Re: What can we do? : Sun Aug 11, 2013 6:58 pm  

Question has anyone asked the club/ David Hughs if they want or would agree to the suporters buy out of the club. The current situation is different to when we left Charlton as we had nobody who was going to sponerser the club for the next season.

Re: What can we do? : Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:49 am  

Will there be anything planned for the Hudds match where we can talk about the LIST plan, what the pledges will be used for etc? Or some future forum type thing (esp if the club aren't going to do one)?

Re: What can we do? : Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:43 am  

I'll be handing out flyers at the game on Saturday (if my printer can stand the strain!). I would expect the conversation to start when we get an indication of interest, with a target of setting up the Trust at the start of next season.
But don't forget pledges are only pledges and are not compulsory for Trust membership.

[Jimmythecuckoo]

Re: What can we do? : Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:51 am  

If you are able to do a range of packages to suit differing budgets (i.e less than a grand)... I would be interested in helping you out.

Despite being a Dragons fan I can see the point of League in the South and love my annual trip to see Catalans play you.

I suspect most fans of other clubs enjoy a trip out in London to so I would like to think they might be keen to protect you.

Re: What can we do? : Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:41 pm  

Thanks for that. The idea is there will be a membership for the Trust, probably £50 a year, and that will entitle you to one vote just like everyone else. Once we're established if people can commit more then I hope they will - but the fundamental democratic nature of the Trust will remain whether you can afford more than the membership or not.

Re: What can we do? : Sun Aug 18, 2013 10:05 am  

Thanks to everyone for their positive response to the leafleting at the game yesterday. I think we must have spoken to at least 90% of the fans as they came to the turnstiles - apologies if we missed you.
I was struck by the number of people who knew about it for one, and the number who were broadly supportive or willing to stop and talk about it. We'll see over the next few weeks if that turns in to potential members

Re: What can we do? : Sun Aug 18, 2013 10:16 am  

Well done and hope this one flies. You talk to 90% of the fans, the "club", despite having a matchday programme/magazine and a PA system at its disposal, talks to 0%.

(Managed to sidestep you yesterday because you were busy with somebody else, but obviously I'm aware of what you're doing.)

Re: What can we do? : Sun Aug 18, 2013 3:56 pm  

I have a few issues.

Firstly, there is no way a Supporters Trust could sustain the running of a Super League club in London. There simply isn't enough numbers around to invest such a vast amount into a club annually.

Secondly, what point is a Supporters Trust? It has become apparent to myself and probably all of you that David Hughes is running the club into the ground and will not accept any outside help (I remember GF saying he has sent hundreds of emails with ideas that have been ignored) in the running of the club. What point would there be in people putting their hands into their pockets any more than they already are to give the club money that will not be re-invested wisely into the club.

Another issue is, you are expecting people to stump up a grand at most as well as the price of a season ticket. Realistically, how many people will be in a position to stump up around £1,200 to the club? People travel far and wide to support the club and will pay out masses to travel to the club as well as what they spend on tickets, merchandise, food and drink. I can't see a huge amount being in a position to fork out that much money, despite the fact they would like to. Even the £500 option is quite expensive at £750 per annum.

However, I'll end on a positive note. London Rugby League is thriving in the amateur game. There are countless clubs with countless age groups, players, parents and sponsors that are there to be targeted. Use examples of Sarginson, Dixon and LMS and show these clubs and businesses that sponsor them that a Rugby League team is vital to the Capital.

Re: What can we do? : Sun Aug 18, 2013 5:14 pm  

Moe Lester wrote:

I have a few issues.

Firstly, there is no way a Supporters Trust could sustain the running of a Super League club in London. There simply isn't enough numbers around to invest such a vast amount into a club annually.

Secondly, what point is a Supporters Trust? It has become apparent to myself and probably all of you that David Hughes is running the club into the ground and will not accept any outside help (I remember GF saying he has sent hundreds of emails with ideas that have been ignored) in the running of the club. What point would there be in people putting their hands into their pockets any more than they already are to give the club money that will not be re-invested wisely into the club.

Another issue is, you are expecting people to stump up a grand at most as well as the price of a season ticket. Realistically, how many people will be in a position to stump up around £1,200 to the club? People travel far and wide to support the club and will pay out masses to travel to the club as well as what they spend on tickets, merchandise, food and drink. I can't see a huge amount being in a position to fork out that much money, despite the fact they would like to. Even the £500 option is quite expensive at £750 per annum.

However, I'll end on a positive note. London Rugby League is thriving in the amateur game. There are countless clubs with countless age groups, players, parents and sponsors that are there to be targeted. Use examples of Sarginson, Dixon and LMS and show these clubs and businesses that sponsor them that a Rugby League team is vital to the Capital.

Moe, I agree with you on most points! Supporters Trusts, that I have seen, seem to be there just to ensure a small club survives, and nothing really more. If David Hughes is in discussions with the RFL, to get out, then like the Wrexham situation, we would go to the bottom and have to start all over again. Even if we managed to climb and gain promotion one day, as Moe suggests how could we survive in Super League. I admire the work being done by both The Skolars and The Stags, but there attendances are not really building, how many feel they will achieve Super League status?

Young players are being developed, but if there is no Super League Club in the Capital, what have they to really aim for, a move to the North? It saddened me today, some of our younger players (scholarship), playing their last game, as the season comes to an end, some say they will now look for a good job and some go back to play Union.

Our base of loyal fans come from a much larger area than Northern Super League players, one Giants player tweeted the other day, what a journey down to London, to some of them, it seems it is the other side of the world? I reminded him that our players do that fortnightly.

Our Club has let us down badly, the last few seasons it has been a failure, I am fed up of defending it. I spoke to so many colleagues in advertising, TV/Radio and music, a few came down in our first stay at The Stoop, but that was it, they would not even come to a game these last two seasons. We have failed? but the RFL has allowed it, were they would not let that happen to The Bulls, if The Giants started to struggle on their attendances, no way would they let them fail!

Re: What can we do? : Sun Aug 18, 2013 6:54 pm  

The difference between Bradford and Broncos is that Bradford had an asset, their home ground, whereas the Broncos don't. There is nothing that I can see that the Broncos have as an asset, any help from the RFL would be simply buying the players and their kits, not a lot else. That's the same with any potential investor to the club, the Broncos aren't a great business proposition.

Maybe a club rebuilt like the North Wales club would be a good thing. Maybe the enjoyment that people have lost will return when the club are run by the fans and the members are consulted with club matters. Yes, the attendances will be small and the big name players will not be gracing the pitch but the enjoyment may return and some of the fans return.

A big problem though will be the lack of players for clubs like Hemel and Skolars who draw some of their players from the Broncos. If all three were in the same league then that would be almost impossible to do.

Also, would people be interested in the Skolars as their club rather than starting up a new club that would be in direct competition with them? Skolars are a club at the bottom level and although they are growing, it is still a club that could be run the right way with some more income.