How sad it is to report the death of Bristol Rovers Supporters Club Chairman David Thomas, who has passed away at the age of 62.
The current Bristol Rovers Supporters Club can trace its origins back to 1947 and in that time there have been some notable Chairmen of that organisation, with David being the most recent incumbent.
He became a Supporters Club committee member in 2014 and went on to become secretary for four years before taking over as Chairman in 2021 at a time when relations between the Supporters Club and the Football Club were at a low ebb and he vowed to do all he could to repair what he termed a soured relationship between the two.
Vowing to work tirelessly to heal the rift, David did just that and its testament to his negotiating skills and belief that the Supporters Club exists to serve every supporter that relationships with the Football Club have continued to improve since he took on the challenging role of Chairman.
He was keen to modernise the Supporters Club and recently produced a paper on his vision for the future of the organisation, as well as completing the onerous task of updating the Club’s rules.
His was the voice of reason on a committee made up of individuals with differing views, but in his quiet, authoritative way, he commanded the respect of all.
Whilst his official involvement with the Supporters Club may be relatively recent, his support of the club has been lifelong. Think back almost 10 years to when Rovers were looking to build a new stadium in Bristol and you may remember David and his wife, Angela, presenting a petition in Downing Street as part of that campaign.
Very proud of his association with the Supporters Club and the Football Club, David could always be found, on matchdays, in or around the Supporters Club cabin meeting and greeting fans while Angela would be doing the hard work selling 50/50 tickets!
Of course, he also had a life outside of football and his work with ASDA involved a great deal of community/charity work, something he took great pride in.
David will be very much missed by his football family, but his loss will be felt most keenly by Angela and their children and grandchildren and our thoughts are very much with them at this very sad time.