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Posts tagged ‘stockport’

Jul 15

Supporters' Direct Conference
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Restored faith

I attended the ‘Supporters Direct Fans Weekend’ today, in Chester.  A great venue, The Queen’s Hotel (opposite the train station), for anyone planning a short break.  I have to say the whole experience restored my faith that most people there were representatives and delegates for the right reasons.

Chester was a favoured location, being home to the phoenix club post the League Club’s demise.  Since, being reconfigured, some three leagues below it now boasts average crowd attendances of over 2,500.  The last Football League gate was circa 1,000.  So better governance, more community focus, despite lower league football has brought supporters back.

After recent activities, the Chair of SD said her colleagues had wondered if the Conference would indeed go ahead.  There was a rallying call somewhat akin to a communist ‘together comrades we can achieve’ speech from former days and a presentation of unity amongst fans of different clubs.  The Guardian’s journalist Louise Taylor took a verbal kicking for her editorial, in her absence.

The recently resigned Dave Boyle’s name got a rapturous applause. Notable milestones announced included: 170 supporters’ trusts formed, the active engagement of more than 270,000 fans and 26 trusts having achieved majority equity stakes in the clubs in which they are involved.  Trusts are now established under the auspices of SD in ten European Countries. Short-term funding shortfalls for the likes of this event had been plugged by the Co-op Group.  The preamble concluded with the message, naturally, “that the supporters’ trusts movement is alive and kicking”.

New directive paper 3 was formally launched “Financing Supporter Community Ownership” – with the caveat ‘Achieving club ownership always requires supporters’ trusts to be able to finance that ownership’.  Topics covered in this publication are: community share schemes, fighting funds/transferable shares/loan notes/bonds, share issues in Ltd.co, minority shareholdings, fan share schemes, community interest companies and fundraising.  How I would like to have written that last chapter to extend the possibilities based on my experiences in sports. A novel idea of ‘supporters’ class of shares’ was aired.  This could have a role in any critical vote to veto such as a ground sale to property speculator.  Nice to have in place with uncertainty at E.P?

Paper 4 followed: “Business Advantage of Supporter Community Ownership in Football”.  Contents were: strategic partnerships, sponsorship, Co-op added value, resilience, finance, facilities, spending, supporter satisfaction, volunteering and participation, supporter spending, donations and transparency.  12 points but represented on a PowerPoint slide as 11 to try and fit with a team positions
formation.  Was 8 repeated twice on purpose?

The sample size and methodology of paper 4 I will have to look into. It didn’t seem particularly ‘deep’ despite being presented by a consultancy called Substance?  The panel of speakers put credence on the achievement of £2 average secondary spend in stadia, such as AFC Wimbledon and AFC Telford.  Give me a project to increase that figure any day.

A really good point on the day was one that opposes my beleaguered County’s approach to liaison with local government.  Established trusts are now approaching their respective local authorities with structures and governance that means they can assist in being catalysts, partners or providers of community benefits.  Rather than approaching with a ‘begging bowl’.  FC United and Brentford FC’s trusts recognised as examples of best practice in the process.

Missing ‘tools’ from the comrades were a request for SD to add advisors from financial/accounting professions – to avoid any pitfalls in longer term planning.  A ‘community club kitemark’ may be in the pipeline also – watch that space!

It was good to meet two academic friends of mine namely: Coventry and Birkbeck.  The Chairman of Newcastle’s Supporters Trust explained the Club under Mike Ashley.  FC United’s General Manager kindly introduced me to the Editor of FC Business whom seemed genuinely interested in my fundraising prowess and FC Sports Marketing’s work in Turkey.

Fate took me by luck to a dinner table with two representatives of Stockport County Supporters’ Co-operative where we shared stories on common ground.

Jul 5

Stockport County Jigsaw
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Jigsaw pieces

So Tony Evans is the new Owner at “County”.  The article suggests his first step will be to bring in Bell Pottinger.  Well it doesn’t take a genius to know on a commercial basis that their fees wouldn’t be viable in a non-league (or even lower league) environment.  However, if yesterday’s ‘scoop’ is anything to go by they may be in need of even more PR help if the rumours are found to be true.

@nonleagueshow has suggested that Evans may be a front man for Stephen Vaughan.  Known for the wrong reasons in football especially more recently at Chester City FC (R.I.P).

Rob Dawson at Manchester Evening News said about the imminent takeover “They’ve gone about things in a very professional way, which can only be a good thing.” 

If the belief is founded then I really worry.  You only need to read the award winning football blog “Football Management” to witness facts about some of the characters behind the scenes.

Just had it confirmed by a Stockport County employee that one of Vaughan’s right hand men is now running the Club’s Training Ground.  Are the pieces in this nightmare starting to fall in to place or may a clearer less alarming picture come out?

Jun 25

Football Fans Girls
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Football blog directory

Recently, discovered the Football Blog Directory.  It does exactly as it says on the tin. 

It has listed “S’PORT” (this blog) under the category of Stockport County – which of course, I support, but regular browsers will appreciate we are even more besides. For any passionate football people generally interested in the musings of other fans, mainly with allegiances from around the UK, though opinions related to football worldwide, in the words of good old Nike (not in favour with County at the moment) ‘just do it!’.

To pick on a few for no rationale reason, the following have caught my eye:
 
Rochdale fan’s blog “Girl on a Terrace” particularly liked the ‘my top ten worst football shirts’.  Was that Mexican goalkeeper sponsored by Johnstone’s Paints?

Fellow “County” supporter’s “Bin bag full of rubbish”.  Are you a football mongrel?

“The hand of blog” (connotation of Maradona in case you needed it pointing out?  Not to be confused with the ‘In bed with Maradona blog’). Interesting that Forest Green are likened to ‘Harry Houdini’.

and finally “Jumpers for goalposts” and “Two footed tackle” with its strapline “Going studs up into the world of football”.

Especially like the Football Blog Directory as it lists Stockport County as a League Two team when apparently not even the BSP has formally accepted us yet.

Jun 22

Councillor

My poor Club

An open letter dated: Thursday 16 June 2011 from the Leader of the Labour Party at Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.  Interesting read and some alarm bells ring once again.  Oh dear…………

“Dear Stockport County Supporters, 

I have for several days been receiving a steady flow of emails from irate County fans who accuse me personally, or the Labour Group on Stockport Council, of blocking a £40,000 shirt sponsorship deal. It might be helpful if I provide a few facts. 

On the 2nd June 2011, I attended a Group Leaders meeting. The Chief Executive, Mr Boylan, gave a brief report along the lines that Stockport County had asked us to assist them with some sort of sponsorship and that two sources of funding had been identified. Solutions SK, a Council-owned company, would contribute £20,000, and the Council would provide a further £20,000, left unspent when a scheme for helping deprived communities was scrapped. These are the two sources of the £40k everyone is now talking about.   

It is important to note that there was no provision made for this sponsorship in the Budget passed by the Council in March. I had not previously been involved in any discussions or consulted in any way about this issue, and speaking on behalf of my Group I said that much as I regretted the plight that County finds itself in, I could not agree to spend this money when the Council has to slash budgets on services that have a direct impact on the young, the old and the vulnerable in Stockport.  By way of an example, the Council has already been forced make massive cuts such as those below, resulting in around 280 job losses, and there will be many more painful cuts to local services over the next two years: £3 million cut from Children’s Services, reductions in Luncheon Clubs that provide meals for the old, the frail and the lonely, £1 million cut from Libraries and Leisure Centres, cuts to the Debt Advice Service, reductions to the Home Help Service. 

Some of you will agree with our stance and others will disagree, but these were my reasons. Cllr Anthony O’Neill, the Conservative Deputy Group Leader made similar comments at the meeting, as did the Independent Group Leader, Cllr Peter Burns. Cllr Dave Goddard, Leader of the Council, of the largest Party on it, and Chair of the Executive, said nothing; not a single word. The meeting then moved on to discuss other issues.

Fast forward to Sunday 12th June, when I received, at home, a rather hectoring phone call from Lord Peter Snape, who told me that because of my personal stance Stockport County would be unable to pay the wages bill for June (no mention of sponsorship) and went on to say that if I did not agree to alter my view, he would bring 400 County fans to confront me at Council. I told Lord Snape that I don’t like to be bullied, and put the phone down on him. Following that telephone call, misleading statements were posted on the internet, and we began to receive emails from County fans.  Last year, we supported the £80,000 sponsorship. The Labour Group is the only one in Stockport that has sponsored a match, and we have long standing season ticket holders and supporters as members of our Group. The idea that I and my colleagues do not, and have not, supported County over many years is simply untrue. Many of us choose to spend our own money supporting the Club, but when we are dealing with public money, other considerations must be taken into account. Not long ago, all the Group Leaders agreed that the Council should look urgently at land sales or deals that could be put together to try and provide some capital for the Club. The Labour Group believes that the only way forward for County is to own its own ground, and that the Council must help with this if it can. What we cannot do is hand over cash on demand, when there is no plan for a sustainable future in sight.

I can however tell County fans that neither I, nor other Labour councillors, are in any way blocking the payment of £40k and I’ll tell you why. The Council Solicitor has confirmed to me that: “For the amount involved it can be an individual Executive Member or the full Executive. Strictly speaking it can be argued that it is an Executive function rather than a Council function”.  Under the Council’s own rules, the Council’s full Executive (all ten of them are still Lib Dems) or an individual member of it should authorise this spending, as happened on 20 July last year, when Cllr Dave Goddard himself signed off the decision to sponsor County. In any case, the £20,000 from Solutions SK doesn’t even need Council approval, as for these purposes it is a separate company. Making all this dependent on a vote at the Council Meeting next week is nothing more than a political stunt.  Councillor Dave Goddard is playing a murky game, but typically for him, he is keeping quiet and letting others do the talking. Even without the support of Opposition councillors, the money could have been paid over weeks ago, and could be paid now if the Lib Dems wanted to – it is not us misleading County fans.   

With regards and best wishes, 

Councillor Andy Verdeille”.

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