phil_in_npton
|
Good Morning!
As a supporter of a fan owned club, Newport County, i thought i would just add a few points as to what it has meant to me. I dont pretend to know the ins and outs financially of the club, only a peripheral view. Also i think our ground situation is also pretty unique compared to other clubs, we pay rent to the owners, who appear to not even want us to be there. Going back in time. i just paid my ticket money to watch a game and never really gave a second thought to behind the scenes issues, the club played its matches in whatever league they were in, mostly Division Four and the world carried on. Then one day my club didnt exist, there was no money left. After reformation and a pretty much hand to mouth existence for twenty odd years, slowly climbing up the leagues a lottery winner was bamboozled into putting some money into the club, this funded our return to the league but the love affair didnt last long, and the fans buy out situation arose. Fans were asked to contribute to buy the club and all rallied round with donations and the minimum to join the trust was £10 a year. A bargain as priority tickets were included in this arrangement, and we did well in the cup and much money was gained. However it emerged that not enough money was coming in on a regular basis from gate receipts and trust income, Fortunate in a few transfer deals, and cup money balanced the books. Recently an overhaul of the trust membership scheme upped the minimum contribution from £10 a year to £60 a year, Times four for this household equals £240. For me thats affordable, especially as i dont get to that many home games, but for many fans locally, on top of regular attendance that can be a lot to justify on ones interest in watching football. Also a subscription to i-follow, and the County lottery are extra outgoings to support my football team. So it is no longer just pay for a ticket and watch the game, it has become a commitment from the heart and the bank balance. The recent cup success and the fact that next week we shall be watching us play Man city are memories we shall treasure forever and can be seen as some payback for the financial commitment, without being a trust member i doubt we would have got tickets, certainly not seats as required. This success has clouded the issue that the club cannot survive (competitively) on a bog standard early cup exit season. I dont know what the future will hold, but a third party injection of cash may ensure survival but also takes control away from those that care. The fan base of a few thousand cannot fund the existence of a league two football team in the long term.
Good luck to the Cobblers in sorting out their financial situation which in itself seems very complex to an outsider!
Phil in Northampton
|