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Trust Board Election. Questions for Mark Cordell

Mark Cordell

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Jul 8, 2004
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Hi All,

I hope no one minds me stealing the format that others have used but it seems to be working so far.

Below is the link to all of the manifestos and I would like to echo, on this forum as I have on social media, my wishes of good luck to all candidates involved. We have all put ourselves forward with the best interest of the club in mind and it seems unfair that one person will have to miss out.

http://ecfcst.org.uk/2017/09/19/exeter-city-supporters-trust-2017-election-candidates/

I will be unable to respond to many questions this evening as I will have limited access to internet, however I will respond to all questions tomorrow night so don't worry if they appear to be stacking up.
 

Alistair20000

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Do you support the view that the Trust should increase its shareholding in the Club to at least 75% and if so what steps do you propose to take to deliver that objective ?
 
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Mark Cordell

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Messages
641
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Exeter
Do you support the view that the Trust should increase its shareholding in the Club to at least 75% and if so what steps do you propose to take to deliver that objective ?
Yes, As I discuss in my manifesto I believe trust ownership is the future of our club and will deliver the best stability. What better way to do this than increasing our shareholding. Not only does this give stability but it is also a way of ensuring funds can be raised in the future should circumstances demand without losing the majority. I would of course hope this never needs to happen.

With regards to delivering this objective a lot will depend on who has the ownership and if they are willing to sell. To my knowledge there has been work towards achieving this and I would like to think I could continue this if successful. If extra funds were required for this to happen then I would propose an honest interaction with fans to try and increase trust members. I believe non members are more likely to help if they can see a clear purpose.
 

Terryhall

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Hi Mark. I don't recall the exact wording I used elsewhere so my apologies if this question is slightly different than the others were asked - would you be supportive of ECFC committing to being a carbon neutral organisation, with ambition to sourcing all its energy from 100% renewable sources?
 

Mark Cordell

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Hi Mark. I don't recall the exact wording I used elsewhere so my apologies if this question is slightly different than the others were asked - would you be supportive of ECFC committing to being a carbon neutral organisation, with ambition to sourcing all its energy from 100% renewable sources?
Hi Terry, Thanks for your question.

I am supportive of this although I would question if the club could be 100% reliant based on the city centre location.

I would back any club/trust initiative to improve this as long as the correct research had been carried out and the payback was not too lengthly. I have limited knowledge of some aspects and will spout some thoughts below.

I work in the water industry and their are certainly ways to make improvements, ensuring not only that roof space is utilised for rainwater harvesting but also that water is logged to ensure potential leaks are dealt with correctly. There would also be other opportunities to look at more natural sources for the training ground.

Electricity is more complicated as a payback period would have to be carefully investigated. I was recently involved in voting for sustainability awards in the tourism industry and picked up some useful insight. Whilst you can harvest the electricity the storage of this is highly expensive and normally results in unused energy being sold back to the national grid, the price you can guarantee for this is critical. Would predominant winter and evening use of the stadium maximise the return, the answer is I don't know. Someone with far more expertise in the field would have have to make the analysis and present to the club/board.

I hope this answers your question.
 

Antony Moxey

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Do you prefer custard creams or chocolate hob nobs at Trust board meetings?
 

Mark Cordell

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Exeter
Do you prefer custard creams or chocolate hob nobs at Trust board meetings?
Chocolate hob nobs are the winner in this debate, throw bourbons in the mix and i would have a dilemma though.
 

Antony Moxey

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Good answer Mark, thank you. However, I am a little concerned at you throwing bourbons into the mix - some might say it’s bringing new ideas to the table but equally it could be seen as merely being awkward and not accepting the choices on offer and thus the reason the Trust is little better at present than a talking shop that’s big on rhetoric but little on actual achievement.
 

Sexton Blake

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Yes, As I discuss in my manifesto I believe trust ownership is the future of our club and will deliver the best stability. What better way to do this than increasing our shareholding. Not only does this give stability but it is also a way of ensuring funds can be raised in the future should circumstances demand without losing the majority. I would of course hope this never needs to happen.

With regards to delivering this objective a lot will depend on who has the ownership and if they are willing to sell. To my knowledge there has been work towards achieving this and I would like to think I could continue this if successful. If extra funds were required for this to happen then I would propose an honest interaction with fans to try and increase trust members. I believe non members are more likely to help if they can see a clear purpose.
Totally agree Mark historically I believe the majority of the members signed up knowing this was the only way that the Club could be saved from going out of existence. Then apart from the occasional boost from fans joining to give them priority status for high profile cup matches it has stayed fairly constant.

Whilst I support the principle of Trust ownership I can also see its limitations and feel that regardless how successful the Academy may continue to be a Trust membership of circa 3,500 would, without any external investment, be insufficient numbers to generate the finance needed to sustain football at Championship and possibly even League One level.

It is very much a double edged sword. Seek out a philanthropic benefactor, always supposing that in the modern day world there is such an animal risking the implications of he or she subsequently upping sticks taking their money with them or continuing to tick over at our current level of playing and risk facing reduced attendances due to the fans having the perceived notion that the Club and those at the helm lack ambition.

I believe that in order to progress continuing with our present ownership model we need a membership circa 4,500 to 5,000 and to achieve this need to connect with the rank and file of the Club"s support to get the message over that we are no longer, as pre the formation of the Trust, living hand to mouth. That by now joining the Trust they are investing in and contributing to the continued success of a viable business. The benefits being that they can then look forward to seeing and enjoying their football at the highest level the Club is able to reach.
 

fred binneys head

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In my view a big part of the role of the Trust is to hold the senior employees at the club to account for their performance - can you give me some recent examples from your working life where you have held people in senior management positions to account for their performance please?

Thanks,

FBH.
 
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