavy and we are very, very fortunate to have

those resources, but you have still got to in a position of governance choose

how you prioritise your spending and the distribution of those resources.

I would like to reiterate my great pride in not only becoming the President of

the GFTU, but, to my knowledge, the first black President of the GFTU. I say to

my knowledge, because at two previous clubs, Stockport County and Preston

North End, when people said I was the first black footballer to play for the club,

I discovered the hidden account of former black players who had previously

been airbrushed out of history and I genuinely mean they had been airbrushed

out of history until they were rediscovered. Ironically, one of them was Arthur

Wharton who actually played for both clubs, so I feel that I am in good

company. I am extremely proud of the association’s role in battling racism with

our support in funding Kick it Out and Show Racism the Red Card who are

involved in initiatives with the CWU. We recently developed a programme in

corporate governance to prepare more BME current and former players for

representative positions, both within and outside football. 25% of our current

members are visible on the pitch every week performing for their clubs, 25%,

and yet we do not see that visibility in coaching, management, boardrooms,

committees. Are we just a microcosm of what is happening out there in the

wider society? I would suggest yes.

The programme has yielded a number of notable successes and we have

seen graduates progress into many areas of representation within county FA

232