Jody Craddock: Let the Wolves fans' voices be heard
Former Wolves captain Jody Craddock has thrown his weight behind the club's Trust and has called for fans to have a voice in major decisions by becoming their new honorary president.
Craddock, who spent a decade at the heart of Wolves' defence, believes the club's supporters deserve a say in the big decisions at Molineux.
And by joining the Wolves 1877 Trust, Craddock hopes to add to their 160 members and give them a greater voice at the club.
"I understand that being involved and having my face associated with the Trust may attract new members and help," he told the Express & Star.
"If I can encourage people to get involved, then great. The Wolves fans are a huge part of the club and they deserve a voice.
"It is so important for fans to have this voice. They're the ones that stand in the freezing cold, travel to games and spend all their hard-earned money to go watch Wolves up and down the country.
"They have to have a say in the club and how it progresses and moves on. From the smallest to the biggest issues, they need to have a say.
"Things like signing players are out of their hands, but there are plenty of off-field issues that they can get involved in and they should be allowed to.
"It's great for the club to let them be involved too, so they can give back. They're there week in, week out, so having that extra say in things is important at every club at every level.
"Social media is massive and if I can help get the Trust out there first you'll see five or 10 new members and it soon snowballs. Social media is an amazing thing and it doesn't take long for things to be picked up – it's all for a good cause."
Having previously been formally recognised by the Football Supporters’ Association, the trust are now in regular contact with Wolves and chairman Sam Payne says they are "100 per cent happy" with the open dialogue.
And as a former player who was hugely popular among the supporters, Craddock believes that relationship with the fans is essential.
"That relationship is massively important, it's part of the job," Craddock added.
"I've always been happy to sign an autograph and say hello. It's simple manners and it's how it should be done.
"Not every footballer will think that way but that's always how I did it. It's really important and part of what you sign up for being a footballer.
"It may be a job, but it's not just about playing football, it's also about having a relationship with the fans.
"It's massively important. They're the ones that support the team."
Information on joining the Trust can be found by visiting: www.wolves1877trust.co.uk.
