Uncertain times are ahead for the club (From Worcester News)
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Uncertain times are ahead for the club
11:00am Thursday 26th April 2012 in Blue Square Conference North Table & Results By Carl Heeley
INVESTMENT WELCOMED: Worcester City chairman Anthony Hampson will encourage cash boosts to help the club says Carl Heeley.
THERE is a huge challenge facing Worcester City and we need everyone to help and fully understand the club’s plight.
We have one season left at St George’s Lane and need to raise funds to build a new ground at Nunnery Way.
It’s going to be difficult but it’s not impossible.
However, we only have a small group of people who are readily willing to help and those numbers need to swell.
Around 850 have turned up to home games consistently this season and every one of them should make it their goal to understand the club’s predicament.
We need investment and might have to look at the structure of the club to encourage that to happen but help doesn’t always have to be financial. Fans might have expertise in other areas such as construction or have commercial and sponsorship experience.
Nobody will be turned away by chairman Anthony Hampson and the board, any help will be welcomed with open arms. As much as there is frustration, it’s the situation we find ourselves in and there is no benefit in dwelling on the past.
Of those 850 people, we will have expertise in lots of areas and we need them to come forward.
I think there are three phases to the situation. First of all we have got the last season at the Lane coming up which will have a lot of sentiment for a lot of people.
I am sure there will be some emotion towards the end of the campaign and I am certain we will see some very big crowds as a result of that.
The second phase will be a period of time away from Worcester when we won’t have our own ground and will have to share.
That is going to bring it’s own challenge of trying to retain as much of our fan-base as we can.
We will have to look at travel arrangements and possible incentive schemes for supporters alongside season tickets but I also think it’s crucially important we maximise our income streams and build a good infrastructure at the club.
The third phase is looking at how we can raise funds to build the new ground, after the infrastructure costs have been taken out of the Careys New Homes money, and look at grants available to us.
While these phases are taking their course, we have also got the big issue running alongside of capital gains tax.
We need to see if it can be delayed so that all of the funds go into the new ground.
In all of this, we are trying to develop a good squad of players on the pitch and that’s a considerable challenge.
But we have done incredibly well this season and there’s no reason why we can’t do well next season too.
We have tried our level best to play entertaining football and it’s good to see the average home gate has increased.
However, there are likely to be some uncertain times ahead for the club and we need everyone behind us.
Comments(19)
Ex-Worcester boy
says...
1:10pm Thu 26 Apr 12
CityBlueBoy
says...
4:22pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Andrew as a citezen of Worcester with the Citys best interests at heart I will save you a signing on form also !
Andrew Guy
says...
4:43pm Thu 26 Apr 12
CityBlueBoy
says...
5:19pm Thu 26 Apr 12
On a personal note and from the documents I have saved from the documents on planning website, I find no mention of the bridal way needing a second planning application, I could be wrong though.
Andrew Guy
says...
6:22pm Thu 26 Apr 12
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Re the contracts: Ask a (decent) solicitor!
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On 15 March 2012 the County Council confirmed by email to me that the City Council had received no formal application through the planning process for diversion or extinguishment of Bridleway571.
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So, given that SMD have indeed failed to include the diversion/extinguish
ment of the bridleway in the planning application P08Q0652, they now have to make another separate formal application, under different legislation, for a PPO (Public Path Order).
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Some useful reading for you on PPOs: http://www.worcester
shire.gov.uk/cms/pdf
/Extinguishment%20Gu
idance%20Notes.pdf
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You should also look up:
http://www.facebook.
com/bridleway571
and
http://www.twitter.c
om/bridleway571
CityBlueBoy
says...
6:26pm Thu 26 Apr 12
Andrew Guy
says...
6:34pm Thu 26 Apr 12
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PS This is useful too: http://www.ramblers.
org.uk/Resources/Ram
blers%20Association/
Website/Rights%20of%
20Way/Documents/Row_
pathflowchart.pdf
toofaraway
says...
7:10pm Thu 26 Apr 12
It will not be null and void but it will make things difficult for them
CityBlueBoy
says...
7:23pm Thu 26 Apr 12
toofaraway
says...
9:25am Fri 27 Apr 12
be interesting to see the response of the public to this
http://bit.ly/IvB8I1
Andrew Guy
says...
10:34am Fri 27 Apr 12
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Either ask St Modwen to donate (ha ha) or ditch St Modwen, and then ask us again...
toofaraway
says...
10:59am Fri 27 Apr 12
All St Modwen have to do is build a road (the infrastructure) that leads to a piece of grass where a sports facility has to be built to allow St Modwen to build their hotel, car showroom etc once that stadium is built.
That does not have to be a home for WCFC. In theory it could be a training pitch. Currently when St Georges Lane realises the sale price, the only asset WCFC has is that piece of ground. It may be the preferred choice at the moment but all they are currently set to do is build the infrastructure.
The Supporters' Trust are generating funds that will be ring fenced and protected. These funds will not be used to support St Modwen's, they will be used to secure a stadium for WCFC.
Saying it is crass to ask for this money is the last thing that is needed. This will do more harm than good .
If no building happens before 2017 then the contract will be null and void with St Modwen. The club could possibly share with KHFC until 2017 and then this money generated by the Supporters' Trust can be used to build a new WCFC home.
Whilst it is protected and ring fenced by the Trust then only the WCFC Supporters' Trust have the capability of spending it as they feel fit. And everyone who joins the Trust will have their say in it!
toofaraway
says...
11:05am Fri 27 Apr 12
If that asset is all the club has, who says they can not sell it as soon as it is theirs and go and build a ground somewhere else with the money they make from it? The contract I believe is just for the infrastructure.....
What would St Modwen do then??
Doogie 46
says...
4:34pm Fri 27 Apr 12
He has always demonstrated tremendous understanding of planning law but no love for the football club - his current concerns regarding the financial wellbeing of WCFC and the SMD contract are, I suspect, bogus, calculated to inflame supporters` opposition to the situation, thereby helping his ultimate goal.
I think every City fan would love the club to be free to build a stadium elsewhere but I would imagine "tearing up the contract with SMD" has been looked at and found to be not an option.
It is not in the interests of the club to spin out the process for as long as possible - I can`t see too many fans travelling to Kidderminster for very long.
If City disappear off the map the result will be either A)a win for Andrew Guy - no development or B)a win for SMD - development with no football stadium.
I respect and understand Mr Guy`s opposition to SMD`s proposals but not his feigned concerns for our football club.
Andrew Guy
says...
5:12pm Fri 27 Apr 12
SouthCoastSupporter
says...
6:40pm Fri 27 Apr 12
toofaraway
says...
7:17pm Fri 27 Apr 12
But you are so right.
If the club hours bust the contract would still be in force for SMD, meaning they would take their money out of the asset which is NW.
However put your money into the Supporters' Trust and that money is safe from SMD anyone else and can be used by the trust members for whatever the trust members feel to be right. Another reason why we should all be joining the trust at the cost of a whole pound Sterling.
toofaraway
says...
10:57am Sat 28 Apr 12
toofaraway wrote:Sorry wrote that on a mobile and predictive text took over.
Ha ha after the fourth time I think we got the idea :)
But you are so right.
If the club hours bust the contract would still be in force for SMD, meaning they would take their money out of the asset which is NW.
However put your money into the Supporters' Trust and that money is safe from SMD anyone else and can be used by the trust members for whatever the trust members feel to be right. Another reason why we should all be joining the trust at the cost of a whole pound Sterling.
if the club goes bust the contract with SMD is still in place so that is not an option. Put any money into the Supporters' Trust and that is separate and ring fenced and would not be in consideration.
The Trust spend that as they require and if you are a member of the Supporters' Trust you will have a say in how that is spent. One member one vote no matter how much you put in.
What better reason do you need to join for that £1 membership fee
Worcester
Andrew Guy says...
12:03pm Thu 26 Apr 12
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So, when Anthony Hampson assured the councillors of the planning committee that the club was "willing and able" to relocate, he was, well, er, ... perhaps stretching the widely accepted definitions of the words "willing" and "able".
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What exactly did the KPMG report commissioned by the council on the financial viability of relocation actually say? Alan Coleman summarised it as "not good reading for the football club"... and here we are.