new clubhouse

**max power** · 27/03/2003, 11:23 AM

how are the plans for a new club house and bar coming along ????? i htink this season we need to really get the fund raising going, for example, how about a draw for a car with 10 prizes and tickets costing 5 euro each, sell them at both home and away games and at ladies and under 21 s and in the pubs after the matchs, its only an idea but i would like to know when the dublin supporters club are meeting next so we could try and get something going.....what do yee think or do you have any other fund raising ideas... when the club house ia built, i'm going o giv ethem a ful pa system worth over 1000 euro, its not much but it will help

**Macy** · 27/03/2003, 12:34 PM

Myself and Xlex have had a few ideas, that are on Previous threads, but the general jist below.......

1) Supporters Trust
Supporters pay €5 a week by direct debit into a Supporters Trust for capital projects...

Even if we got 150 people to contribute a fiver a week to a supporters trust only (i.e. no season ticket or additional benefits), that would raise EUR39,000 per annum. I don't think it would be unrealistic to hope for 250-300, which would be EUR65-78k per year, or EUR325-390k over 5 years. Lets be honest, a fiver these days is barely a pint in Dublin and not even a pack of smokes.....

Money should be used for capital projects only... e.g. Bar; Press Facilities; Covered Camera Position; Roofs for the ground; astro pitches etc

Members of the trust elect a committee to look after the cheque book - the supporters would run it, so as to control the money and ensure that it wasn't wasted on day to day expenditure...

2) Patrons Club
Based on Droghedas Patrons Trust...
D.U. Trust Membership
Fee;- £6 per week
This entiltes trustees to:

Season ticket

Priority for International match tickets

Patrons status

DU Trust AGM

Free monthly members draw

Free Trust Newsletter

Free Drogheda United Jersey

Free admission to a child under-12 years old when accompanied by the trustee for all league and cup matches.

Five complementary free invites for Trustees to bring guests/friends to matches at any time during the season.

**max power** · 27/03/2003, 12:46 PM

i have to say i like the second idea and you get something for your money, which is important these days, maybe a few of us could get together and put a proposal together and present it to the club and to both supporters clubs.

we need to move this club to the next level and make it a club that all midland people support ( even athlone people ).......

the more money the club has the better players it can buy and the better we will do ( hopfully )

if your interested let yourself be known

**Xlex** · 27/03/2003, 1:03 PM

i have to say i like the second idea

It's never going to be an either or situation, it will be an accumulation of both idea's, Pat's are getting a 500 club going and is based on a straight forward 10 season ticket plan which grants the club less income than the seasonal ticket generates...

present it to the club and to both supporters clubs.

strictly speaking we don't need either to agree to the plan... The club has officially turned down the second proposal. I'm not going to jump into bed with either supporters group because essentially they do not represent me and through their activities, alienate me to certain extents... In any case both supporters clubs have their own agenda and we should have ours...The overall aim is to provide money towards capital projects with a minimum return to the supporter, apart from the successful improvement to

[list=1][*]Improvement to spectator facilities[*]Non - eircom League related business[*]Detailed Marketing plan[/list=1]

over to you Macy...

**max power** · 27/03/2003, 1:15 PM

well if your not in a supporters club or are offically part of the club, why should someone give you money, look at it from the outside, with so many scams going around .

to do it right you a least need the club behind you , well thats how i fee anyway..

but at least we all agree that income in the club needs to be increased

**Xlex** · 27/03/2003, 1:26 PM

Originally posted by the dj
well if your not in a supporters club or are offically part of the club, why should someone give you money

well, I'm in the official supporters club and to a certain extent support their activities...

We will get support from the club, I'd be certain we would get it at the highest level, representation would be also be required from the Board, and vice versa... But there is no need for the scheme to fall under any supporters group, their support will also be required, but it will occur in an independant way. In any case the whole thing will be transparent and viable...

**Xlex** · 27/03/2003, 1:28 PM

Originally posted by the dj
to do it right you a least need the club behind

of course, I don't think they would refuse the idea,

they refused to commence such a thing but endorse it, shouldn't be a problem...

**max power** · 27/03/2003, 1:30 PM

the worry i would have is that if any thing goes wrong, those of us who were involved would be scape goats.....

but i think a few of us should meet up and try to get this idea off the ground

the main thing would be what package would we offer and what would people get for their money

**Macy** · 27/03/2003, 1:30 PM

Originally posted by Xlex
strictly speaking we don't need either to agree to the plan...

Well the Supporters Trust doesn't need Club approval, the Patrons Club would IMO. My vision of a supporters trust, would be just that, run by the supporters with a committee handing over the cheque, and the more distance between the club and the money the better IMO....

Originally posted by Xlex
The club has officially turned down the second proposal.

Not being smart, but was it a full written submission? We've talked before about the need to become members and put these forward at the AGM....

Originally posted by Xlex
I'm not going to jump into bed with either supporters group because essentially they do not represent me and through their activities, alienate me to certain extents...

Agree to a certain extent, although in fairness I've never had a problem with the Longford SC, and the main fella I know is a) very approachable b) would be open to this sort of idea... To early to tell in the new regime of the Dublin SC, but it's a far better (and sensible) make up than the previous one - only time will tell. However, I am a member of niether, but have supported both financially....

Originally posted by Xlex
The overall aim is to provide money towards capital projects with a minimum return to the supporter, apart from the successful improvement to

[list=1][*]Improvement to spectator facilities[*]Non - eircom League related business[*]Detailed Marketing plan[/list=1]

Totally agree, this should be for long term benefit not short term gain.... It should be ploughed into the grounds, rather than the team....

The team would benefit through:
[list=1][*]Increased crowds with the better facilities (more money)[*]More media exposure for sponsors[*]A more relevant sponsors package to attract sponsors[*]Increased Bar and related revenue season long[/list=1] ...

Stuff like the astro pitches are progress, and will bring in more revenue - that's what we should be aiming for....

**max power** · 27/03/2003, 1:35 PM

i agree with all that macy has said, we need to put together a full business plan and contact other clubs so find out if they incountered any problems or issues......

then take it to the club and get approval and market it and gt the money in

**Xlex** · 27/03/2003, 1:42 PM

Originally posted by Macy

Not being smart, but was it a full written submission? We've talked before about the need to become members and put these forward at the AGM....

more like a decent emailed submission which was dismissed...

as regards Longford SC... no problems whatsoever, I just think it makes sense to separate the two idea's because it allows each entity to persue their individual goals...

**max power** · 27/03/2003, 2:08 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Xlex
[B]more like a decent emailed submission which was dismissed...

i think it would be better to sit down with all those involved and go through the proposal completely and answer aqny questions, the moe professional it is presented the better chance it will have and thats spaeking as someone who runs his own business, first imperssions of a proposal really matter

**Xlex** · 27/03/2003, 2:16 PM

agreed dj and Macy, but there was no encouragement given for the plan, In any case I was left feeling that there wasn't intrest in it at any level, I was mearly pointing them in the direction of an idea rather than making their bed for them...

There is definitiely a lot
of merit in some of the Drogheda promotions. We are
hoping that next season we will introduce a number of
different incentives ourselves, and certainly there is
a lot of leeway with season tickets.

For your own information the Official Supporters Club
have developed a range of incentives for their members
including discounts in 15 businesses, a free
competition, reduced fare on buses to away games etc.

In any case I favour the trust idea with a hint of the patron idea in it so if the drogheda idea was taken on board it would dissolve any notion of a trust based group... which is the most profitable of the ideas... we're talking about €5 p.w. what do people want??

**Xlex** · 27/03/2003, 2:19 PM

if either of you guy's want to meet next weekend to have a chat about this, I'm free... It's important to realise any potiential now rather than at a stage, when it's too late...

We can talk about any aspect of it...

**Macy** · 27/03/2003, 2:26 PM

Originally posted by Xlex
In any case I favour the trust idea with a hint of the patron idea in it so if the drogheda idea was taken on board it would dissolve any notion of a trust based group... which is the most profitable of the ideas... we're talking about €5 p.w. what do people want??

The only other option is to increase to €10 a week (similar to the Rovers 400 club), with the benefits of the Patrons Club, but I'd still want a privso that the extra money went on capital developments and was controlled by a committee elected from those that subscribe.....

€10 x 52 = €520

€160 (Stand Season Ticket) + €50 (Jersey) = €210

Balance €310 per year....

100 subscribers = €31,000 p.a.; 200 Subscribers = €62,000 p.a. etc etc