Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 27, 2008 17:17:07 GMT
With gates averaging 1200 less than last season, its no wonder the club is looking to find new commercial income. There is also the problem of the money lost, due to a main sponsor pulling out a while back.
While Alex Rowe states that the credit crunch is hitting the fans, making fans pick and choose what games they can afford to go to, its not just the fans who are feeling the pinch.
Most company's are finding life that much harder and will be looking at making savings, so the club will find it very hard to find any company who will have cash to spare.Therefore I believe while the club will want to keep the youth set up going, there may come a time in the not so distant future, when it may need to have a rethink.
The club does have the Gulls Nest, Boots and Laces and the No.10s restaurant, as I have said before, maybe part of the answer lies in maximizing all the income from these three venues, much money has been spent on them, but I do not think that that much income is coming from them.
Sally is a fine and hard working person at the club, but questions have been asked before, if she has the Commercial experience, to really generate more Commercial income, maybe that is one job that should have gone to someone with a proven track record.
There will come a breaking point, if income is not raised to a higher level, lets hope some nice kind company comes along and that the club finds ways to get more people to use what is on offer at the ground. It is clear that our gates are far short of the budget set out for this season,lets hope cuts will not be made on the player front, to make ends meet.
|
|
petef
Match Room Manager
Posts: 4,626
|
Post by petef on Nov 27, 2008 18:27:41 GMT
These are, indeed difficult times for most clubs and as you say Dave there will be a breaking point when economies will have to be made. Luckily we have a sensible but ambitious board unlike the previous regime who were indeed sensible but had lost the will to live!  This period will test all of there resolve. The poor start, in my opinion takes only a small part of the responsibility for the lower attendances. The reality is that many ordinary folk are extremely worried and concerned about there finances and employment prospects and this is bound to impact on attendances, that coupled with the fact we have also lost a big derby match and the season long rivalry that that accompanies it. It also has to be said that last season had a certain novelty factor for some and perhaps the non league factor has worn off a bit and the harsh reality of watching poorer opposition and a poorer standard of football has become rather more real in some supporters eyes. Hopefully we can all do our bit to encourage the "might /might not go" supporters to come along and witness an even better squad of players playing at near the top of there form, playing for each other and a manager they all respect. The poor start, without doubt galvanised the squad and management and has contributed hugely to the most amazing run of results in the clubs history, it deserves a better response form us. |
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 27, 2008 18:41:07 GMT
I think your post highlights all the reasons for our much lower gates Pete and while I fully agree with your last line
The poor start, without doubt galvanised the squad and management and has contributed hugely to the most amazing run of results in the clubs history, it deserves a better response form us I think our form and good run, will not bring back the lost supporters.
We know that the club and team really deserve much more support than they are now getting, but for all the reasons you listed, I can't see the gates rising very much.
So it really may have to come down to find other income and that as I said is going to be very hard, I can't see the board chucking more of their own money into the club and really the club has to run with in its own means and that is why I feel that the cloth might have to be cut to fit the width.
|
|
|
|
Post by forevertufc on Nov 27, 2008 18:42:43 GMT
i must at admit the attendance's have concerned me for some time, i thought it was not all down to the credit crunch,
the team are winning 3rd in the league and the gates are not rising fast enough.
don't know what the answer is , business is suffering i am hearing more and more companies are laying off staff so it would be difficult to attract more sponsorship,would someone with a greater track record than sally be able increase the clubs commercial arm i don't know.
what i do know is that type of person would come with a huge cost i.e wages could the afford such a person and would they recoup the money,torquay is not immune to the credit crunch but their does not seem at the moment to be any talk of players being sold .
Dave do you think the club is heading that way ? or more likely to mean no further squad strengthening ?.
i have heard of a possible merger between weymouth and Dorchester could this be a way forward to save a lot of small clubs going to the wall as much as fans would hate the idea.
|
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 27, 2008 18:51:13 GMT
forevertufc, I have heard nothing about any action the club might take, my view is only my own and come about by me doing some sums and the answers I got told me, things might have to change as Its my guess that we are paying out more than we are getting in.
Dorchester and Weymouth joining, would in my view not be a bad thing, Weymouth can't really survive on the below 900 gates they have been getting and while I'm not sure how many watch Dorchester, having one team in that area, may be good for the football there.
It would never happen here with our club, who could we join with? maybe Exeter and that would never be excepted by our fans or the city fans.
|
|
|
|
Post by forevertufc on Nov 27, 2008 19:55:24 GMT
forevertufc, I have heard nothing about any action the club might take, my view is only my own and come about by me doing some sums and the answers I got told me, things might have to change as Its my guess that we are paying out more than we are getting in. Dorchester and Weymouth joining, would in my view not be a bad thing, Weymouth can't really survive on the below 900 gates they have been getting and while I'm not sure how many watch Dorchester, having one team in that area, may be good for the football there. It would never happen here with our club, who could we join with? maybe Exeter and that would never be excepted by our fans or the city fans. hi dave, sorry mate i did realised it was your personal opinion ,and it was that i seeked as to the future of torquay. on the mergers i was thinking football as a whole ,with grays and northwhich putting their players on 50 % wages and weymouth whole future in question and talking to dorchester just seemed a sensiable way forward. whilst i think your right torquay must be losing money right now ,reading between the lines i dont think either us or exeter will need to consider a merger ,and no it would not happern. i dont know if i have miss read things,whilst the club are clearly concerned about the gates being down by 1000 and keeping a close eye on things, alex rowe to me seem's confident about the club going forward,i think its more likey that the club will call a halt to the spending i.e new players /improvments rather than seeing a fire sale. |
|
tufc01
TFF member
Posts: 1,179
|
Post by tufc01 on Nov 27, 2008 20:05:47 GMT
forevertufc, I have heard nothing about any action the club might take, my view is only my own and come about by me doing some sums and the answers I got told me, things might have to change as Its my guess that we are paying out more than we are getting in. [glow=Yellow,2,300]Dorchester and Weymouth joining, would in my view not be a bad thing[/glow], Weymouth can't really survive on the below 900 gates they have been getting and while I'm not sure how many watch Dorchester, having one team in that area, may be good for the football there. It would never happen here with our club, [glow=yellow,2,300]who could we join with? maybe Exeter and that would never be excepted by our fans or the city fans[/glow]. I'm not sure it would be a good thing at all?? Is there not a chance that both sets of supporters would take umbrage to joining forces and as a result the new team ('weychester' or 'Dormouth') would have even fewer supporters and find it even harder to survive?? Lets face it, if we put ourselves in those shoes and Us & Exeter merge (i can barely even write that) and they decide to play at Sid James Park (because it has a bigger capacity, and they do have bigger crowds). Even though it would be closer for me to go to watch the football, wild horses would not be able to drag me there. I might be very narrow minded on this issue but i for one would NOT be able to follow a combined excretia & Torquay team. Now imagine those poor supporters of Weymouth & Dorchester who are having to face the prospect of joining forces. On the other hand if it was the difference bewteen joining forces and going bust then i suppose i MIGHT have to take a different viewpoint? |
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 27, 2008 20:08:52 GMT
forevertufc no worries mate, just needed to make it clear it was my view. The club is right to keep putting out a positive message and it is thinking forward and upward we hope, but sums still need to add up.
Everything could look so different after Xmas anyway, lets dream for a few seconds here, we beat Oxford and get Man U away in the next round, get a draw and bring them back here.
I know the odds are really against this happening, but it could and even If it was not Man U, a good third round draw in the FA cup, would change the whole financial look to this season.
|
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 27, 2008 20:12:04 GMT
tufc01 I read your post after I started a new thread about how we would feel if we had to join with another club, maybe you could post your views on that thread as well.
|
|
tufc01
TFF member
Posts: 1,179
|
Post by tufc01 on Nov 27, 2008 20:48:54 GMT
I have heard nothing about any action the club might take, my view is only my own and come about by me doing some sums and the answers I got told me, things might have to change as Its my guess that we are paying out more than we are getting in. I don't normally go in for writing speculation and i'm not comfortable with what i am about to write, but i have heard this and wonder if anyone else has heard anything similar?? I know i could be in for some serious flak but..... About a week ago i was speaking with someone who 'reckons' (don't they all) they have 'reliable inside information', that the club has just about run out of money. It was suggested that before the wages could be paid this month, a large sum of money, approx £250k, had to be invested by the consortium and that they are relying on beating Oxford and a semi decent draw in the 3rd Round. I am rather scepticle about the relaibility of the comments and would prefer just to ignore them, bury my head in the sand and hope that it was just chineese whispers. However, there is just that slight worry begining to surface. |
|
|
|
Post by Budleigh on Nov 27, 2008 20:53:17 GMT
There are no problems on that front... The club haven't run out of money... don't worry.
|
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 27, 2008 21:00:02 GMT
There are no problems on that front... The club haven't run out of money... don't worry. Sure at this time we have not run out of money, but you must not forget the budget was worked out on gates of 3000, not the 2000 we are now getting. If the situation does not improve( good 3rd draw could change it all) then it surly would only be a matter of time before some cuts would have to be made. You can't keep taking out of the pot what is not going in. |
|
|
|
Post by Budleigh on Nov 27, 2008 21:06:21 GMT
Agreed. I was just replying to the words of tufc01 who seems to have heard a whisper from someone with 'reliable inside information' that the money is close to running out now... Although the gates need to be around the 2,500 mark there's still no panic at present on the financial front...
|
|
tufc01
TFF member
Posts: 1,179
|
Post by tufc01 on Nov 27, 2008 21:06:52 GMT
There are no problems on that front... The club haven't run out of money... don't worry. So the consortium haven't had to invest another £250k |
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 27, 2008 21:16:12 GMT
Sorry BudleighGull, it was because i missed tufc01 post above yours.
tufc01, I have not heard that they have had to put any money in, but they might have done who knows, Bateson had loaned the club over £400.000 at one time, so I'm sure that if any money had been put in, it would have been as a loan and all company's need to loan at times.
|
|
This period will test all of there resolve. 