A life-long U's supporter, co-author of two popular books about the club, and a founding member of CUSA and CFU, Brian Attmore was appointed as Cambridge United's first-ever Fans' Elected Director at the end of February.
Brian became a Cambridge United supporter over 40 years ago when his father first took him to watch matches in the Southern League. His affinity and interest in the club led to an increasing involvement and in 1986 he became a shareholder.
Picking up the story, Brian explains, "On attending the Club's Annual General Meetings, I found it very interesting to find out what actually goes on behind the scenes.
"Then when Cambridge United Supporters Association started, which I think was in 1996, I joined and became very active on the Committee, and for three years I was the Chairman.
"I found that very stimulating and was particularly in interested in how fans could get more involved and actually have more of an influence in the club; rather than just going along to a game and perhaps having a moan in the pub afterwards, but actually helping to take the club forward."
In 2000 Brian took the day off work to attend a football supporters' conference in London with some high-profile speakers. At the end of the conference it was announced by the Culture & Media Secretary that, as a result of the Football League Task Force report, the Government were going to help football clubs.
"They weren't going to help by just dishing out money," adds Brian, "but by encouraging and helping supporters to get involved in their clubs through the setting up of supporters' trusts, with the assistance of an organisation called Supporters Direct.
"As a result, I got together with a couple of other like-minded supporters and after a lot of hard work Cambridge Fans United emerged. Since then, CFU has gone forward with big strides.
"Fans have become a lot more involved in the Club, our shareholding has increased each year, membership has hit the 500 mark, culminating in last year's 'Bridge The Gap' appeal that raised £100,000 in five weeks to help the club. Generally I think it's shown that supporters can get together collectively and actually do something that is important to help and ensure a future for Cambridge United.
"All the way along we have wanted to help the club. The club need money and we want to raise money for United, but it's not a matter of just giving it to them. We've always said that we want something in return and most of the money has gone into buying shares, which is the only way that we can actually have a proper say in the decision making at the club."
Brian is the club's first-ever Fans' Elected Director, so what is the background to his appointment, and how does it work?
"Two years ago at the club's AGM there was an amendment to the club's articles of association whereby when CFU held 15% of the shares they could have a fans' elected director and the board would accept the person voted on," he explains.
"After the 'Bridge the Gap' appeal we actually ended up with 15%, which was a fantastic stake, and - apart from those that actually own their club outright, such as Lincoln, York and Chesterfield - it is the second-highest shareholding of any supporters' trust in the country.
"Hence after Christmas the elections took place and I was very privileged to be the person elected to represent the fans. It's a brand new role at Cambridge so I made sure that I contacted fans' directors at other clubs. I found out a lot about how the mechanisms of being a fans' director works and I am delighted to report that there are now thirty eight fans directors' at clubs around the country.
"I believe Cambridge United is a unique club, certainly in the way the fans have been responsible for the growth of the club over the years - literally in some ways with sweat and tears whilst building the ground and everything that goes with it - and now I feel we need to take this further forward.
"The fans' director has the full voting rights of a director, so it's certainly a big step forward. However, as one person on a board of eight directors all I can hope for really is to influence the decisions of the others. One person cannot change it alone; it has to be a collective to make things happen and move things forward."
Assuming a brand new role and the responsibility for taking his place in the boardroom has been a challenge, as Brian admits.
"The existing directors have welcomed me and I have gained their trust and respect," he says. "There are a number of things that must be kept confidential, namely players' contracts and certain business negotiations, and I've had to work on a lot of the background information about what's gone on and is currently going on.
"It's certainly been a good learning process, although sometimes it's a bit daunting to realise just how important these decisions are. It's easy to sit in a pub and say 'we should do this, we should do that at the club', but when you're actually accountable for that decision and the future of the club rests upon it, it is not the most comfortable thing to do."
In fact, within weeks of Brian's appointment he had to be involved in a difficult decision about the future of then-manager and club legend John Taylor.
"It was not what I expected," he admits, "that my first decision I would be asked to make would be whether we should sack the manager John Taylor and all the ramifications of that.
"However, I knew what I'd got to do was view things as I saw them then with the evidence in front of me, so whereas I represent all the fans I'm not a delegate of the fans. I take in their views but when it comes to the voting, I have to go on the evidence in front of me.
"It was not what I expected but when the final sacking happened it was important that I let people know how it happened and why it happened, hence I organised an Open Meeting to explain it to fans. I felt it was far more important to explain it in person rather than as a written statement, although in future I would not always do that for every decision made, but on that particular one I felt it was very important to do so.
"People that heard my explanation at the Open Meeting appeared to understand and I received good feedback that they could see exactly why I voted as I did, even if they did not agree with it."
Brian explains that the eight directors specialise in certain matters and he aims to continue the work of promoting the club and actively involving supporters in the clubs future.
"The active work of the board is done in sub-committees so there is one for finance, one for stadium and redevelopment, another one deals with playing matters, and finally there's commercial and communication," he explains.
"Each one has a very important role to play and I've elected to be on the commercial one. That was my choice because I feel that is most aligned to the aims of CFU and also my own skills - and that is towards promoting the club and involving the fans to give Cambridge United a future."
On his own specific role as Fans' Elected Director, he adds, "I think it is a matter of getting far better communication between the board and the supporters, and the supporters' organisations and the club.
"There have been breakdowns in the past, which were damaging to the long-term future of the revenue streams of the club. That really does need to be sorted out and everybody given a direct role to be involved. I'm very concerned because I think you need everybody off the field to be working together and the whole structure needs to be looked at."
Brian with co-author, the late Graham Nurse
Communication is a key part of his day-to-day role as Fans' Elected Director, as Brian outlines:
"I'm liaising with different supporters' organisations - such as the Supporters Club, the Vice-Presidents Club, CFU - and anybody can contact me. I'm always available if fans have any questions, either by e-mail or telephone, and on match days."
Home match days are an important opportunity for Brian to speak to people in and around the club and gain opinions, listen to concerns, and meet with his fellow directors.
"I try to get to the ground early on match days and have a walk round. I will speak to some of the stewards and club officials, listen to what's going on, then go into the boardroom and again try to get up to speed with what's going on. Meet the visiting directors; try to meet the sponsors," he adds.
"At home games I usually sit in the Directors Box for the first half and then go back to my own seat in the Main Stand for the second half or watch from the terraces. For away games I vary my journeys by travelling with the Away Travel or the Directors on the team coach, whilst watching from the Directors' Box and then with the away supporters.
"After a home game I aim to be available at the front of the ground or in the bar to meet as many people as I can so that I can be a 'listening post'.
"I feel that I'm gaining the confidence of people with more and more comments coming my way, and I look forward to further positive feedback."
So has Brian's new role changed the way he views the club, and football in general?
"Last season I was extremely shocked when I realised that we had a very real chance of dropping into the Conference and the financial implications," Brian reveals. "I must admit I didn't enjoy watching a couple of the games - I was more nervous than I've ever been as a fan, because I realised what was vested upon the importance of getting three points out of a football match.
"I'm still learning and there's a lot to do, but it has been an eye-opener. There are directors and members of the staff at this club who are working very hard for the future of the club. The big challenge is to get it so that it all fits together so we're a real team united off the pitch - including the fans as well. I think there's an immediate challenge to get that right, or it just makes things that much harder going into the future."
Brian can be contacted by e-mail at fansdirector@cambridgefansunited.org, or on the mobile 07746 239037, or by post to CFU, P.O. Box 447, Cambridge CB3 8ZX
"Please mark any correspondence 'For the attention of Brian Attmore' and that way it will definitely come to me," he stresses. "And please give your full name and contact details."
Brian also reads the website message board from time to time, but please do not expect him to get involved in a dialogue on there.
"I've made a conscious decision not to get involved in posting," he explains. "I wouldn't want anybody take offence at this decision, but experience has shown me - and fans' directors at other clubs - that once you answer one question then it can lead to a lot more ambiguous questions that sometimes cannot be answered. But please be assured that I do take on board views that I receive."
In addition to the methods mentioned above and the 'Fanscene' page that he writes for each programme, Brian has also set up Fans Director Consultation Evenings with the various supporters' organisations which are held bi-monthly. In addition he attends their AGMs and events throughout the year, as well as joining the panel at Fans Forums and having a number of Open Meetings throughout the season organised by CFU.
Interview by Andrea Thrussell.
This interview was also published in the match programme v Leyton Orient Tuesday 2nd November 2004
Brian will also be answering your questions in his first online Q&A so if you have any questions for the Fans' Elected Director about his role or the club or football in general, please send them now to web@cambridge-united.co.uk with Brian Attmore in the subject line, and he will answer your questions in the near future.
Previous features:
In Conversation With Dale Brooks (August 2004)
In Conversation With Gary Harwood (August 2004)
In Conversation With Herve Renard (August 2004)
Season Preview - team by team (July 2004)
Redevelopment - The Way Forward (June 2004)
End of Term Report 2003/04 (May 2004)
Randall Butt - The End of an Era (May 2004)
Gary Harwood's New Year Statement (January 2004)
'Bridge The Gap' - The Background (December 2003)
Abbey Stadium Plans Unveiled (October 2003)
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