COMMENT: Club needs to find clear way forward (From Worcester News)
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COMMENT: Club needs to find clear way forward
7:10am Friday 25th September 2009 in
ON the opening day of the football season we voiced fears for the survival of Worcester City FC.
We raised a number of questions about the club’s future. Not least among these was the value of the club’s St George’s Lane ground following objections from the city council to the number of homes planned on the site by developers Careys New Homes. We queried how much Careys would be willing to pay for the Lane given the current economic climate and the reduced number of properties likely to be built on the site.
Now we have some idea – and it looks as though the original sale price of more than £7 million will be reduced to an offer of something closer to £4 million.
This is not surprising given the changes needed to the planning application and the huge falls in land prices over the last two years. As the club says, it is a financial double whammy.
The sale of the Lane remains key to the football club’s plans to move to a new ground at Nunnery Way – plans of which we remain broadly supportive.
Remaining at the Lane is not an option given the money owed to the club’s bankers – most of which was secured on the back of the saleable potential of the ground – and the financially restrictive renovations that would be needed to meet health and safety laws.
Club directors must now decide whether to accept a lower price from Careys that could leave it short of cash for building a replacement stadium or seek a new developer. The second option could set plans for a move back years. Other proposals have been mooted, including merging or sharing with another football club. We are not sure how realistic such ideas are.
We are sure that going into administration – suggested by some as a way of eventually resurrecting the club – would be disastrous.
Quite where the club goes from here is unclear. But a clear way forward is needed sooner rather than later.
Comments(12)
brooksider
says...
9:28am Fri 25 Sep 09
The end is nigh!
Doogie 46
says...
12:45pm Fri 25 Sep 09
At that time several contributors alluded to his business history, but the WN failed to pick up on it.
Although in fairness to him it would seem the financial mess was well in place before he arrived.
I`ve said it before and I`ll say it again - how can any group of people mess up a comparatively simple task of selling one property,pay off debt and build another (given that there`s money in the deal to do so - as there was) in the way that this lot have?
Obviously serious questions MUST be asked about the tie-up with St Modwens and the commercial deveopment of that strip of land at Nunnery way. I hope someone will stand up at the fans forum and ask the chairman what there ever was in the deal for the football club - because the years wasted on that project seem to be on the verge of consigning City to the history books.
Avante
says...
2:26pm Fri 25 Sep 09
Firstly, if the Worcester News had bothered to find out a bit about the agreements with the developers they would be aware that there are longstop dates set. Careys have a five year longstop, so they have five years to sort their own planning application and effectively set their own price for the land based on that planning application. WCFC Ltd cannot seek other developers, and cannot decide whether to accept the offer or not - an offer which will still be subject to planning permission!!
And whats this about going into administration being disastrous? Whats this comment based on? Where are the facts surrounding this? Was administration so disastrous to Nuneaton? They are now back just one league below WCFC and will probably pass them as the two clubs go in opposite directions.
Was administration disastrous for Chelmsford? for Aldershot?
So come on Worcester News, or whoever wrote this comment piece, how are you so sure??
Oh and the Worcester News never raised questions over the clubs future, the questions were raised by a few brave supporters who were prepared to put their reputations on the line (and get a good battering at times) and ask the difficult questions whilst the Worcester News squirmed around on the fence.
The Worcester News in their lack of any action which could have helped alert the city to the clubs plight have assisted in its protracted downfall.
pc
says...
3:49pm Fri 25 Sep 09
Will the architect of 'The Board to Deliver the Plan' now stand up, apologise for the mess and resign.
RichardW
says...
4:24pm Fri 25 Sep 09
We can't blame the Worcester News for this when the ex Chairman has publicly announced the Sale of St Georges Lane and the fact that contracts had been exchanged.
It was widely publicised at every opportunity by those supporters who knew that this was not the case and it took many months before Boddy changed his story to say the sale was "Subject to Contract".
WN has been used, full stop.
Or can we still expect to be at Nunnery Way in two years time Mr Boddy?
TmP
says...
5:18pm Fri 25 Sep 09
Will it ever happen? I think not.
wuster
says...
7:04pm Fri 25 Sep 09
£2-£3 million over a 5 year period plus the revenue from the televised FA Cup match and now, having confirmed that contracts had been exchanged (on more than 1 occasion) he's now lost a further £ 3 million on the sale of SGL.
Dave Boddy Loser would seem appropriate.
Doogie 46
says...
8:22pm Fri 25 Sep 09
The Andy Preece regime was fairly profligate on the playing side but the cup run and the Wedgbury sale would have covered a lot of it.
Of course City`s accounts are regularly late and out of date so it does make one very suspicious - is it just incompetence???
Wayne Henley
says...
8:28am Sat 26 Sep 09
Archie Claines
says...
5:14pm Sat 26 Sep 09
Avante
says...
3:18pm Sun 27 Sep 09
The plan is now
Sell the ground at the highest possible price in the quickest possible time and preferably to Careys.
Arrange an agreement which allows at least 3 years for the club to remian at SGL and play football.
Find an alternative suitable site for the new ground.
Hampson said that alternative sites had already been considered, and different building approaches to new grounds considered. He also said alternative bidders were being sought for SGL if necessary.
Now, do some journalism, and find out why, for so long, certain Directors have said that a) Nunnery Way is and has always been viable, and that b) Nunnery Way is and has always been the only option.
Do some digging. If a few ordinary Joes can find the information with ease, surely some trained journalists can find it too!!! Or are you too worried about upsetting a couple of so called "influential" people in Worcester?
Doogie 46
says...
4:05pm Sun 27 Sep 09
Now the project is dead, it`s time for those board members to take a hike and let others try and save the football club.
The plan outlined by Mr Hampson appears a reasonable way forward, and possibly the only way(it will be interesting to see which board members start to break cover)
Perhaps the Shareholders Action Group will now be welcomed on board.
The WN has rightly come in for some criticism over its benign coverage of events at City - time to redeem its self and show us it employs some JOURNALISTS and not just a bunch of hack reporters!!!!
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