From the Supporters Trust

There's no hiding the fact that the football club have suffered an alarming fall from grace since we narrowly lost to Swansea in the Playoffs less than 12 months ago. We scored the least amount of goals at Oakwell in our history, whilst managing to be the only Championship team ever to go from finishing in the Playoffs to propping up the foot of the table the following season.


Supporters may cite different reasons for the abominable 21/22 campaign, so we want to hear from all BFCST members on a number of topics regarding the football club, the owners, and the matchday experience.

To maintain credibility in the responses, we're facilitating this through an online voting form. Simply click the 'Share Your Feedback' button, enter the e-mail address used to join BFCST, and give us your thoughts on five topics regarding Barnsley FC and the last 12 months - starting with your response to Paul Conway's comments in August 2022 that had the sentiment, 'when we're no longer wanted as owners, we'll leave'.


BFCST have a meeting planned today with CEO Khaled El-Ahmad, and Marketing, Commercial and Business Director Andrew Clark, to address recent challenges at Oakwell that have resulted in our relegation to League One. We also want to look ahead to what could prove to be a very difficult Summer for the football club.

A full review of this meeting will be communicated to members, with the focus centred around the below concerns:

As a paid Director of Barnsley Football Club, and as someone who has taken a salary as acting CEO, why does Paul Conway refuse to speak to supporters? Given that supporters have backed the club in it's hour of need during a pandemic, financially, why are the supporters being treated with such a high level of disrespect and disregard after one of the worst seasons in our history? Especially as that season started with Paul Conway as CEO. We deserve much, much better.
If Paul Conway continues to refuse to engage with the supporter base, how do those at the club plan to build bridges with supporters that are choosing to walk away after a lifetime of unwavering support?
The harsh reality is that the appointment of the last two Head Coaches has been an abject failure. What is the strategy for our next appointment, what qualities are we insisting on as part of that, and how will the next Head Coach instil belief in the squad and the supporters for our future in League One? Will we wait to review the applicants, or is there a pro-active plan that targets our new Head Coach, similar to the appointments of Daniel Stendel and Gerhard Struber?
Based on the 20/21 accounts, and with a revenue shortfall next year of between £6m and £8m due to relegation, how precarious is the future of Barnsley Football Club? What risks are there, and what strategy is being worked on, to ensure we're competitive in the 2022/23 season?
When will the club communicate with supporters and admit the mistakes of the 2021/22 season? Relegation was confirmed against Huddersfield but we've so far been treated to silence in terms of an announcement or an apology.

This is part of a continuous effort to work in the best interests of supporters, with actions in the last three months including meetings with Dan Jarvis, the local media, Tracy Crouch MP in regards to the Fan-Led Review, and seeking reassurances and clarity from the Football Supporters' Association and the EFL around the future of our football club - in terms of finances, ownership challenges, and continuing to play our home games at Oakwell. We'll provide a full update at our AGM on 17th May which will be subsequently shared online.