BANTAMS SUPPORTERS TRUST

Alan was a very knowledgeable man. He was a lecturer of Social Science at the University of Bradford and active in his union, so he had first hand experience of engaging with representatives of the employer and business. He knew how to carefully, and articulately put a position forward. In 2011 he submitted a an evidence paper to the Government's Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on the recent history of Bradford City, illustrating the strengths and weaknesses of football in the UK at the time, and still relevant today. Drawing on the Club's toughest period of modern times; from the Premier League to League Two up until 2011, it called into question the Governance Model and looked at supporter involvement and including what the German Bundesliga way of organisation has to offer for English Football. In about 2013, Alan was invited, along with a handful of select supporters, to give evidence to the government’s Expert Working Group (EWG) on football governance, which was published in 2016. Alan gave evidence on the effectiveness of the Supporters Board at Bradford City, which began life in 2012, chaired by former Manager of Operations, Dave Baldwin. Along with the case for the Supporters Board was the development of Structured Dialogue, a vehicle of fan engagement with the Club, something the Trust still has in place today. There was also the role and purpose of Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO), Supporter Director roles and Supporter Ownership shareholders rights – Fans’ reps gave evidence to all these things to the Government Expert Working Group and can be found and read up on here . All of this was a precursor to the 2021 Fan-Led Review chaired by Tracey Crouch, and the Football Governance Bill which is still going through parliament. Alan was Chair of the Trust from 2006 until 2013 and continued to volunteer on the Trust Board, always a strong advocate of the Trust having two channels of communication with the Club as a 'critical friend', through the Trust directly and via the Supporters Board. Alan was also on the 'Remembrance Panel' working group on the Supporters Board and the Trust continues to lead the way in organising the annual bucket collection, raising much needed funds for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU). Alan was a close friend to those that knew him well and he was tremendously proud to represent the cause of the Supporters Trust, which is first and foremost about encouraging his much loved Club, Bradford City to give football supporter representatives a say in the running the Club. A kind and caring person, Alan, gave confidence to others and was an excellent counsel, giving guidance and direction to his team. After he stepped down as Chair, Alan became our Treasurer, but he was much more than that, he was a true ally and friend right until the end. Alan Carling Funeral Arrangements - Further Details We would like to confirm further details of the funeral arrangements. As you know, the service will be held at Oakworth Crematorium at 12:15 on Friday 17th January. The address is Wide Lane, Oakworth, BD22 ORJ. There will then follow a private burial at Morton Cemetery for family. A webcast of the service will be available for those unable to attend. Joining details will be sent in due course to those who have elected for this option. For those unable to attend who have asked about donations we will also circulate details of charities. Following the service there will be a reception at Bradford City Football Club from 2:00pm, in the 2013 Suite. The address is Valley Parade, Bradford, BD8 7DY.

Friends & Family, Thank you all for the your messages of condolence, and the lovely memories Alan many of you have shared with us. At this very difficult time your messages, conversations, offers of support and acts of kindness, solidarity and remembrance have been a real source of solace for the family. Alan’s Funeral will be held on 17th January, starting at 12:15 at Oakworth Chapel & Cemetery, Wide Lane, Oakworth, Keighley, BD22 0RJ. The funeral will be followed by a gathering with food and a chance for those that knew him to meet and remember Alan at a venue a short drive from Oakworth Cemetery that we are currently confirming. We will let you know further details as soon as we can. Alan had a rich and varied life that touched many people’s lives in many positive ways, both small and large. We want the funeral to be a time for everyone to celebrate and remember his life. Please do pass this note to friends or colleagues that you think would want to attend, but that we may have missed. There will also be a webcast of the ceremony for those not able to attend in person. If you could please also let us know by return if you or others are attending in person that would be appreciated, so we are able to keep track of numbers for the chapel space and catering. Many Thanks - Sarah, David, Iain & Jonathan

We, as Bradford City fans are being asked to participate in telling their stories of being at Valley Parade by answering online survey questions about your experiences of Supporting City at Valley Parade. You can choose which questions you want to answer and your stories / memories can be told anonymously. The questions include sharing memories of their first Bantams match, most memorable game, how they started supporting the club, family members’ memories of following the Bantams, where they sit at the University of Bradford Stadium and what it means to be a Bradford City supporter. The stories will be shared with artists who will turn them into different art forms e.g. paintings, film, poetry. The different artists interpretations of the stories will be embedded into a digital copy of the stadium that Chris Gaffney, (Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Bradford) and his team are creating, and people will be able to explore using VR. There is an intention to embed the stories in the physical stadium that people will be able to access using a QR code when attending matches. They will be revealed during the Bradford 2025 City of Culture celebrations. The stories may also feature in a book being written to tell people about the different innovations that have been created by the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit as a result of fans donations. Any profits from the book will be go towards the future research of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit. For further reading please go to the University of Bradford’s press release about the project