The problem (from my viewpoint anyway) is that whilst in principle I like the ideas £1,000 is a hell of a lot of money which I don't have! I suspect I may not be alone in that given the present economic climate.
I realise (in round figures) we were talking £2k rather than £1k for 5 year season tickets but as I understand it we couldn't sell 500 of them although I believe something over 400 were sold.
I think it could work by starting from a lower base of (say) £50 or £100. Those able to afford £1,000 (or more) would simply get 20 or 10 "lots" (or more).
I think Cardinal Sin makes a similar point in this thread somewhere Len. Somehow all should be included .The above is a simplification of what must be a far more complex issue. However the old engineer in me says KISS (keep it simple stupid)
im sure if we get £5miilion in we can have a go at geting promoted and pay off at least one incoming debt.
People have to have something to show for their faith and investment.
Rather than have Share holders and pitch owners could we do another share issue ? what would be the take up ?
[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite] could we find 5,000 people willing to put £1,000 in ?
No chance. But i think if we went down Chelsea's route of £100 a share then we'd have a better chance. I'd pay £100 but would certainly not have a grand spare.
[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]could we find 5,000 people willing to put £1,000 in ?
No chance. But i think if we went down Chelsea's route of £100 a share then we'd have a better chance. I'd pay £100 but would certainly not have a grand spare.
[cite]Posted By: Chizz[/cite]The Valley pitch is 6,835 square metres. To raise £3m, each sq m would have to be sold for an average of £439, which may be a bit steep. However, they could be released for auction, with a hefty reserve on some of the premium spots (eg "Shaun Bartlett's volley against Leicester", "John Robinson's equaliser against Man United").
The alternative approach would be to make the squares available to rent. At £50 per annum, that would raise £341,750 per annum.
Or sell by the squre foot - football pitch sizes are often still quoted in yards. There's about 74,000 square feet - could offer three bands eg £50 for one, £200 for five, £400 for ten (maximum per individual) - that would widen the reach to more people, without complicating too much.
See Friends of Laphroaig (Google it) - malt whisky scheme to get people to register and own a square foot of land in Islay. Not paid for - you just have to have bought a bottle, but they have 350,000 worldwide members.
possibly pie in the sky here but I wonder if this idea could be combined with buying the freehold and leasing it back, would need to raise the 6m mortgage on the ground assuming the club would let it go for that. This wouldn't raise much short term although it would reduce the 1m a year mortgage payment to zero, and so reduce overheads. Of course my numbers could be totally out.
Please slap me down if I'm talking bo**ocks, but why not just a square foot rather than a square metre? A square foot for £100 would still make me feel involved and proud to be part of this scheme, where as the square metre price would exclude me and many others. In addition it would raise 6.2 million, but maybe I've missed something...please advise.
[quote]Posted By: Mister WindscreenPlease slap me down if I'm talking bo**ocks, but why not just a square foot rather than a square metre? A square foot for £100 would still make me feel involved and proud to be part of this scheme, where as the square metre price would exclude me and many others. In addition it would raise 6.2 million, but maybe I've missed something...please advise.
Chris...the idea is that at £100 a square foot you do at least have the option of buying more if you can afford, or less if you cant. if 17,000 fans bought 2 square feet each that comes to 3.5 million which I think is more viable than £450 fixed for one squre metre...I'm betting not many of us could find that much money. Many pensioners within our regular support (including myself) and a healthy amount of school age kids too.
[cite]Posted By: Chris_from_Sidcup[/cite]The problem with selling it by the square foot is we'd have about 74,000 to sell. Somehow i don't think we're going to find 74,000 people to pay £100.
Who said we have to sell them all? Surely it's better to have too many to sell which will get more involved due to the lower price than too few at a high price?
End of the day you're effectively getting nothing for your money (compared to anything else you could spend your money on) and so it would be better to have a lower cost to allow those who haven't got large amounts of spare cash lying around to get involved. Those with the money can buy a 100 square feet or whatever if they choose
well there is another way i know a CAFC old boy who works in a banks clearing house maybe he could slip the odd £5million in his sarnie box or give us the key to the back door. Dont like the back door my self that always smells of Millwall ------------oi oi
With home gates of 11000 next season (we're generally less interested and so are away fans having been here before now) I think we would struggle to sell 50/75,000 Jelly Babies let alone lumps of grass.
I don't have the answers but I think we're in for a tough year - the coaches will be really cut back or stopped, the crowds (especially away if we don't get off to a cracking start) will be poor, Lib club possibly gone. Decent bar in the ground that was half nice and could hold 500+ would help - anyone remember giving all their money to Palace in that bar thing near the car park ?
PS - Fab idea to try and raise some cash and shift some stock in the signed shirts etc and the club tried very hard this year. I am not XXL though so didn't buy one.
Bailey should donate half his new signing on fee to us though !
The problems we now have with this idea can be split into three, simple sections.
1. The pitch has zero value. It can't be used for anything other than the purpose it's currently being put to, by its current owners, who have use of it without a cost. So there is no intrinsic value against which a loan could be made.
2. There is no willing seller. The current owner has no intention, need, desire or aspiration to sell it. Least of all to a group which might place a burden on the owner's use of it. (Would you sell your garage to your next door neighbour and just HOPE he doesn't prevent you from using it?)
3. This is the key one, as far as I am concerned. The owner is freaking loaded!
So in short, it's not worth anything, he doesn't want to sell it and he doesn't need the dough. It's a tough one.
Comments
I realise (in round figures) we were talking £2k rather than £1k for 5 year season tickets but as I understand it we couldn't sell 500 of them although I believe something over 400 were sold.
I think it could work by starting from a lower base of (say) £50 or £100. Those able to afford £1,000 (or more) would simply get 20 or 10 "lots" (or more).
However the old engineer in me says KISS (keep it simple stupid)
im sure if we get £5miilion in we can have a go at geting promoted and pay off at least one incoming debt.
People have to have something to show for their faith and investment.
Rather than have Share holders and pitch owners could we do another share issue ? what would be the take up ?
No chance. But i think if we went down Chelsea's route of £100 a share then we'd have a better chance. I'd pay £100 but would certainly not have a grand spare.
This is how they've done it.
Chelsea
Framed original share for £125
Squad signed framed share for £150
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink signed framed share for £150
LOL!
I would be able to donate £100, but like most can't do £1,000.
As ever Weegie has it right...
BTW I'm in for 2 square feet.
BTW I'm in for 2 square feet.[/quote]
Totally agree
£1000 will be too much for me and probably everyone else
But I'm still interested.
Who said we have to sell them all? Surely it's better to have too many to sell which will get more involved due to the lower price than too few at a high price?
End of the day you're effectively getting nothing for your money (compared to anything else you could spend your money on) and so it would be better to have a lower cost to allow those who haven't got large amounts of spare cash lying around to get involved. Those with the money can buy a 100 square feet or whatever if they choose
Okay, Plan B:
What about if we put a premium on the penalty area turf ...... £250 square foot?
Centre circle £150.
All other areas £100.
Does that raise a few extra bob - and in any case, why not sell shares in just one half of the pitch first?
Creates a bit of restricted availability.
And then in a couple of years time, we could release shares in the other half?
I don't have the answers but I think we're in for a tough year - the coaches will be really cut back or stopped, the crowds (especially away if we don't get off to a cracking start) will be poor, Lib club possibly gone. Decent bar in the ground that was half nice and could hold 500+ would help - anyone remember giving all their money to Palace in that bar thing near the car park ?
PS - Fab idea to try and raise some cash and shift some stock in the signed shirts etc and the club tried very hard this year. I am not XXL though so didn't buy one.
Bailey should donate half his new signing on fee to us though !
Our crowds will never drop that low.
actual numbers in the ground i can see them being down there , unless we hold on to all this seasons players!
1. The pitch has zero value. It can't be used for anything other than the purpose it's currently being put to, by its current owners, who have use of it without a cost. So there is no intrinsic value against which a loan could be made.
2. There is no willing seller. The current owner has no intention, need, desire or aspiration to sell it. Least of all to a group which might place a burden on the owner's use of it. (Would you sell your garage to your next door neighbour and just HOPE he doesn't prevent you from using it?)
3. This is the key one, as far as I am concerned. The owner is freaking loaded!
So in short, it's not worth anything, he doesn't want to sell it and he doesn't need the dough. It's a tough one.