Future funding of GTFC - is this possible?

didnt the club release a statement recently, pretty much begging people to use the bar in the main stand?

Quoted from ginnywings

Pubs like Wehterspoons thrive because they sell decent beer and food at reasonable prices.

Wetherspoons sells decent beer and food at reasonable prices because they have enormous buying power and can buy their beer in cheaply and afford to run some lines at a loss.

FFS, why do people on here obsess about GTFC branching out into other industries. . . . We can't even source decent burgers or staff with any social skills to serve them.  Surely that isn't rocket science in a town famed for it's food.

Why the hell don't they do fish and chips at the club's food outlets?  It's our USP, It's Grimsby, It's beyond the business acumen of Fenty et al and he was in the industry of processing the fu(ker.  

I can understand the pub analogies and the fact that they are closing on a daily basis,but i'm talking of a social club and there are plenty round here that have waiting lists for membership.I'm not talking about opening a Wetherspoons.

The last time i went to the Carr Lane club for example,was for a 50th birthday party in the back room which had about 70 people in.A good few of them are Town fans,which got me thinking about the supporters club idea.The main room containing the members was rammed and the bar was heaving all night.The reason being that the prices are way cheaper than a night out in town.They also have a snooker room,which was also quite full.

You can't tell me that they don't make some sort of profit and it isn't really that far fetched.Plenty of teams have such places and whether the customers are mongs or not,they still have the same money to spend as everyone else.It's hardly "branching out into other industries" as you put it RBOH and the points you made about the catering are exactly what i was getting at.That's why it would be better if the fans had more input,because the people running the club haven't got a clue.

As i said in my original post,maybe it's a stupid idea or maybe people are just too negative to see anything different.

Quoted from ginnywings

You can't tell me that they don't make some sort of profit and it isn't really that far fetched.Plenty of teams have such places and whether the customers are mongs or not,they still have the same money to spend as everyone else.It's hardly "branching out into other industries" as you put it RBOH and the points you made about the catering are exactly what i was getting at.That's why it would be better if the fans had more input,because the people running the club haven't got a clue.

As i said in my original post,maybe it's a stupid idea or maybe people are just too negative to see anything different.

This is the salient point for me.  We could all argue about the various merits, or lack there of, of different ideas but at least we are exploring those ideas.  What strikes me when I come back to BP is that the club very much feels like it has run out of ideas at least off the pitch.  

This doesn't preclude the idea of a new chairman being put in place with the ideas, energy and expertise to oversee vast improvements.  

ginnywings I think some sort of supporters club is a great idea I don't live in town so wouldn't get much use out of it on the social side of things but would be more than happy to pay an annual fee to be a member.

Another thing is and these may still happen but as I'm older I might have paid less attention to it, but as a kid I remember them having a family day at BP where you could go along and meet the players/get autographs & have pics taken with them.  Surely this sort of thing is a good way of getting the younger ones into GTFC - they could hold a  fun day, bouncy castle, face painting etc... charge a couple of quid to get in.  One of the things I loved when I was at school was being able to meet the players, something I'm sure I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do if I followed Manure or Liverpool.

Quoted from Tommy

What about a club members scheme like the Spanish clubs operate. Everyone pays an annual membership fee, and every few years there's an election when all the members vote on a club president (effectively running the club as a chairman figure).

Is this something that could work?
Maybe it is something the trust would consider if they have a controlling shareholding, since there wouldn't (I assume) be anyone in the trust capable of putting big sums of money in?
If 4000 fans put £50 in per year in this way that is £200,000 a year raised.

I'm sure it has lots of flaws but just an idea.

You're not too far away from the dream of a lot of people in the supporters trust movement. Originally all football clubs where just that, clubs. One member one vote.

Then when it got really competitive and professional some bright spark said, "I'll put money in to pay for better players, a grandstand and maybe a fence so we can charge peopleto come in, but I'll get a bigger say" (probably some businessman with a loud comedy Lancs accent). "I'll limit my liabilities by making it a limited company - I don't want any of you lot suing me when you break your leg falling down the terrace". Result "club" in name only.

The only way round that in this country is for a supporter owned organisation to buy up (or be given!) a majority shareholding, maybe enough to change the articles of association so you don't have rules saying you've got to "invest" (GTFC Board speak for "loan") £x thousands.

Quoted from BIGChris

Good job some of you werent around in the war!

We'd have given up, maybe even switched sides.

My thoughts entirely.

Can't believe this is the town from which 1000s of men went to work in the most dangerous job in the world.

Or the town which gave birth to the 10th (Service) Battalion the Lincolnshire Regiment.

At least the people fighting WWII had a strategic long-term plan.

I agree save the club but for how long and what's the PLAN for recovery or sustainability ?
Cutting our cloth is the obvious one but it's not ovely inspiring and can it last long term ?

So far there's a distinct lack of ideas, leadership and inspiration from all quarters - board, GTST, fans.
At the moment the only plan seems to be to "put your money in, cross your fingers and hope things on the pitch improve."

I also feel most people are too wrapped up in the structure and democratic workings of supporters groups they've taken their eye off the ball.
I'm all for democracy but have we even got time to implement all that ?

When are people(moreso those in the positions of power) gonna put their thinking caps on for actual ways to get to out of this mess and start to take the initiative ?

As a non regular ( i once was) I would happily donate £100 per year as an absent mariner to MY favourite team in the land......If i knew 80's glory, ginny wings, garth, grim rob, big chris, biccys, codalmighty, ian, psg, tiny, vicar, jockdock, mr doggies thoughts (spoony) were in charge, oh and les too!  x  

in fact £250 a year