Short Term Future

[D_F_C]

I'm still hoping for some funds from Stockdale/Burn/Smith. Also remember that on top of the debt and the amount paid to Bishop...local businesses did not want to invest whilst we were in Bishop. By moving back to darlo we have more potential to make money from local businesses.

[Robbie Painter]

I've decided to make the sacrifice of not to routinely attend away matches for the next 12 months. I reckon on average I spend £40 on each away match covering transport, beer, food, entrance, programme and raffle. Instead I'm going to donate the savings to the Darlo cause. I'm still going to go to the odd special one, like Kendal away on New Year's Day.

If 99 others followed my lead and made a similar sacrifice and attended only 4 away matches instead of 21, the proceeds would be 100 x 17 x £40 = £68,000, a very tidy sum.

Think about it, if there was no Darlo FC you wouldn't have any away matches to go to. So make the sacrifice for 1 year and stick the savings into the fundraising scheme of your choice.

I like your thinking Maurice.

I also think adapting this idea from Hereford is decent - pick a match where season tickets holders are asked to gift £10 at the turnstile if they wish. With all money collected going to the Return to Darlo fund.

[BlackandwhiteBOB]

Agree with others that it is the debt burden holding us back. We are an Evostik club charging Evostik prices trying to pay off a professional footballers wage bill as well as the cost to buy assets. If you look at it realistically, this was never going to be easy.

Add into that, that income is less than it would have been in Darlington (smaller gates, less sponsorship) and it all goes against us.

Getting back to Darlo with a) the debt gone or significantly reduced, and b) with a greater income for the club is what we all wanted, and what we all need to get behind. One final hurdle, one final push, and we've broken it's back, and can look forward to stability.

I will stop short of saying "everything will be rosy" though, because the club will still have to rake out on the ground in coming years, adding to and improving it all the time.

This is very lower league football, it's NEVER going to be "easy", though clearing this next hurdle will make things "easier" - if that makes any sense?

Can I say 'rosier', or 'as rosy as it ever gets for Darlo'?

[D_F_C]

I've decided to make the sacrifice of not to routinely attend away matches for the next 12 months. I reckon on average I spend £40 on each away match covering transport, beer, food, entrance, programme and raffle. Instead I'm going to donate the savings to the Darlo cause. I'm still going to go to the odd special one, like Kendal away on New Year's Day.

If 99 others followed my lead and made a similar sacrifice and attended only 4 away matches instead of 21, the proceeds would be 100 x 17 x £40 = £68,000, a very tidy sum.

Think about it, if there was no Darlo FC you wouldn't have any away matches to go to. So make the sacrifice for 1 year and stick the savings into the fundraising scheme of your choice.

I like your thinking Maurice.

I also think adapting this idea from Hereford is decent - pick a match where season tickets holders are asked to gift £10 at the turnstile if they wish. With all money collected going to the Return to Darlo fund.

Highlighted above is a must. I'm a lot more comfortable with paying small amounts frequently than a large amount all at once.

[banktopp]

I've decided to hopefully bankrupt myself by donating a tenner every week we are in the top five, and £100 every week we are top or in playoffs.
As an exile not attending so many away games to help fund the club is a sound idea. But likewise will be going to Kendal.

[Maurice_Peddelty]

I've decided to hopefully bankrupt myself by donating a tenner every week we are in the top five, and £100 every week we are top or in playoffs.
As an exile not attending so many away games to help fund the club is a sound idea. But likewise will be going to Kendal.

I'm not suggesting exiles should stop attending away games. The team needs some support and exiles need to have their fix like everyone else. My idea is more aimed at Darlo based supporters - nevertheless, very noble of you!

I would also urge those Darlo based supporters that seem to find the inclination and money to have days out in far flung corners of the Northern Premier League but are conspicuous by their absence from Heritage Park. No doubt they will be out in their numbers at Kendal as they were at Lancaster! Again, if there is no Darlo, they don't have a cause for a day out.

[love it!]

Well there is £100 chipped in from me this morning. Maybe more to follow to. Just wondering if I pledge £500 but in separate transactions e.g. £100 x 5 transaction would I be able to have the cumulative benefit?

[Maurice_Peddelty]

Well I must admit following the match on Twitter wasn't as good as being there. I particularly would liked to have seen Thommo's hat-trick. Nevertheless, I'm looking at the bigger picture and I've tipped the £40 I've saved by not going to the match into the 'Back to Darlo' fund.

[princes town]

I've decided to make the sacrifice of not to routinely attend away matches for the next 12 months. I reckon on average I spend £40 on each away match covering transport, beer, food, entrance, programme and raffle. Instead I'm going to donate the savings to the Darlo cause. I'm still going to go to the odd special one, like Kendal away on New Year's Day.

If 99 others followed my lead and made a similar sacrifice and attended only 4 away matches instead of 21, the proceeds would be 100 x 17 x £40 = £68,000, a very tidy sum.

Think about it, if there was no Darlo FC you wouldn't have any away matches to go to. So make the sacrifice for 1 year and stick the savings into the fundraising scheme of your choice.

I like your thinking Maurice.

I also think adapting this idea from Hereford is decent - pick a match where season tickets holders are asked to gift £10 at the turnstile if they wish. With all money collected going to the Return to Darlo fund.

Highlighted above is a must. I'm a lot more comfortable with paying small amounts frequently than a large amount all at once.

You can pay small amounts with the development fund (gift initiative). Unfortunately, it doesn't gift you a share (only voucher) once a cumulative total has been reached which I think is the only weakness of what is a very good scheme. I have some reservations about not attending away games from a footballing perspective but the point is there has to be some sacrifice. My own preference is to cancel some of my premium sports channels for a year but clearly different strokes for different people. The debt is 180 times net profit which is clearly not sustainable so fully agree with clearing that as a priority. As for the clubs who manage on one man and his dog crowds, there is a lesson to be learned but I am not sure what.

[DarloTrustSec]

As for the clubs who manage on one man and his dog crowds, there is a lesson to be learned but I am not sure what.

These clubs survive because they have some key sponsors and/or wealthy individuals providing the vast majority of their income. Martin Jesper has said on several occasions that we need to become less reliant on money coming through the gate but the message seems to be that businesses won't want to get involved in any significance until we get back to Darlo.

[karlo-cardiff]

My other team I follow closely Aylesbury united have been homeless for over 10 years but over the last 6 or 7 years have actually made a profit season by season-they average around 200 this season which is increasing every year.aylesbury don't have a money man or a massive sponsor yet make money each year....I don't buy into this teams have to have a money man to make money-Aylesbury's playing budget is no more than £600 a week depending on who plays yet they are comfortable in the calor gas south central league,which is the same level as evo stik div 1.ok I admit they won't be gaining promotion anytime soon as but like Darlo hoping to return home ASAP with plans to build some sort of ground in connection with the local college-obviously plans are a closely kept secret at minute so no idea how that's going...

[Maurice_Peddelty]

My other team I follow closely Aylesbury united have been homeless for over 10 years but over the last 6 or 7 years have actually made a profit season by season-they average around 200 this season which is increasing every year.aylesbury don't have a money man or a massive sponsor yet make money each year....I don't buy into this teams have to have a money man to make money-Aylesbury's playing budget is no more than £600 a week depending on who plays yet they are comfortable in the calor gas south central league,which is the same level as evo stik div 1.

Aylesbury's admission prices are £8 adults. £5 concessions and £1 for U16s including programme. So let's say an average of £6/head x 200 = £1200 per home match, which would just cover the playing budget over a season. A playing budget of 600/wk split over 16 players averages £37.5/head. To put this in context in our region, I understand Northallerton Town (Northern League) players receive in the order of £40 per week.

Other weekly costs to include would be cost of backroom staff (manager, coach, physio, as a minimum), rent for training facilities, laundry costs.

Added to this, for every home match Aylesbury would need to pay rent to Leighton Town, expenses to ref and linesman (typically £175 in Evostick Div 1 Nth), programme printing, hospitality for away officials, after-match food for both teams. For every away match Aylesbury would need to pay for a coach, typically £400.

Annual costs would include FA and League affiliation fees and player registration fees, team strips and training kit.

As you can see there are substantial additional costs that need to be met by other commercial means or benefactors.

[karlo-cardiff]

Aylesbury pay £400 per match to Leighton and don't use coaches-players all travel by car so that saves a fair bit.....like Darlo aylesbury have suffered at the hands of dodgy chairman-they once had 1 of the best non league grounds in the country averaging 1200 home fans and around 500 away following-the ground is still sat there empty as the site can only be used for sporting purpose and looks a real mess-maybe Darlo could look into buying some of the floodlights or strands as were conference standard etc.....