Time for a trust?

**bluewhitearmy** · 18/02/2015, 6:28 PM

This year is the most season tickets they have ever sold I was told when I bought mine.

**Jofspring** · 18/02/2015, 9:37 PM

Ya I stand with a few lads that go to every game and have done for over 20 years and none of them regularly buy season tickets. Season tickets wouldn't be a reflection on the potential success or failure of a trust.

**delboyderis** · 19/02/2015, 9:15 AM

Time to grab the bull by the horns and maybe approach pat o sullivan with the idea of a supporters trust.i for one would be a trustee.it could only help the club.it has worked for cork city and foras.

**micls** · 20/02/2015, 5:45 AM

Originally Posted by delboyderis

Foras/Cork City have a monthly fee of 10 euro or 120 euro a year.this sounds like a reasonable fee and wouldnt break the bank for most people.if you could get 2000 signatures of interest for such a scheme it would raise 240,000 euro for the year.the more names the better.would pat o sullivan be interested in such a scheme?

To give you an idea, at FORAS' peak, when we were trying to save the club, we had less than 700 paid up members. Now it would be significantly less than this. 2000 is very unrealistic, but even 50 is a start.

**JosephMcSweeney** · 20/02/2015, 11:56 AM

Also when FORAS was first muted, it was during a time of benevolent 'White Knight' ownership and there wasn't much give from the club (in terms of control, ownership, etc in exchange for potential finances) - it would be worthwhile setting up as completely independent of the club and seeking agreements/contracts to work with the club then. Any Limerick fans who are Solicitors/lawyers? Definitely hit up some of our members for ideas or help though if you need it, would love to see a strong Limerick always with an active and engaged fanbase!

**fieldofmarkets** · 20/02/2015, 7:45 PM

I'd be in.

**Jofspring** · 13/03/2015, 9:39 PM

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
Membership Card ‰
Free entry to Jodi Stand for all Bohemian FC home games in the Airtricity League Premier Division at Dalymount Park. ‰
Annual report. Sent out prior to AGM; contains club’s financial position and plans for the future. ‰
The right to attend and vote at general meetings of the club (AGMs, EGMs) and information meetings. ‰
After 3 years’ service a Member can put him or herself forward for election to the Board of Directors (Management Committee), and after 5 years for the presidency.
Members have full use of the club bars and can avail of a discount for function room rental for parties, etc. ‰
Discounts in the club shop. ‰
Priority booking events and trips arranged by the club. ‰
Regular Club Newsletter (by e-mail). ‰
Cup games for a fiver! For home games in the FAI Ford Cup, EA Sports Cup, and Leinster Cup members pay just €5 for entry.

That's taken from the Bohs site. It looks like something we and the club need to seriously be looking at. Too much cloak and dagger at Limerick FC, too many people holding all the control and power and too many fans that don't have a Bulls notion what's going on at the club due to lack of info.

http://bohemianfc.com/?page_id=71

**delboyderis** · 14/03/2015, 9:01 AM

Would agree with you there.where do you start.a supporters trust should have been started a long time ago.just look at the crowd cork had at their first home game last night(4800)no reason why we couldnt get at least 1500/2000 at home games.limerick is meant to be a sports mad city but i think its full of hypocrites.soccer fans ridicule loi soccer but dont give it a chance and will follow english soccer no bother.if they came and supported loi soccer the clubs could spend more on players etc.

**delboyderis** · 14/03/2015, 7:42 PM

Putting it out there that i wouldnt mind starting a trust for limerick fc.i am just an ordinary supporter with no vested interests.i am sure that we could get something going outside of the club with all the lads here on foot.ie.i am sure that some of the lads with other trusts would give us some advice?no more pussy footing around!anybody fancy meeting up for a discusssion?all are welcome.

**El-Pietro** · 15/03/2015, 11:38 AM

If you want to start a trust it needs to be something you do as fans, separate from the club. We started ours as a way to raise funds for infrastructural developments but ended up as a safety net in 2008.

You shouldn't wait for things to fall apart, you need to be ready for when it happens, and based on your owners comments I feel like maybe that's coming sooner rather than later.

**Lim till i die** · 15/03/2015, 3:07 PM

Originally Posted by delboyderis

Would agree with you there.where do you start.a supporters trust should have been started a long time ago.just look at the crowd cork had at their first home game last night(4800)no reason why we couldnt get at least 1500/2000 at home games.limerick is meant to be a sports mad city but i think its full of hypocrites.soccer fans ridicule loi soccer but dont give it a chance and will follow english soccer no bother.if they came and supported loi soccer the clubs could spend more on players etc.

Theres absolutely dozens of reasons. Cork going well playing out of one of the better soccer grounds in the country v a Limerick team that will spend the season making a good fist of being the worst premier division team of all time playing out of a pile of rubble. Its just not comparable. We had exactly fifty fans in cork the other night and I was amazed it was that many. I know die hards that couldn't be bothered at the moment. We're down to die die hards and assorted board members and families.

Not because the people of Limerick are especially mean. But because what we offer isnt good enough.

Every club in the country would find themselves in a similar boat of varying degrees in the same circumstances.

All things being equal clubs generally get the crowds they deserve. In our case thats going to be 300 - 400 for the forseeable.

**faceoff** · 15/03/2015, 3:43 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Theres absolutely dozens of reasons. Cork going well playing out of one of the better soccer grounds in the country v a Limerick team that will spend the season making a good fist of being the worst premier division team of all time playing out of a pile of rubble. Its just not comparable. We had exactly fifty fans in cork the other night and I was amazed it was that many. I know die hards that couldn't be bothered at the moment. We're down to die die hards and assorted board members and families.

Not because the people of Limerick are especially mean. But because what we offer isnt good enough.

Every club in the country would find themselves in a similar boat of varying degrees in the same circumstances.

All things being equal clubs generally get the crowds they deserve. In our case thats going to be 300 - 400 for the forseeable.

When you have a Chairman who likes nothing better than to abuse fans how in the name of jaysus do you expect people to support him??He has'nt a clue how to run a football club and that has been proven.People will not pay to watch tripe its as simple as that and its going to continue for the foreseeable future im afraid.If the hierarchy there think Rainsford and Hanlon are better than Shane Clarke then thats enough.

**Jofspring** · 15/03/2015, 5:36 PM

I would think it's more a fact Rainsford and Hanlon are far far cheaper to have at the club. Be surprised if they were getting more than €150 each where as Clarke would probably require between €450-€500 as he would need to pack in work.

In saying that I've said it hundreds of times, what happens when you cut the budget so much that it causes a knock on effect and you can't even pay the lower wages.

**delboyderis** · 15/03/2015, 9:46 PM

From this thread it doesnt seem like too many limerick supporters are interested in setting up an independent supporters trust.little or no expression of interest since yesterday?

**donnrua** · 15/03/2015, 10:59 PM

Originally Posted by delboyderis

From this thread it doesnt seem like too many limerick supporters are interested in setting up an independent supporters trust.little or no expression of interest since yesterday?

I think most people are just sick to death of the whole thing at this stage. How many false dawns is it now? I'm not privy to any insider info but it seems to me that the whole MF fiasco is the straw that broke the camels back with POS. The whole process took way too long, cities have been built in the amount of time it took for planning to go through and then go to tender even though there was mention of it being fast-tracked and let's face it TP and the vomit football we played under that bluffer Taylor killed any chance we had of building support. I feel sorry for the young players at the minute because too much is being asked of them, it's a massive step up from under 19's to premier division football. I've been supporting Limerick for 30+ years and most of them have been fairly s***e but this year is the most down I've ever been at the start of a season!

**Dodge** · 16/03/2015, 9:00 AM

Originally Posted by delboyderis

From this thread it doesnt seem like too many limerick supporters are interested in setting up an independent supporters trust.little or no expression of interest since yesterday?

As an outsider, my only advice is tell you NOTHING will happen on an internet forum. Everything has to be ready to go before people of the internet join in. Do the work and it might happen.

This isn't a pop at you BTW, I've just seen hundreds of these well intentioned forum threads and I've yet to see one actually make a difference.

**The Donie Forde** · 16/03/2015, 9:35 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

As an outsider, my only advice is tell you NOTHING will happen on an internet forum. Everything has to be ready to go before people of the internet join in. Do the work and it might happen.

This isn't a pop at you BTW, I've just seen hundreds of these well intentioned forum threads and I've yet to see one actually make a difference.

This is very good advice from Dodge. Some individual or small group has to get it up and running. A forum can subsequently be a brilliant tool, but not at set-up.

As for FORAS - as an example - it was set up by a handful of like-minded people in the good days at the club, with a view to assisting it however possible and with a goal of providing/targetting a permanent training facility and having some kind of supporter-input into the club.

Most CCFC fans were totally lukewarm/disinterested in it. I know I was. It took the Coughlan factor and the absolute way he dismantled and disgraced our club to galvanise City fans into joining the trust. At the height of the crisis, I joined up. I was only member number 53 or something like that. FORAS had been there for 12/18 months at that stage. Of course as Coughlan got worse, the trust got stronger, rising to 600+ at its height.

My message though, and to echo Dodge, is to simply start it. Take good advice, build small and steady.

We were very fortunate that a small group had set up a trust - albeit for different reasons - but when the worst happened, at least we were organised and had big numbers by then. If we had tried to organise after Coughlan went down the tubes it would, quite simply, have been too late.

Don't sit there waiting for things to get worse - they are as bad as they need to be right now.

**bluewhitearmy** · 16/03/2015, 12:53 PM

Imo its already too late the whole trust thing has been spoken about now since 2 or 3 months before the season started and there hasn't been a single step forward by the people involved. The way the team is playing and the way crowds are going to go I see major trouble coming before the end of the season and I'd be shocked if there was anything actually set up by then even.

If it has any chance at all of actually happening this season it needs to happen now there needs to be a meeting of every group of Limerick fans that have an interest in setting it up in the next week or two let it drag on any longer and with how people are feeling about the club there wont be anyone interested in even meeting to set it up let alone join it.

**El-Pietro** · 16/03/2015, 3:33 PM

Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy

Imo its already too late the whole trust thing has been spoken about now since 2 or 3 months before the season started and there hasn't been a single step forward by the people involved. The way the team is playing and the way crowds are going to go I see major trouble coming before the end of the season and I'd be shocked if there was anything actually set up by then even.

If it has any chance at all of actually happening this season it needs to happen now there needs to be a meeting of every group of Limerick fans that have an interest in setting it up in the next week or two let it drag on any longer and with how people are feeling about the club there wont be anyone interested in even meeting to set it up let alone join it.

A trust isn't going to happen over night, its going to take 12 or 18 months of planning to get set up.

**delboyderis** · 16/03/2015, 4:04 PM

Thanks lads for all the advice.i have been in touch with the blue army guys on facebook and they are meant to be getting in touch with john o sullivan for some advice.i wouldnt have a clue where to start.i am just an ordinary supporter who wants to help out the team totally independent from the club.