An open letter from Gavin

[silent majority]

This letter points out how difficult it is going to be through another lockdown;

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2020/november/an-open-letter-from-chief-executive-gavin-baldwin/

[IDM]

Thanks SM.. any developments with the supposed assistance from the EPL.?

[tyke1962]

That doesn't sound too good at all , hopefully Rovers can see this out .

[ian1980]

I think it was said in the previous thread about this subject but there must be some clubs that are in far worse situations than us and it can’t be long until we see some going to the wall unless something is done and soon

[since-1969]

Well if they don’t sign up to the PL offer it could come to a point where funds will run out and being unable to effectively cover refunds which all clubs are legally obligated to offer .

[Campsall rover]

How long will it take for action.
Are they going to wait for one more club to go to the wall or will it be 5 clubs or maybe 20 clubs.

Action is needed immediately. Not in January, March or May.

2 more months could be 5 clubs gone, maybe more. 6 months and we will have a football catastrophe on our hands.

For crying out loud Premier league, do you have a conscious. You have a moral obligation to help the EFL clubs. What’s 1 million pounds to these clubs, peanuts.
20 clubs 1 million each 20 million. Well that’s a start. Would probably keep all League 1 & 2 clubs afloat for the rest of this season I would think.

Any chance it happening. Just seen 3 pigs fly over Campsall. 

[since-1969]

The PL have played their hand by it’s fake offer of prosperity so it is now every club for it’s self  . A break away European league is now very likely and the domestic leagues and FA cup being cut adrift .

[selby]

  I hope so 1969, and I hope the other clubs have the bo**ocks to just move up through all the leagues teams to replace them in English football, and let them piss off to play themselves, and should be told if they ever want to return they set off in the bottom rung.
 

[Pancho Regan]

This letter points out how difficult it is going to be through another lockdown;

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2020/november/an-open-letter-from-chief-executive-gavin-baldwin/

Martin, thanks for sharing this.

These are indeed very worrying times for EFL clubs in general and for our beloved Rovers in particular.

I know that like me, many fans are doing their best to help our club in various ways during these desperate times.
Perhaps by buying from the club shop online, subscribing to I-follow, the Rovers lottery, investing in the In Rovers Supporters We Trust initiative, foregoing their Season Ticket refund and more.

But with this latest news I wonder if the time is right for a simple Crowdfunding site to be set up in order for Rovers fans to give donations directly to the club to help it survive?

A target sum could be set, however modest, for example maybe £20,000 for starters. I’ve no idea what impact such a sum would have but I’m sure every little helps.
Or we could stick our necks out and set the target at £50,000?
 I’m sure we could muster 5,000 fans to give a tenner, or 10,000 fans to donate a fiver?

I’m not volunteering to set the site up because I don’t have a lot of spare time and I don’t know how these things are done, but I’d be happy to pledge £50 to get it started.

Any thoughts?

[selby]

 Yes, it is a good idea. Perhaps the VSC could help with the setting up side of things rather than an individual or other group who might find the responsibility daunting.

[since-1969]

Crowd funding is IMO a peculiar solution as it asks for funds without purchase. More clubs should be run by their supporters or at least represented on the board of directors and elected to the posts . Without wanting to seem ungrateful with the way DRFC is run , the present circumstances are what causes reflection on the future and how to sustain in it , without knowing if Normal’ will ever return and what to do there in .

Most clubs boards are studious businessmen with a knack of managing from experience, yet when a black hole appears , how long do you look into it before you either see light at the end or walk away without  a EFL backed solution .
The PL offer was rejected  and by doing this absolving PL of any responsibility when the EFL should be making a counter offer which would have kept the conversation going and passing the responsibility back to the PL to find a better solution. 

This lock down though it doesn’t alter the behind closed doors games it does say that the season will most definitely not see spectators return before it ends and the question of clubs going bust very likely.

[LincsRover]

This letter points out how difficult it is going to be through another lockdown;

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2020/november/an-open-letter-from-chief-executive-gavin-baldwin/

Martin, thanks for sharing this.

These are indeed very worrying times for EFL clubs in general and for our beloved Rovers in particular.

I know that like me, many fans are doing their best to help our club in various ways during these desperate times.
Perhaps by buying from the club shop online, subscribing to I-follow, the Rovers lottery, investing in the In Rovers Supporters We Trust initiative, foregoing their Season Ticket refund and more.

But with this latest news I wonder if the time is right for a simple Crowdfunding site to be set up in order for Rovers fans to give donations directly to the club to help it survive?

A target sum could be set, however modest, for example maybe £20,000 for starters. I’ve no idea what impact such a sum would have but I’m sure every little helps.
Or we could stick our necks out and set the target at £50,000?
 I’m sure we could muster 5,000 fans to give a tenner, or 10,000 fans to donate a fiver?

I’m not volunteering to set the site up because I don’t have a lot of spare time and I don’t know how these things are done, but I’d be happy to pledge £50 to get it started.

Any thoughts?

I’d donate as well if that’s what it takes to have a team to support, but like you I don’t have the time or skills to set it up. F*ck*ng hate the EPL and sky for putting teams like ours in jeopardy like this. They should hang their heads in shame. I hope the top 6 greedy tw*ts f*ck off to some European league and we can get our game back again. But, whatever happens, never let the b*st*rds back in again.

[since-1969]

Yes, it is a good idea. Perhaps the VSC could help with the setting up side of things rather than an individual or other group who might find the responsibility daunting.

So we all each put in £300-400 in crowd funding  and then the same amount again next season for our season tickets and if it doesn't reach the  target , we need to do another crowd funding exercise . Not with standing that EFL blocked JRs attempt to do something similar a few years ago . The board have a decision to make and I’d trust their judgment over nine every day !!

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I don't think it's the right option that fans should have to step up. Government, the fa, efl and premier League need to get a solution sorted.  In the grand scheme of things donations from a few fans will make next to no difference, not is it sustainable for what could be a long road ahead yet.  The authorities have to sort it.

[Campsall rover]

I don't think it's the right option that fans should have to step up. Government, the fa, efl and premier League need to get a solution sorted.  In the grand scheme of things donations from a few fans will make next to no difference, not is it sustainable for what could be a long road ahead yet.  The authorities have to sort it.

I would be willing to donate if it helped save the Club I love.
You are right though BFYP it would only paper over the cracks and we need a proper and fair distribution of wealth across all the leagues.
Why is there so little progress in finding a solution. The football authorities and Premier league should hang their heads in shame.

The big 6 made a self interest offer which was rightly rejected.
As Selby ( Brian ) says let them go and join a European Super League. Good riddance to your greed.
Don’t ask to come back & if you do I look forward to Chelsea / Arsenal / Spurs v Cray Wanderers in the 8th tier of English football as an example and Manchester Utd / City & Liverpool v Ashton United  in the northern equivalent.
Now that would be something to look forward to. 

Better still though is they all bugger off and don’t come back.

[Colin C No.3]

I don't think it's the right option that fans should have to step up. Government, the fa, efl and premier League need to get a solution sorted.  In the grand scheme of things donations from a few fans will make next to no difference, not is it sustainable for what could be a long road ahead yet.  The authorities have to sort it.

But what if the authorities don't sort it out?

The government has far bigger issues to address at this time. We've had 'personal experience' of how pathetically the EFL deal with matters (or not) with the Bolton fiasco. The FA are as toothless as the EFL. The Premier League are only interested in The Premier League. If you need 'proof' of that & for those of you who don't subscribe to The Popular Stand I'll give you a direct quote from Glen's excellent editorial from issue No.101 from a source that may lift an eyebrow.

"If the Premier League can do their bit to enhance the chances of other teams in surviving possibly they may step in, but does that mean every hedge-fund manager who is incredibly successful does that - filter down to the hedge-fund managers who are not successful?"

As Glen goes on to say, that quote didn't come from The Premier League Chief Exec or a rich owner of 'The Top Six' it came from Sean Dyche. Sean bloody Dyche! A manager, again to quote from Glen's piece, who spent his entire playing career in the Football League, who's club has been in the top flight for just 7 of the past 44 seasons, a club who in 1987 had to beat Leyton Orient in the last game of the season & still hope that other results went their way in order to prevent them dropping out of the football league, Sean Dyche who to me & I suspect other supporters, as the one Premiership Manager who comes across as a fair minded, grounded, knows where his roots lay & seems to have little truck with 'cheating divers', other Premiership Managers who when their team is beaten don't have the grace to shake hands after the game before storming off down the tunnel, that Sean Dyche. The man who's 'clever quote' can be 'distilled' into "Tough luck, but don't knock on my door asking for change for a cup of tea".

I don't know if a few quid from Rovers supporters would be simply papering over the cracks, or wouldn't be sustainable, or shouldn't be our 'responsibility'.

Pancho merely asked the question. There are those I'm sure who would like a 'proper conduit' to financially support the club with a monetary donation that sits alongside supporting the club in other ways like joining the lottery, foregoing any refund on bought season tickets, purchases from the club shop etc.

As Pancho points out, we don't know if £20k, £50k or even £100k would scratch the surface, but I'm damn sure it wouldn't hurt.

Supposing 500 supporters were able to set up a Direct Debit of £40 a month to the club for the next 12 months. That would be £250,000. I'm sure that might 'scratch the surface'. 1,000 supporters you can do the math.

I'm sure most of us have our regular charities that we give to. Some may even help fund 'Strictly', 'I'm a celebrity...' etc., by phoning in to vote.

If you find yourself in a position to be able to donate financially at this period of time when our club needs it BADLY, can someone cleverer than me provide the means to do so in a format where we can see the accumulative monies paid in & hopefully raise enough in order to make it count.

[graingrover]

It is quite easy to devise your own system of help .I pay for an I follow season pass and recently asked the club to calculate how much more I needed to cover the cost of a normal season ticket then paid that .Not boasting just saying it is very easy to contribute and just needs a simple e mail to Shaun or in my case to Tracy .

[silent majority]

Thanks SM.. any developments with the supposed assistance from the EPL.?

Nothing at the moment, it's very quiet on that front.

[Campsall rover]

Thanks SM.. any developments with the supposed assistance from the EPL.?

Nothing at the moment, it's very quiet on that front.

It’s like waiting for Christmas. Oh no it isn’t, Easter more like. Too late for Dozens of clubs by then i suspect.

[silent majority]

Thanks Pancho/all,

I had a long chat with Gavin earlier today and we had a deeper dive into some of the details that were in his open letter. I also told him about the generous offers from Pancho and others and we've agreed to meet up again shortly to discuss this and other ideas.

But, and I can't stress this enough, the key contribution that we can make, and the one that could see us either survive or fail, is that we don't ask for refunds on our season tickets if we can possibly afford to. We've had no ticket revenue for a number of months now, having to return what we have currently banked will hurt more than you could imagine.

Meanwhile I'll report back after I've met up with Gavin again.

[Chris Black come back]

Am amazed at the quality of our squad given the brutal financial reality. Not sure how we have managed this but we are in a better place than last season in terms of squad quality both absolutely and relative to our promotion competition.

[Campsall rover]

Thanks Pancho/all,

I had a long chat with Gavin earlier today and we had a deeper dive into some of the details that were in his open letter. I also told him about the generous offers from Pancho and others and we've agreed to meet up again shortly to discuss this and other ideas.

But, and I can't stress this enough, the key contribution that we can make, and the one that could see us either survive or fail, is that we don't ask for refunds on our season tickets if we can possibly afford to. We've had no ticket revenue for a number of months now, having to return what we have currently banked will hurt more than you could imagine.

Meanwhile I'll report back after I've met up with Gavin again.

I would like to think SM at least 90% of season ticket holders would be happy to donate their money to the club this season

I know a huge percentage of Yorks CCC members donated their membership to the club this summer.
Sure the same would happen at all the football clubs.

[Colin C No.3]

RTID never meant more at this time.

Hats off to Pancho for having broached the subject & hopefully initiated another tangible in which we can help OUR club.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I cant say I agree with accepting zero refund for a number of reasons at the moment but will wait and see what is proposed.  I do think it should be an open choice and that there should be no grumbles to anyone who does feel that way.  It's a massive outgoing for a lot of people in really tough times.

Fair play to anyone who feels that way and what I would say to anyone who does want to donate money is wait, don't try and do it through I follow packages etc.  Straight away 20% of that money goes to hmrc, a little more  creativity makes more sense (foundation donations perhaps an obvious one?)

[graingrover]

Another thought ...7.000 fans pay £10 match fees for every game of which Rovers receive 80% .I calculate a season revenue of about £2.5 million from that .

[bpoolrover]

I doubt we will get anywhere near that thou will be 5k less than that probably more

[selby]

 I suggested a shares  or bonds issue earlier in the season.  They could be classed as B shares or bonds with one representative of the whole lot being on the board, could even be through the supporters club.
  The idea of  Colin C and a direct debit drip feed has some merit in it and could be linked to the purchase.
  I would like a supporters committee to be in control of the actual funds though and donate to the club as and when required so as no future owner of the club just walked in to gain the assets of any funds other than to benefit the club itself.
 











 

[silent majority]

So, what you're suggesting then selby is that we turn the supporters club into a supporters trust? A bit strange when we already have a supporters trust that does exactly (pretty much) everything you've just suggested.

[Janso]

Another thought ...7.000 fans pay £10 match fees for every game of which Rovers receive 80% .I calculate a season revenue of about £2.5 million from that .

Don't forget there'll be a fair few families that only buy one pass between them though, that'll cut down on the amount of people buying.

On the other hand, it's cheaper and more accessible - especially winter midweek kick offs - now, so...

[ss1953]

But also remember people like me, who live so far away that I can only attend 6 -10 live home games each season.
However, I've watched nearly every game streaming and paid my tenner to support the club.
I'll spend more on streaming than tickets this season.

LNER will be hurting from lack of ticket and booze revenue.

There must be more of the Donny diaspora around who are contributing