CAST chair Heather McKinlay and vice chair Heather Alderson have won the 2025 Football Supporters Association Jacqui Forster Memorial award which recognises:
- Positive impact that their voluntary work has on the whole community;
- Passion for the game as a whole;
- Effort to promote, encourage or enable progression of women in football;
- Is prepared to take on any necessary task for their organisation;
- Is a trailblazer for their organisation.
Here is the official FSA announcement:
https://thefsa.org.uk/news/jacqui-forster-memorial-award-charlton-fans-recognised/
Here are the main points of the nomination:
"Over the last decade Heather McKinlay and Heather Alderson (HM and HA) have both been at the forefront of the campaigns:
- to maximise the engagement and influence of supporters at Charlton Athletic FC and to enhance the supporter experience.
- to promote the national voice of football fans and, in particular, the campaign to bring the principles of the Fan-Led Review into fruition through the passing of the Football Governance Bill.
Charlton Athletic:
HM and HA played crucial significant roles in the protests against the ownerships of Roland Duchatelet and East Street Investments. In particular their media skills were crucial in ensuring that the plight of CAFC was constantly and accurately promoted in the public realm. They took the lead in establishing a vehicle (“OUR CLUB”) through which Charlton supporters could make a financial pledge towards part fan ownership in the event of administration. This required detailed research and analysis, excellent communication and a considerable amount of dedicated time - just in case the worst happened.
After his purchase of CAFC, they worked constructively with Thomas Sandgaard to try to invite him to understand the importance of fan involvement in strategic decision making. His reluctance to accept this was frustrating but they persevered with diplomatic attempts to establish dialogue. At the same time they were very prepared to speak truth to power - e.g the successful campaign to stop him renaming the Charlton Women's team Charlton Ladies. Eventually, when it became clear that he saw the fans’ role as purely to turn up and cheer on the team, they organised an all fans’ webinar which resulted in The Addicks Charter. This sets out the crucial principles underpinning what fans want from the club’s ownership.
Since the purchase of CAFC by Global Football Partners (GFP) they have led the process whereby CAST gained the trust and respect of the club board and senior management team. They have offered the club invaluable guidance across many areas including communications, commercial and fan insight. They have worked constructively with the club and other stakeholders on the development of the Fan Engagement Plan and the recent establishment of the Charlton Advisory Board.
They were recently invited by the club to speak at the launch of their Diverse Fans Project under the umbrella of the EFL’s EDI strategy. They are currently working on ways to publicise the club locally as a welcoming environment for groups not traditionally represented in the fan base. Their commitment to their local community is unquestionable
However, their influence and effectiveness is not all at a higher strategic level. Both have been more than prepared to be involved in practical measures to improve the fan experience. Recent examples include liaising with the club SLO re conditions of women’s toilet facilities; chairing fan webinars; stewarding the first coach to a Charlton Women’s away game and supporting individual fans when appropriate.
- National Impact
HM and HA were both instrumental in ensuring that CAFC’s damaging experience of both ineffective and malicious ownership over the last decade was brought to the attention of the Fan-Led Review and of a wider audience. HM made a formal presentation to the review panel and subsequently to Prince William in his role of FA President. HA made a presentation to the then Sports Minister as part of an FSA delegation and was recently a speaker at a Westminster Forum debate on the progress of the Football Governance Bill.
HA is a member of the FSA National Council and the FSA EFL Network. She offers formidable analytic and diplomatic skills plus considerable time and energy in sharing experience about subjects such as ticket pricing, fixture programming, fan engagement and constitutional matters.
HM also writes regularly on football matters for publications such as Blizzard, Nutmeg and Charlton's own MODMag.
Summary
For a decade HM and HA have rigorously promoted with considerable success the cause of Charlton Athletic, its supporters and its local community . In addition to this already demanding task they have been prepared to commit further time and energy to the health and welfare of the game as a whole and, in particular, to the vital principle of supporter engagement at all levels. It is notable that, in committing to the latter they have not in any way compromised the former.
They have done this with perseverance, determination, diplomacy, intellectual rigour, humility, wit and humour."