ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2025
The Annual General Meeting of the Trust took place on Wednesday 26th February 2025 and was held online via Zoom video-conferencing.
Thank you to those members who either joined the meeting or submitted proxy voting forms in advance of the meeting.
All resolutions were passed on the night, as follows:
Resolution 1: To receive and adopt the Directors’ Report and Detailed Financial Statements for the 12 month period ending 31st August 2024
Resolution 2: That West Ham United Supporters’ Trust disapplies the appointment of auditors for the year ending 31 August 2025
Resolution 3: That Steve Hale of Perrys Accountants Limited is to be appointed as the Society's Independent Examiner for the annual accounts year ending 31st August 2025
Resolution 4: That the election of Robina Ahmed, Nick Drane, Richard Elliott, Kevin Hind, Sarthak Kumar, Dean Matthews and Rachel McFetridge to the Board of the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust is hereby approved.
Following the AGM, the WHUST Board now consists of Andrew Byrne, Robina Ahmed, Nick Drane, Richard Elliott, Kevin Hind, Mark Inskipp, Sarthak Kumar, Dean Matthews, Rachel McFetridge and Chris Wheal.
Officers of the Society will be agreed at the first meeting of the new Board.
That concludes the AGM process for this year. Thank you for your continued support.
WHUST Board
26th February 2025
The documentation for the AGM process are detailed below.
As per the Convening Notice, issued on 17th January 2025, the Ironworks 1895 Supporters Society Limited, trading as the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust, will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 26th February 2025 at 19:00 via Zoom video conferencing.
To attend the AGM via Zoom, you will need to register your attendance beforehand at:
before 18:00 on Wednesday 26th February 2025, using your shareholder number included in the email sent to shareholders.
It is important that eligible trust members either participate and vote at the Zoom session or that you use your proxy vote if you are not going to attend.
So that's either:
~ Attend the virtual AGM on 26th February and vote in person
~ Complete the online proxy form on the website by 15:00 on Wednesday 26th February 2025
We urge you to cast your vote, have your say in your trust.
The business of the meeting covers statutory procedures and compliance with the rules of the society, the Football Supporters' Association and the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. As such the agenda is strictly limited.
The Agenda for the AGM, plus proxy voting form and other documentation is published here on our website.
· WHUST Annual Accounts for the year ending 31 August 2024
· FSA Guidelines for an Independent Examiner
· Chair of the Election Management Group Report on nominations:
· Candidate personal statements for election to the WHUST Board
· Proxy Voting Form proxy voting closed
Please ensure proxy voting forms are submitted by 15:00 on Wednesday 26th February 2024
Yours faithfully,
WHUST Board
13th February 2025
As per the Convening Notice, issued on 17th January 2025, the Ironworks 1895 Supporters Society Limited, trading as the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust, will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 26th February at 19:00 GMT via Zoom video conferencing.
NOMINATIONS TO ELECT NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO TRUST BOARD:
Under Rule 62. At the Annual General Meetings half of the members of the Society Board elected by the members who have served the longest at the date of the Annual General Meeting each year will resign. A retiring Society Board member shall be eligible for re-election.
In accordance with the AGM timetable, the nomination period for full members wishing to stand for election to the WHUST Board closed on 3rd February 2025.
To ensure transparency and independent scrutiny of the nomination process, Neil Le Millierre was the Independent Nomination and Returning Officer.
Seven vacancies were declared, and seven valid nominations were received meaning there was no requirement for a contested election but rather the seven nominees will be appointed to the Trust Board subject to an affirmative vote by the members at the forthcoming AGM.
You can read Neil’s report on the nomination process and the details of the nominations received:
Chair of the Election Management Group's Report on nominations
Candidate personal statements for election to the WHUST Board
We will be publishing the agenda and also proxy voting details for those members unable to participate in the Zoom session in due course.
Yours faithfully,
WHUST Board
10th February 2025
CONVENING NOTICE
Under Rule 29 of the current Society Rules, the Trust Board has called an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Ironworks 1895 Supporters Society Limited for Wednesday 26th February 2025 and under Rule 36, is obliged to provide notice to members in writing of such a meeting. Please consider this written notice of the AGM.
The Annual General Meeting of the Ironworks 1895 Supporters Society Limited (also known as the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust) (the “Trust”) will be held via Zoom Video Conference at 19:00 on Wednesday 26th February 2025.
The following areas of business will be dealt with at the AGM:
Report on Trust performance
Review of examined accounts
Election of up to 7 of the members of the Trust Board
The Agenda for the meeting is as follows.
Chair's Introductions/ Report on Trust performance
Annual Accounts:
Review of examined accounts
Resolution to disapply the requirement of the current financial year’s accounts ending 31st August 2025 to be audited.Results of elections of Directors to the Board
ELECTION OF UP TO SEVEN BOARD MEMBERS TO TRUST BOARD:
At the Annual General Meeting held in February 2024, a nomination process for the 5 vacant board positions was run in accordance with the Rules of the Society. A total of 4 valid nominations were received from Andrew Byrne, Mark Inskipp, Gary Marling and Chris Wheal whose election to the board was approved at that AGM.
At the board meeting held on 8th April 2024, Sarthak Kumar was co-opted on to the Board.
Sadly on 10th April 2024 our Chair - Terry Reynolds collapsed whilst representing the Trust at a Show Racism the Red Card event - a subject that he was very passionate about. He was taken to hospital where he passed away later.
At the board meeting held on 31st July 2024, Dean Matthews was co-opted on to the Board.
At the board meeting held on 7th January 2025, Gary Marling was removed from the Board as he was unable to fulfil the commitments required of a director.
The WHUST Board currently consists of:
Elected Members: Andy Byrne, Nick Drane, Richard Elliott, Kevin Hind, Mark Inskipp, Rachel McFetridge and Chris Wheal.
Co-opted Members: Sarthak Kumar and Dean Matthews
Under Rule 62. At each Annual General Meeting, half of the members of the Society Board elected by the members who have served the longest at the date of the Annual General Meeting each year will resign. Nick Drane, Richard Elliott, Kevin Hind and Rachel McFetridge will be standing down at the 2025 AGM. Also any co-opted members of the board have to stand down at the following AGM, so Sarthak Kumar and Dean Matthews will also stand down. A retiring Society Board member shall be eligible for re-election.
There are seven vacant elected board positions available at the forthcoming AGM.
To ensure transparency and independent scrutiny of our election we are appointing an Independent Nomination and Returning Officer, and we are delighted that Neil Le Milliere has again agreed to perform this role. Neil is a longstanding member of the Exeter City Supporters Trust and its Board, who have owned the majority shareholding in their club for over twenty years, as well as being on the Football Supporters Association National Council.
If any member would like to contact Neil directly for any information regarding voting, elections or about Neil directly, your enquires will be dealt with in strict confidence and Neil can be contacted by email or by phone communicated in the email sent to all members.
Each candidate is required to be a full current member as at midday on 17th January 2025 (the start of the AGM process), aged 16 or over and must be nominated by two full current members as at 17th January 2025.
To stand for election to the Trust Board, please read and complete the Board Nomination Form that can be downloaded directly here:
WHUST 2025 board nomination form - Microsoft Word format - nominations now closed
WHUST 2025 board nomination form - Adobe pdf format - nominations now closed
All nomination forms must be returned by 18:00 on Monday 3rd February 2025 via email to neil_le_milliere@btinternet.com
Board members will be a Director of Ironworks 1895 Supporters’ Society Ltd – a Community Benefit Society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.
As well as being subject to the director’s responsibilities under that Act, they will also be bound by the Trust’s Board Membership and Conduct Policy and other rules and policies as published on the Trust’s website:
https://www.whust.org/policies
Candidate information will then be issued to full Trust members on 10th February 2025.
Should more nominations be received than vacancies (7) then a contested election will be held when full shareholding members will be able to vote in the board elections. Full details will be included in communications on 10th February 2025.
Please contact secretary@whust.org with any other questions relating to the Annual General Meeting.
Yours faithfully,
WHUST Board
17th January 2025
Details of the 2024 AGM held on Wednesday 21st February 2024 can be found at:
Details of the 2023 AGM held on Wednesday 15th February 2023 can be found at: