By Dave Noble - CUOSC

Relevance has been a buzz word surrounding CUOSC for as long as anyone can remember. What does it mean and how can we make sure that CUOSC is relevant going forward?

The most obvious way is to carry the voice of as many of the fanbase as possible.

We currently have over 1,200 members and although we are very proud of the increase in membership over the last couple of years, we know that in order to maintain our relevance we need to swell those numbers further so that we can go to the boardroom with a much stronger voice, with a larger percentage of the whole fan base behind us.

I can confirm having attended the first 1921 board meeting of the Piatak regime, that we are considered relevant, are being listened to and that our input is valued and encouraged.

The progress of the 'Quick Wins' put forward by members and acted upon by the club are testament to this.

So, how do we get to that point? How do we appeal to more of the CUFC fanbase to encourage them to add their voice to the collective?

That is the mission of our membership refresh, which is an ongoing project, having been put on ice during the takeover discussions of 2023.

How do we remove barriers that people feel prevent them from joining and getting involved with CUOSC? That is something that we want to know from fans who are and aren't already members.

What do you want to see CUOSC do, or offer as part of its membership? We will be sitting down in the coming months with the club to discuss CUOSC going forward and how we can mutually benefit each other in the most effective way.

The CUOSC inbox (info@cuosc.org.uk) is always open for suggestions, or catch one of us on a matchday and simply tell us. We aim to roll out the new membership in time for the 2024/25 season.

Contrary to some online opinion, the CUOSC board are not in this for ourselves, there are no billion pound Government PPE contracts up for grabs with secret handshakes. We have all put our hands up voluntarily to help raise the quality of the Carlisle United experience for all fans, like ourselves, and to support the club we all have a shared affiliation for in the best way we can.

The visit to Exeter City at the weekend, showed first hand how their Trust, held up as the shining example of football trusts, works and how they are a hugely positive influence on the club that they own a majority stake in.

From committing funding to the club, to co-ordinating the match day experience, to the umpteen volunteer hours that make significant savings for the business. ECST have over 20 years of experience at being really good at this and constantly evolving to suit their requirements.

They have over 3,500 members which is roughly half their average home crowd, so we have work to do, just to match that, but the target is there and the template is set out.

So, the year is 2034, 26-year-old Luke Littler is the new face of walk-in baths and Saga holidays, Sir Paul Simpson unveils his statue at The Brunton Superdome and United player-manager Jon Mellish has just turned down the England job to remain with the current Premier League champions.

We can dream, but where should CUOSC fit into that future in ten years time and beyond? Some of those earlier mentioned detractors will no doubt say 'not at all', and if we have stagnated around current member numbers or below and are not contributing more to the club then I would wholeheartedly agree.

But there is no reason why we can't be playing a bigger role in the future of the club, with a significant percentage of matchday support behind our voice in the boardroom, with all members reaping personal benefits of their membership and the club benefiting from our input. Everyone wins.

Times are tough on the pitch at the moment, but the future can be so bright if we all stick together.

You can add your name to our growing list of volunteers helping with projects throughout the year by emailing info@cuosc.org.uk. Add your voice too - you can join CUOSC by visiting our website www.cuosc.co.uk