Jon
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Post by Jon on Oct 19, 2014 22:16:17 GMT
Well a little digging suggests that the latest round of "investment" at Sandy Park includes a return of 7% per annum. iota.ecommzone.com/CCS/EXETER/PDFs/Exeter%20Chiefs%202020%20Bond%20Overview.pdfSo putting money into the Chiefs is actually investing money rather than waving it goodbye. The investment is of course a little risky if the wheels do come off the Chiefs' band wagon, but if things go well it could be a nice little earner. Thea might be lucky to get 7% of her investment back at all - let alone 7% per annum. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2014 22:23:58 GMT
Hector asks "what if Tony Rowe had invested in Torquay Athletic?"
Here's another hypothetical question: "What if Paul and Thea Bristow been followers of Torquay Athletic?" What then could they have done at The Rec for the same outlay as at Plainmoor? An enormous amount I suspect and, even assuming there would have been other benefactors at Torquay United, you imagine the gap between the two clubs would have narrowed.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2014 23:11:48 GMT
Here is a letter written from Torquay to the editor of The Times in September 1897: My word. What's going on here then? Rugger types in Torquay behaving like a bunch of northerners. Well provincials anyway. And, whereas we've been discussing the business of Torquay United's current travel arrangements, back in the 1890s it came down to teas with or without meat: "No, Sir, all clubs have the will to do so but unfortunately all have not the power, not being rich enough....."Plain teas at Plainmoor? I hope we're not headed that way. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2014 23:43:53 GMT
The questioning of TARFC's right to the ground has re-occurred regularly ever since. Here is a cutting from the WMN 06/12/22 Oh dear. Another example of the big, greedy snarling monster having its eyes on The Rec. You can imagine the Tics committee back in 2007 vowing to send that soccer lot packing "just like our grandfathers did back in 1922". It's not the best of journalism from the Western Morning News; there's a certain lack of clarity laced with verbosity. Yet the ambition of Torquay United is clearly apparent. Just a few months into the club's first season in the Southern League and there's talk of the Football League and gates of 10,000 which would be needed to make the club a success. Mr G.W.Hands is adamant: "It stands to reason that we can, at any rate in Torquay, do better than Exeter in the matter of support". |
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Post by gullone on Oct 20, 2014 16:06:50 GMT
The questioning of TARFC's right to the ground has re-occurred regularly ever since. Here is a cutting from the WMN 06/12/22 That cutting makes absolutely fascinating reading, i had no idea that TUAFC had fancied themselves on that seafront site so strongly ! I also had no idea that the first team played in the Western League fixtures as well as the Southern League in 26/7, thanks for the info, cracking stuff. |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Oct 20, 2014 18:59:41 GMT
Exeter City of course did own the freehold on St James Park (not the real one) - paying for it with the transfer fee they received for Dick Pym. They frittered that away by spending beyond their means in the late 80s / early 90s - forcing them to sell SJP to Beazer Homes in order to survive. It was only the action of the council in denying planning permission and buying back the ground from Beazer Homes that saved City from being made homeless. A bit of googling suggests that Exeter City got £650k for SJP - compared to Exeter RFC's £11.4m for the County Ground. Where would be today if those two deals had been the other way round? Exeter Chiefs getting walloped at home by Budleigh Salterton? Paul Tisdale moaning about having to fly to St James Park (the real one) for a Sunday Premier League fixture after just getting back from a Thursday night Europa League game in Bosnia-Herzegovina? |
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Post by Jon on Oct 20, 2014 19:09:50 GMT
And just to show that TARFC's tenancy did not go unchallenged between 1904 and 1922, there was a three-cornered fight in 1913. Western Times 09/01/13  We have discussed Rugby League in Torquay on here before haven't we? Torquay Town were toying with a Southern League application at the time. Devon & Exeter Gazette 10/06/12  |
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hector
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Post by hector on Oct 20, 2014 19:45:39 GMT
Fascinating articles - do you have all these on file? How do you access them?
The advent of professionalism and the leagues no doubt did for Torquay. Before then, rugby was probably largely fairly parochial - a bigger fish in a smallish pond, with the merit tables largely providing the surrounds of that pond, with probably a similar fixture list each year. Competitions like the Devon Cup mattered, even the 'John Player Cup' as it was, (which is now the LV Trophy, Chiefs won last season, open to only Premiership and Welsh clubs) had some glamour to it. The same with the County Championships, all have waned since the leagues took priority.
The leagues meant that the banks of that pond Tics were so safely ensconced in, burst and became a river and lots of tiddlers have swam past, while the Tics struggle to swim against the tide.
They were as high as South West 1, at one time. Got relegated and immediately got promoted again before tumbling down the leagues. There was a time when the Bettesworths were involved (I seem to remember a Kevin Bettesworth being mentioned in the Herald alot) plus the Cavanna family - who are surely not short of a bob or two and could have funded an adventure for the Tics.
But I suspect Tics wanted to hold on to the rugby traditions of the club being a sort of social club and they have no doubt been left well and truly behind because their refusal to move with the times. Even the ground, quaint though it is, shows that.
It's a shame the rugby league club never got anywhere.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2014 19:46:43 GMT
Mr J.Hughes, the Northern Union man, sounds Welsh to me. That would have been perfect - a steady supply of Valleys boys.
Entry to the Southern League for the Town would certainly have moved things on to the extent that we may never have become United. There would have been interesting opposition in the second division in 1913/14: Croydon Common, Luton, Swansea, Stoke, Brentford, Newport and another ten Welsh sides.
Don't tell the Tics but I'm forming a consortium to bid for The Rec. Reading this stuff about the County Ground at Exeter has made me look into the possibility of resurrecting speedway in the area. Enter the Torquay Falcons.
You read it here first. Rev it up, lads!
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Oct 20, 2014 20:27:27 GMT
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Post by gullone on Oct 21, 2014 14:30:55 GMT
Don't tell the Tics but I'm forming a consortium to bid for The Rec. Reading this stuff about the County Ground at Exeter has made me look into the possibility of resurrecting speedway in the area. Enter the Torquay Falcons. Well ever since a certain ex forum member begrudgingly allowed us access to our gold plated council pensions, life is just undiluted luxury ! A feasibility study aint going to come cheap but count me totally in. Used to watch the Exeter Falcons back in the days of Ivan Mauger and i would be inclined to give a nod of reverence to the Torquay Panthers Cycle Speedway team from the fifties regarding the name. Anyway we can cross that bridge when we come to it. |
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hector
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Post by hector on Oct 21, 2014 21:01:55 GMT
Exeter Falcons used to have a rider called Mark Loram. Luckily, it wasn't the same one.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2014 13:52:05 GMT
Well ever since a certain ex forum member begrudgingly allowed us access to our gold plated council pensions, life is just undiluted luxury ! A feasibility study aint going to come cheap but count me totally in. Used to watch the Exeter Falcons back in the days of Ivan Mauger and i would be inclined to give a nod of reverence to the Torquay Panthers Cycle Speedway team from the fifties regarding the name. Come to think of it, I'm heading towards my own "gold-plated council pension" at the end of 2015. Thanks to Hector's word of caution, I'll be careful about frittering it away on any characters called Mark from Brixham who claim to be an ace speedway rider. But I think we can reach an agreement on the team name, get lights put up at The Rec and - although it's not ideal for football - hire the former rugby pitch out to a local football club with Peninsula League aspirations. We have a plan! |
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Post by stuartB on Oct 22, 2014 21:19:28 GMT
Well ever since a certain ex forum member begrudgingly allowed us access to our gold plated council pensions, life is just undiluted luxury ! A feasibility study aint going to come cheap but count me totally in. Used to watch the Exeter Falcons back in the days of Ivan Mauger and i would be inclined to give a nod of reverence to the Torquay Panthers Cycle Speedway team from the fifties regarding the name. Come to think of it, I'm heading towards my own "gold-plated council pension" at the end of 2015. Thanks to Hector's word of caution, I'll be careful about frittering it away on any characters called Mark from Brixham who claim to be an ace speedway rider. But I think we can reach an agreement on the team name, get lights put up at The Rec and - although it's not ideal for football - hire the former rugby pitch out to a local football club with Peninsula League aspirations. We have a plan! Ivan Mauger what a class act he was!! Love watching the Falcons, probably at the same time as you Gullone. Scott Autrey, Chris Julien, etc what great memories from 73-74 ish |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Oct 22, 2014 22:39:49 GMT
Exeter Falcons used to have a rider called Mark Loram. Luckily, it wasn't the same one. Our Mark did have some form with motorbikes. He was once arrested for drunkenly placing one on top of a car in Babbacombe.  |
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