Message from Andrew Holloway, the new TJF Chair
First and foremost, I wish all Jags fans, and your loved ones, a prosperous 2024.
My first job as the new Chair of TJF is to provide this New Year update. It is an honour to serve in this role and I will do my best to lead from the front as we continue on our fan ownership journey.
I suspect in my younger years – walking around with “HonkHonk 7” on the back of the latest Thistle top – that leading a 1650+ member fans organisation that contributes significant funds to the Football Club was not very high on my agenda! How times change!
My appointment to this role neatly coincides with me stepping down from the Football Club Board at the AGM on 11 January. I am delighted that Stuart Callison will ably take on the role of directly representing TJF from that date.
It would be remiss of me not to personally thank Sandy Fyfe for everything that he has done for TJF and our Football Club. The leadership and time commitment he has given to us all has quite simply been first class. Without him, we would not have become a properly fan-owned Football Club.
His patience, perseverance, collegiality and strategic thinking has left TJF, and Partick Thistle, in a much stronger place than when he got involved in the fan ownership movement four years ago.
Above all, all of us on the TJF Board are proud to consider him a friend. I hope that, in stepping back, Sandy is able to take a well-earned rest and get back to enjoying the football as a “normal” Thistle fan. We would also like to place on record the TJF Board’s thanks to Sandy’s family, particularly Ingrid and Tallie, for being so supportive of the tireless work that Sandy has put in.
In light of Sandy stepping back, and other recent developments, TJF’s Board has unanimously agreed a re-organisation of roles and responsibilities to take us into 2024. These are summarised below.
We look forward to seeing and hearing from as many of you as possible in 2024. If you ever have a question, suggestion, or are looking to be heard – please reach out to me or any of our other Board Members.
Fingers crossed for a victory tomorrow at Firhill!
Best wishes
Andrew
The TJF Reshuffle
Chair and Vice Chair
Following Sandy Fyfe’s decision to step down from the TJF Board, Andrew Holloway will become the organisation’s new Chair. Andrew will serve in this role until his elected term of office expires, at TJF’s summer AGM.
Andrew brings key experience from his spell on the Club Board, from which he will formally step down later this month.
Additionally, Lynsey Kane has been appointed to the new position of Vice Chair, to provide resilience and continuity within the leadership group.
Lynsey Kane
Vice Chair
TJF's Club Board Representative
At the Club AGM on 11th January, Stuart Callison will be formally appointed to replace Andrew as TJF’s Club Board Representative.
It is important for TJF to retain a place on the Club Board during this transitional period, ahead of fan representative elections in the summer.
New Treasurer and Co-optee
Andrew’s appointment as Chair means that he will also relinquish the role of TJF Treasurer.
Derek McLeish has been co-opted onto TJF’s Board, and will fill this role through to TJF’s AGM in summer 2024.
Derek has recently retired from a career in regulatory financial services. He put himself forward in the 2023 TJF elections and was unfortunate not to be elected in a highly competitive field.
We are confident that Derek’s background will ensure a smooth handover of this vital part of TJF’s administration. He will also provide valuable input into our decision-making in the months ahead.
This is TJF’s first use of the co-option power under its rules. That power is designed to deal with situations like this, where a specific set of skills are needed to augment our democratically elected board members. A co-opted board member serves until the next AGM, whereafter they must stand for election or step down.
PTFC Trust Representatives
TJF became one of the PTFC Trust’s corporate trustees in the late summer of 2023. At all trustee meetings to date, Sandy Fyfe had represented TJF, as our Chair.
With Sandy stepping back, it has been agreed that TJF will send two of its board members to future trustee meetings. We understand that The Jags Trust will also send two representatives to these meetings.
The TJF delegation at trust meetings will usually be Lynsey Kane and Graeme Cowie, with other TJF Board members attending as substitutes whenever needed.
What's next?
The Club’s AGM will take place on Thursday 11th January.
We are keen to ensure that the issues you care about can be raised at the meeting. If you have any questions that you would like TJF to ask on your behalf, please get in touch at trustees@thejagsfoundation.co.uk.