DFC - A bright new era - Be part of it

[divas]

£100 (more greatfully accepted) will buy you a genuine say in the running of Darlington Football Club.

The chance all fans have surely been waiting for over the last 15 years of mis-management, get on board now....

IMO that is all that is needed as a campaign to get the "missing" fans on board.

None of the clap trap, options of where to put money, rundown of the CIC yada yada. Numerous websites (why have we more than 1?!)

Straight to the point with details of where to put the money and a solid deadline to get involved.

Those that are involved before the deadline will get something tangible but not at a cost to the club that others investing later won't.

[AIDO]

I agree with that because alot of the things that have happened since crowdcube have been overly complicated and too much (for some) to read and take on board .... Thing is though divas,do you not think that there is a tendency to rely too much on internet users. We need old fashioned flyers and notices pinned up everywhere surely. in pubs, clubs, shops lamp posts and through letter boxes?

I've also heard people say ... "Oh not not again" when they see the re launch of the fund raising and think its just another on top of the previous one ...

We all know who we are dealing with here but we seem to concentrate our efforts on those who are already active and involved as opposed to those who aren't but maybe want to be (and in some cases don't know they do ... yet).

[divas]

Yeah, there needs to be a totally new, clear campaign, with a catchy tag-line and clear mission - everywhere - papers, tv, internet.

Like you say though, given we just did this with Crowdcube 3 months ago the message is severely diluted and that's why we're up against it. Not being able to get investors details from Crowdcube is a hindrance but we have all those who bought cash shares - i wonder what the conversion rate for those into the CIC is? One for the Ask 1883 forum i think.

Sure there are more than 150 who read the forum though - they'll know what's going on and still we only have 150 on board.

[AnthonyP]

i wonder what the conversion rate for those into the CIC is?

50% of the cash sales had responded to their letters by last weekend, and, of those, only 50% wanted to reinvest

[AIDO]

.... It's not cos we're in the NL that they don't want to invest, in my eyes .... its because of poor PR I'm afraid to say ... It continues to haunt us even now.

[Northern soul KTF]

Not sure your correct on that point. The article in the Echo indicates you do not get a share for your money. That is what I believe people are not investing also no money from the trust. Just more words saying they will communicate with members. Money needed now not rhetorical directives.

[Quakerz]

Why do we need 200k anyway?

70K was needed to complete the purchase of the club (30k) and the rest to pay for the players May pay, which must mean 40k.

Therefore 40k is needed in June.

So that's 110k.

We have other commitments such as 100k to pay to the players over 3 years, rent of the ground, but do these need to be paid up front? Why can't they be worked into the turnover of the club going forward?

We're going to need some cash up front to buy merchandise in I suppose etc etc, but I reckon if we got to 150k total, we'd be alright.

[charlie]

From what I understand the level of investment will reflect on the budget handed to the manager

[Robbie Painter]

.... It's not cos we're in the NL that they don't want to invest, in my eyes .... its because of poor PR I'm afraid to say ... It continues to haunt us even now.

To be fair AIDO, whilst the PR has been lacking focus, consistency and creativity I think its unfair to put the all the blame on poor PR.

Its a combination of things, from the complexity of the offer to the lack of a pressing deadline. We simply aren't going to regain the momentum from the crowdcube campaign.

With the running total at £70k, I think its realistic to expect another £30k to be invested in the next month or so. Once the Trust's £50k is added, (within 2 months surely?) then we are at £150k. The rest can be made up through fundraising over the next 12 months and retained earnings from 1883 ltd.

As both AFC Wimbledon and FCUM, when raising money for new grounds, have shown it is possible to raise significant sums when investors/fans can see their money is going towards a "real" asset that will significantly benefit the club over the longer term and in return they will get an equity stake. That should be the longer term focus with the goal a community stadium in Darlington.

[divas]

Why do we need 200k anyway?

70K was needed to complete the purchase of the club (30k) and the rest to pay for the players May pay, which must mean 40k.

Therefore 40k is needed in June.

So that's 110k.

We have other commitments such as 100k to pay to the players over 3 years, rent of the ground, but do these need to be paid up front? Why can't they be worked into the turnover of the club going forward?

We're going to need some cash up front to buy merchandise in I suppose etc etc, but I reckon if we got to 150k total, we'd be alright.

Edit:

Wages are £64K for 2 months.

[Spyman]

From what I understand the level of investment will reflect on the budget handed to the manager

Yeh, I'd guess the rest is so that the board can feel comfortable letting Martin Gray commit to the sort playing budget that will see us challenge for promotion.

[divas]

From what I understand the level of investment will reflect on the budget handed to the manager

Yeh, I'd guess the rest is so that the board can feel comfortable letting Martin Gray commit to the sort playing budget that will see us challenge for promotion.

Indeed, you need cash flow. What happens if we have sod all in the bank and we hit a few postponements or gates drop? I guess season ticket sales will cover that when we can eventually sell them. We really need the appeal sorting as i think that will give a truer reflection of interest in the club rather than investments into the CIC.

Interesting to hear Gray quote that he'll be going with an 18-man squad that will be made up in part with some of the 16 year olds signed up to play for the U18's

[Quakerz]

Why do we need 200k anyway?

70K was needed to complete the purchase of the club (30k) and the rest to pay for the players May pay, which must mean 40k.

Therefore 40k is needed in June.

So that's 110k.

We have other commitments such as 100k to pay to the players over 3 years, rent of the ground, but do these need to be paid up front? Why can't they be worked into the turnover of the club going forward?

We're going to need some cash up front to buy merchandise in I suppose etc etc, but I reckon if we got to 150k total, we'd be alright.

AFAIK wages are £64k per month and there's £30K to complete the asset purchase so £158K plus i'm not sure whether we need to pay Bishop up front for the lease agreement?!

Crazy isn't it that we'll probably pay the players who will never again play for us more in two months than we'll probably pay over the entire season for our new squad.

64k per month for about 10 players? This cannot be right. That's 750k per year - that might have been the playing budget before we got rid of half our players, but after? Yes we owe money to some of those departed players, but that's a separate debt to the May and June wage bill

[Quaker-Razz]

wages are 64k per month? is that right? 700k+ per year?

[princes town]

£100 (more greatfully accepted) will buy you a genuine say in the running of Darlington Football Club.

The chance all fans have surely been waiting for over the last 15 years of mis-management, get on board now....

IMO that is all that is needed as a campaign to get the "missing" fans on board.

None of the clap trap, options of where to put money, rundown of the CIC yada yada. Numerous websites (why have we more than 1?!)

Straight to the point with details of where to put the money and a solid deadline to get involved.

Those that are involved before the deadline will get something tangible but not at a cost to the club that others investing later won't.

Can I emphasise the word 'solid deadline'. The problem I have is that the CIC project has drifted. The initial fundraising worked because there was a context of urgency ('do or die') and I sense we need to establish some new milestones not just end of June. People tend to leave things to the last minute as well. The hodgy statement should serve as the clarion call. The cash conversion was interesting (only 50 per cent responded of which 50 per cent recycled their money. Therefore, it seems to be a combination of 'wait and see' but also I don't like the new club. the former is easier to deal with than the latter and that is where efforts are best focussed.

[Quakerz]

Interesting to hear Gray quote that he'll be going with an 18-man squad that will be made up in part with some of the 16 year olds signed up to play for the U18's

Our chances of promotion have just dropped to 0.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Why do we need 200k anyway?

70K was needed to complete the purchase of the club (30k) and the rest to pay for the players May pay, which must mean 40k.

Therefore 40k is needed in June.

So that's 110k.

We have other commitments such as 100k to pay to the players over 3 years, rent of the ground, but do these need to be paid up front? Why can't they be worked into the turnover of the club going forward?

We're going to need some cash up front to buy merchandise in I suppose etc etc, but I reckon if we got to 150k total, we'd be alright.

AFAIK wages are £64k per month and there's £30K to complete the asset purchase so £158K plus i'm not sure whether we need to pay Bishop up front for the lease agreement?!

Crazy isn't it that we'll probably pay the players who will never again play for us more in two months than we'll probably pay over the entire season for our new squad.

I thought it 64k for the two months not per month. Surely the players we TUPE'd over were not on that much. I hope your wrong as previously Laura generally agreed with your figures which was 30k for purchase 65k players for May/June and 100k over 3 years. So we needed 95k and then 105k for ongoing startup - pay Bishop/Shildon new players/managers etc.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Interesting to hear Gray quote that he'll be going with an 18-man squad that will be made up in part with some of the 16 year olds signed up to play for the U18's

Our chances of promotion have just dropped to 0.

I read that was for the college team and not the first team, although I may of read it incorrect. However if any of those players stand out they could progress to the first team.

[Quakerz]

Why do we need 200k anyway?

70K was needed to complete the purchase of the club (30k) and the rest to pay for the players May pay, which must mean 40k.

Therefore 40k is needed in June.

So that's 110k.

We have other commitments such as 100k to pay to the players over 3 years, rent of the ground, but do these need to be paid up front? Why can't they be worked into the turnover of the club going forward?

We're going to need some cash up front to buy merchandise in I suppose etc etc, but I reckon if we got to 150k total, we'd be alright.

AFAIK wages are £64k per month and there's £30K to complete the asset purchase so £158K plus i'm not sure whether we need to pay Bishop up front for the lease agreement?!

Crazy isn't it that we'll probably pay the players who will never again play for us more in two months than we'll probably pay over the entire season for our new squad.

I thought it 64k for the two months not per month. Surely the players we TUPE'd over were not on that much. I hope your wrong as previously Laura generally agreed with your figures which was 30k for purchase 65k players for May/June and 100k over 3 years. So we needed 95k and then 105k for ongoing startup - pay Bishop/Shildon new players/managers etc.

Why do we be needing to pay new players now? Surely their pay will come out of the income of the club once running properly, not from fundraising.

[divas]

Why do we need 200k anyway?

70K was needed to complete the purchase of the club (30k) and the rest to pay for the players May pay, which must mean 40k.

Therefore 40k is needed in June.

So that's 110k.

We have other commitments such as 100k to pay to the players over 3 years, rent of the ground, but do these need to be paid up front? Why can't they be worked into the turnover of the club going forward?

We're going to need some cash up front to buy merchandise in I suppose etc etc, but I reckon if we got to 150k total, we'd be alright.

AFAIK wages are £64k per month and there's £30K to complete the asset purchase so £158K plus i'm not sure whether we need to pay Bishop up front for the lease agreement?!

Crazy isn't it that we'll probably pay the players who will never again play for us more in two months than we'll probably pay over the entire season for our new squad.

I thought it 64k for the two months not per month. Surely the players we TUPE'd over were not on that much. I hope your wrong as previously Laura generally agreed with your figures which was 30k for purchase 65k players for May/June and 100k over 3 years. So we needed 95k and then 105k for ongoing startup - pay Bishop/Shildon new players/managers etc.

Sorry yes you're right.

[divas]

wages are 64k per month? is that right? 700k+ per year?

no that's was two months, sorry.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Why do we need 200k anyway?

70K was needed to complete the purchase of the club (30k) and the rest to pay for the players May pay, which must mean 40k.

Therefore 40k is needed in June.

So that's 110k.

We have other commitments such as 100k to pay to the players over 3 years, rent of the ground, but do these need to be paid up front? Why can't they be worked into the turnover of the club going forward?

We're going to need some cash up front to buy merchandise in I suppose etc etc, but I reckon if we got to 150k total, we'd be alright.

AFAIK wages are £64k per month and there's £30K to complete the asset purchase so £158K plus i'm not sure whether we need to pay Bishop up front for the lease agreement?!

Crazy isn't it that we'll probably pay the players who will never again play for us more in two months than we'll probably pay over the entire season for our new squad.

I thought it 64k for the two months not per month. Surely the players we TUPE'd over were not on that much. I hope your wrong as previously Laura generally agreed with your figures which was 30k for purchase 65k players for May/June and 100k over 3 years. So we needed 95k and then 105k for ongoing startup - pay Bishop/Shildon new players/managers etc.

Why do we be needing to pay new players now? Surely their pay will come out of the income of the club once running properly, not from fundraising.

Yeah I agree I meant if we have the money by end of June and they start pre season etc early July then we have the money in the bank to pay them staright away. Although we can push this by getting season tickets on sale as early as possible - i guess they are waiting on appeal for this.

[divas]

Interesting to hear Gray quote that he'll be going with an 18-man squad that will be made up in part with some of the 16 year olds signed up to play for the U18's

Our chances of promotion have just dropped to 0.

What can you do when it looks as though no-one is interested?

The only saving grace is that it should be easy to bolster the squad with the 7 day notice rule if we do get a deluge of investment/ST sales.

[Quakerz]

Not just that, but if crowds end up being higher than the budgeted for 700 or so, then it releases a bit of extra money.

[divas]

Why do we be needing to pay new players now? Surely their pay will come out of the income of the club once running properly, not from fundraising.

It will, but no one knows how many people will come thru the gate next season. We can't tie players down to salaries we can't afford.

At the moment the facts are that 150 people are interested, so at the moment we can't go overboard.

The more people who invest in the CIC the more the board can be sure there'll be a genuine interest next season.

We need to get season tickets on sale ASAP. I say we bite the bullet and start taking £100 deposit for them - if the appeal is successful and we go up then we may need to add a few quid to the price, it's no hardship.

[Quakerz]

I think the ST prices will be the same in the Evostik 1N anyway, as there would only be 22 home games not 23.

Gate prices would probably increase, I'd expect an extra £1/2 for 1N, and maybe £2/3 Prem.

[divas]

I think the ST prices will be the same in the Evostik 1N anyway, as there would only be 22 home games not 23.

Gate prices would probably increase, I'd expect an extra £1/2 for 1N, and maybe £2/3 Prem.

Quite possibly.

So why aren't tickets going on sale?

Is it because 1883 want people to invest in the CIC and they think if they start selling tickets money would go on those instead?

People only have a finite amount of money anyway and if that's the case i can see a bit of a Mexican stand-off developing.

A good start on ST sales may even encourage people to invest in the CIC.

I wonder whether there's any mileage in selling adult tickets for £250 with free CIC membership - i know it's not a saving but it gets the CIC idea back out there while people are buying ST's and it's still cheaper than what we're used to paying.

[shawry]

What about CIC members getting £20 off a full price ST in year one?

I know that reduces income, but as Divas states, it will increase CIC visibility

[divas]

What about CIC members getting £20 off a full price ST in year one?

I know that reduces income, but as Divas states, it will increase CIC visibility

Got to be worth a try, a start has been made by adding some tangible benefits of being in the CIC, that would be another - you might just get an extra £80 out of people who might not have otherwise joined.

Wonder if we have the database of ST holders from last season, i think Laura may have it. Would be good to draft a letter to all of them with ST details and CLEAR CIC info.