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Town and Charitable Trust Sever Link
Town and Charitable Trust Sever Link
Tuesday, 19th Nov 2013 17:03

Town and the ITFC Charitable Trust are severing their link, with the Trust having moved out of Portman Road and been renamed Inspire Suffolk — Education and Sports Charity. It will now concentrate on multi-sports based at the Ipswich Academy, formerly Holywells School, site in Lindbergh Road.

Inspire Suffolk chief executive, Terry Baxter, previously Town’s communications director, outlined the reasons behind the parting of the ways: “This has come at a good time for us as a charity as we needed to expand and it allows us now to build on the work we do in the community and allows us the flexibility to reach out and co-ordinate with more sporting groups and organisations, strengthening our position as providers of support for those young people in Suffolk who need help.

“We have enjoyed a positive working relationship with the Club during 10 years as a charity and many more, of course, as the community department of the Club but with ITFC focusing on the Academy development of young people in Suffolk, the time is right to see the two organisations split and we wish the Club well.

“We are continuing our commitment to help inspire, motivate and educate young people using many sports including football at our new facility and at centres across the county.”

Earlier in the season the Trust’s Player Development Centres, which had been based at Portman Road, Bury and previously at a number of other venues, closed at short notice.

As TWTD reported at the time, the club will be running similar schemes from January 2014. The invitation-only Advanced Coaching Programme will be an extensive programme in which players will be closely monitored by Academy coaches. Those who show potential will be invited to attend the Academy Development Centres.

Town joint-managing director, Ian Milne, said: “With our commitment to producing homegrown talent through our Academy, we want to take a leading role in the area at grassroots level and that’s why we are introducing the Advanced Coaching Programme.

“With that in mind and the Trust’s decision to move into multi-sports, it’s a natural progression to go our separate ways.

“On behalf of the Football Club I’d like to thank Terry and his team for their work over many years and wish them every success at Inspire Suffolk.

“As well as working on youth development from grassroots up, the Club will, of course, continue to actively support local charities.

“Our players took part in more than 430 hours of charity and community events last season and we’re hoping to beat that this year.”

Alasdair Ross, chair of Ipswich Town Ist, the Supporters Trust, said his organisation was sad to see the link between the Club and the Charitable Trust come to an end.

“Ipswich Town has a proud history of association with its local community, and the ITFC Charitable Trust had been doing great things to keep this going over recent years,” he said.

“We’re disappointed that the connection between the Football Club and the Charitable Trust has been broken, and would like the Football Club to tell supporters what its plans are for community activities in the future, and what plans there are for the site on the Portman Road practice pitch that the Charitable Trust previously occupied.”

Town will announce further details about the Advanced Coaching Programme soon with courses set to be run in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds from the New Year until the end of the season.

All 303 players who were registered on the Trust’s Player Development Centre courses will be invited to take part, with free taster sessions held in December.


Photo: Action Images



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RegencyBlue added 19:37 - Nov 19
Whilst there may well be good reasons for this I cannot help but think this is another nail in the coffin of our reputation as a community club!
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sotd78 added 07:06 - Nov 20
Let's hope the club put money the way of the trust regularly. It is these trusts that pick up the pieces from failed academy players etc. These are the sort of organisations that give all youngsters a chance to do sport...not just the elite few. Instead of asking the fans to lob money at the academy we should be sending it to Inspire.
Itfc is aprofessional
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sotd78 added 07:14 - Nov 20
Let's hope the club put money the way of the trust regularly. It is these trusts that pick up the pieces from failed academy players etc. These are the sort of organisations that give all youngsters a chance to do sport...not just the elite few. Instead of asking the fans to lob money at the academy we should be sending it to Inspire.
Itfc is a professional club. A business that is sort of required to do community things...
No longer the same itfc we used to know I fear....
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BillBlue added 07:56 - Nov 20
Is this just one more nail in the coffin of Ipswich Town? I think so.
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Londonblue52 added 08:40 - Nov 20
This Club has lost it's heart and has no interest in the community. It is run by people who haven't a clue and who don't care about anyone who can't save or make them money. Knowing this lot they probably thought supporting a community bit of the Club was too much hassle. Don't all other clubs have a community part? Who are they kidding telling us the Academy is a charity and conning people to give it money. Give me strength! It seems only Mick comes across as a decent bloke at our Club these days. Thank god for MM
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verulam added 12:17 - Nov 20
A little bit sad but as Ian Milne says the key here is the Trust's decision to move into multi sports - a move they seem to be well set up for in terms of facilities if you read the more detailed commentary in the EADT / Evening Star. I'm sure that the Club will remain heavily involved in supporting a wide range of local charities.
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blues1 added 12:44 - Nov 20
verulam. at last a sensible post by some1 whos actually read the whole story. it makes it clear that it was the trusts decision to move to the Ipswich academy and to go into multisports. thus it makes sense for the trust and itfc to end their partnership. I. milne also makes it clear that the club aim to increase their charitable work, not reduce it so whats the problem with that? they will also be able to put more expertise into the footballcoaching side for grass roots football than the charitable trust was able to do. so both sides should benefit from this. I understand there are those people who want to criticise those running this club at every opportunity, but what you have to realise is, while it would be great to have the club still run as it did in the cobbolds day, that if it was the club would not be around for much longer as it would clearly gp bust.
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ITFCsince67 added 06:23 - Nov 21
Blues1 as someone who is very close to the Charitable Trust I can assure you it was not the Trusts choice to leave the club. ITFC did not want them anymore and wanted the space for their Cat1 Academy. The Trust had been running multi sport activities for years. The press release was completely controlled by ITFC and the Trust just agreed and moved on. ITFC have zero interest in the community unless it make them money. They only want the elite and have no interest in building a community programme for all.
ITFC will not get another penny of my money. Inspire Suffolk is for all.
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ITFCsince67 added 06:23 - Nov 21
Blues1 as someone who is very close to the Charitable Trust I can assure you it was not the Trusts choice to leave the club. ITFC did not want them anymore and wanted the space for their Cat1 Academy. The Trust had been running multi sport activities for years. The press release was completely controlled by ITFC and the Trust just agreed and moved on. ITFC have zero interest in the community unless it make them money. They only want the elite and have no interest in building a community programme for all.
ITFC will not get another penny of my money. Inspire Suffolk is for all.
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ITFCsince67 added 06:26 - Nov 21
A player turning up to open a door or a book signing is not supporting the community. The club is a shadow of it's once great self. It should be at the heart of the community not ripping the heart out.
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blues1 added 10:44 - Nov 21
Itfcsince67. You should get ur faxts right. It was the trusts decision to go to ioswich academy. It prob was itfcs decision to therefore sever the ties between the two. It was a joint announcement btw by i. Milne and T. Baxter so was clearly not orchestrated by itfc. It was also T.B. who saud tgey were now looking to go into multisports, not me so either hes lying or ur wrong about that. I agree that the club isnt what it once was. But unfotynately if it was run that way, as i said vefore, it would almost certainky go into liquidqtion. As nice as it would be, u can no longer run a club in that wau. A shame, but a fact im afraid
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blues1 added 10:46 - Nov 21
Sorry about misspelling some words but on mob. Fingers too big.
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CardinalRansome added 11:30 - Nov 21
The Charitable Trust were ejected from Portman Road. They have been in multi sports for years. They are not taking on all football coaching because they are ignoring girls football and the disabled footballers. The Trust used to raise money by selling an executive box given to them by the club and there used to be a certain number of free tickets for children involved in courses run by the Trust. These have all been withdrawn.
Why should a community support the football club if the football club wont support the community. Its disgraceful.

In addition the EADT/Evening Star and TWTD have just bought the press release rather than doing any investigation. See the BBC website for a more balanced article.
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blues1 added 11:51 - Nov 21
Have just read the bbc website and nowhere does it say the trust was evicted from the club. Just that its moved. I have to apologise that ive questioned the multisports issue but that was how it read on here. Clearly not the case. Quite what ur point is cardinal about the club not supporting the community is, i dont know as they have clearly stated they intend to i.crese their work for charity and in the community, not lessen it. Just seems as T. Baxter said, a natural progression for both parties
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CardinalRansome added 12:00 - Nov 21
Lets see whether they increase their work for the community. Supporting the community is about more than players turning up at hospitals at Christmas, it is about being involved in the community that supports you, not just those like coaching courses that are seen as lucrative fund raisers.

I believe it is spurious that any courses at Portman Road will assist the bid for Category 1 status since one of the negative review points in the Academy system is if activities are conducted on split sites, just ask Crystal Palace.

The Trust were given notice to leave some months ago and it was not a natural progression, ask people involved with the Trust.

I doubt if a public announcement would have been made if the Supporters Trust had not asked a question and made a public statement. Phil was aware of the move some time ago and was not reporting it. When he did he was just to repeat the press release.
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ITFCsince67 added 15:29 - Nov 21
CardinalRansome agree with all you have said. If you are Very close to Inspire Suffolk you know the ITFC told them they were not wanted anymore and used the Cat1 as vehicle to move them on. The Trust was all about a fully inclusive multi sport offer for the community, fantastically including physically disabled and mentally disabled events just like all the big clubs do.
ITFC are only interested in the elite. I hope Inspire Suffolk go from strength to strength.
Won't hold my breath for the club to launch their own All Inclusive community project.
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