Originally Posted by
gufcfan
Yes.
GUST ran the club themselves for the 2011 season, after the directors abandoned it. The odds against them were huge. The guys in GUST are not well meaning amateurs, like the directors often tried to suggest. They are fans like you and me who want to have a club that is a real community enterprise, that lives within its means. They are incredibly organised and have experience of running a club in the worst of circumstances already.
They are people with a wide range of skills. Accountants, entrepreneurs, civil servants, educators and people with a wide range of talents that are essential running A CLUB.
GUST have a good relationship with the business community in Galway and have years of experience fundraising for the club. Not a few bob here and there, real substantial cash.
GUST never had any real say in anything the club (Leeson) did, but they were doing all the work, as it is with many LOI clubs. Running the match nights, lotto, match programme, selling advertising, organising and promoting fundraisers, selling season tickets, providing transport to matches, organising venues for the under 19s, dealing with disgruntled creditors shafted by the club etc, dealing with an absentee manager who couldn't be sacked...
I'm not speaking for them, I'm not even involved but anyway... GUST aren't looking for investors. They are not looking for someone to pump money into it. They will come to a decision on a responsible budget, one that can be reviewed upwards later on, IF appropriate.
GUST don't enter into agreements with anybody unless they are certain they can honour them as promised. They are intelligent and financially prudent, but they have to be. They can't write a check or pop down the bank for 5 or 10 grand if they over-budget or don't have a home gate for a month. Nick was operating from one day to the next, which among other things was cause of all the problems.
Lads, I know yee probably don't want to be saying too much right now, but if there's anything substantial you disagree with there, speak up.