Election to the BFC Board - My statement

Following from the statement's of Mr Merritt and Mr Gosling I have posted mine for you all to read.

My name is Chris Wickham, I am 22 years old and am standing for election to the board of Brentford Football Club
I am a loyal supporter attending every match home and away, the majority with my wife and young daughter, and come from a family of Brentford fans.
I am impressed with the drive and vision Bees United have shown to get us where we are and I believe that we are close to delivering a pledge made by our forefathers during the 1967 crisis, namely that ordinary supporters are best placed to secure the long-term future of Brentford Football Club.
I have little financial expertise, but I believe these skills are well-represented elsewhere within the Board. Like most supporters, no doubt, I am struck by the irony that despite the qualifications of those involved in the past, this has not always been a guarantee of financial rectitude. In short I believe the Club needs to maximise its commercial revenue and stick to its budgets.
I would not spend ten hours a day seven days a week at Griffin Park, as a director I would help be responsible for laying down the strategy of the club and would make sure that we employ the best people to do the job and leave them to get on with it, unless they prove themselves unfit for the office.
I am a journalist by profession which means I know how to communicate. I spend my days deciphering complex information and making it easy to comprehend. I don’t believe in jargon, if I can’t understand something how will anyone else?
I also work for the football club on matchdays writing reports for the website and programme and helping with match commentaries, I am a person who can get a succinct, non-diluted message across both orally and in writing.
I like to think I can smell flannel and will not allow supporters to be fed rubbish. BFC and BU have had problems conveying the seriousness of the club's plight to supporters, I believe I can put that right.
I speak as I find and I will not banally tow the party line if it is not in the best interests of the club and its supporters who are, after all, its lifeblood.
The key for me is accountability and responsibility. I promise not to hide when the going gets tough and to explain why things were done.
I have been concerned for a while that the younger supporters cannot identify with Bees United. I would like to show that BU isn’t just for older fans, it’s for everybody who feels they can make a difference.
The club has a history to be proud of and as a young supporter, and one of the youngest, if not the youngest, candidate standing in these elections, I want to help shape its future. I believe I have the drive, passion and skills to do a good job representing the supporters on the football club’s board.

Just to add I have been thinking a lot about the role of the supporter's representative on the board and have been putting together a few ideas, which I will act upon should I be elected.

The first is to ensure there is a clear link between the board member and the people he represents. As such I would set up a dedicated e-amil address which I would access for people to ask specific questions of what I am doing. I pledge to reply within 3 working days, unless I advise otherwise, and produce a full reponse if I can answer your question.

I promise to make myself available on match days, and other times if I can, to speak to supporters and will look at the possibility of setting up a 'surgery' so I can be contacted.

I firmly believe as a supporters representative I should not hide, and will never do so. The job is tough but I think I can do it.