The Falkirk FC Thread

[Ranaldo Bairn]

Nope, I just checked my internet history (  ) and it was actually the Sun, article dated 14/4/20. "League Windfall: SPFL's £9.3M prize money..."

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

So that's Falkirk Forever officially started. Seems the only real 'benefit' is paying the season ticket over a year.

Is it unfair for me to say that promoting FSS would have been a stronger option instead? Something along the lines of 'FSS x FFC' - join FSS and pay your season ticket over 12 months. I know they are already offering this option to members but feels like this should have been the chance for the club to really promote a clear reason to join FSS. Instead we get this slightly messy join one or the other.

[latapythelegend]

27 minutes ago, Bairney The Dinosaur said:

So that's Falkirk Forever officially started. Seems the only real 'benefit' is paying the season ticket over a year.

Is it unfair for me to say that promoting FSS would have been a stronger option instead? Something along the lines of 'FSS x FFC' - join FSS and pay your season ticket over 12 months. I know they are already offering this option to members but feels like this should have been the chance for the club to really promote a clear reason to join FSS. Instead we get this slightly messy join one or the other.

I don't see the benefit of the Falkirk Forever initiative. It just seems bonkers to me.

[SouthStander1876]

2 minutes ago, latapythelegend said:

I don't see the benefit of the Falkirk Forever initiative. It just seems bonkers to me.

Maybe for guys those that want to donate some more but dont agree with fan ownership. Could detract from FSS though

[Springfield]

25 minutes ago, Bairney The Dinosaur said:

So that's Falkirk Forever officially started. Seems the only real 'benefit' is paying the season ticket over a year.

Is it unfair for me to say that promoting FSS would have been a stronger option instead? Something along the lines of 'FSS x FFC' - join FSS and pay your season ticket over 12 months. I know they are already offering this option to members but feels like this should have been the chance for the club to really promote a clear reason to join FSS. Instead we get this slightly messy join one or the other.

Can understand the reason for the “Forever” however not fully understanding if a club like ours will have additional numbers prepared to back the Forever, especially as the guys behind the FSS are/have been working their arses off trying to the numbers to grow in the FSS. Be interesting to see what materialises. 

[latapythelegend]

11 minutes ago, SouthStander1876 said:

Maybe for guys those that want to donate some more but dont agree with fan ownership. Could detract from FSS though

You could make a donation without then need for this charity find though. You could buy shares in your own name as well. Doesn't necessary mean you support fan ownership.

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

9 minutes ago, SouthStander1876 said:

Maybe for guys those that want to donate some more but dont agree with fan ownership.

I think that is the aim, almost a replacement of B4l. Just feels to me it gets in the way of space the club could use to promote FSS. 

[Guest]

You need to really and truly need to want to do this. You cannot choose this because you can’t afford a ST up front, and this offers you an alternative pay monthly scheme. That would be daft, as you would indeed be paying a £120 paywall in order to get your ST. That’s a helluva huge APR if spreading the cost of your ST is your only driver.

The selling point of “100% of the money goes to the playing budget and academy” begs the question of “so then where does the FSS money go”? Does it go on less sexy expenditure that some might rather avoid, and so switch camps?
Given a continued upward trend in subscribers (made more difficult by our poor performances in 7 of our last 8 league games) FSS is likely to have secured all unsold shares in the next three and a bit years. Then what? It would have no reason to exist, so would it be sacrificed in favour of the FFF donation system?
 

 

[Brockers61]

7 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

You need to really and truly need to want to do this. You cannot choose this because you can’t afford a ST up front, and this offers you an alternative pay monthly scheme. That would be daft, as you would indeed be paying a £120 paywall in order to get your ST. That’s a helluva huge APR if spreading the cost of your ST is your only driver.

The selling point of “100% of the money goes to the playing budget and academy” begs the question of “so then where does the FSS money go”? Does it go on less sexy expenditure that some might rather avoid, and so switch camps?
Given a continued upward trend in subscribers (made more difficult by our poor performances in 7 of our last 8 league games) FSS is likely to have secured all unsold shares in the next three and a bit years. Then what? It would have no reason to exist, so would it be sacrificed in favour of the FFF donation system?
 

 

After reaching the 26% shareholding level (or whatever the target is) I’d be happy to keep my monthly payments going to contribute to another project/target. Say a new fourth stand, raise a 100k a year and within 5 years you would have half a million in the bank. Enough to cover legal, planning, architects costs etc and hopefully the club can The finance the balance through loans. Obviously dependent on us being back in, and established in, the SPL.

Any legal issues with this from a FSS perspective or would a new organisation need to be set up to take future fundraising forward?

[RC_Bairn]

1 hour ago, Bairney The Dinosaur said:

I think that is the aim, almost a replacement of B4l. Just feels to me it gets in the way of space the club could use to promote FSS. 

It's basically a replacement for B4L - but this time directly under the control of the club

[RC_Bairn]

22 minutes ago, Brockers61 said:

After reaching the 26% shareholding level (or whatever the target is) I’d be happy to keep my monthly payments going to contribute to another project/target. Say a new fourth stand, raise a 100k a year and within 5 years you would have half a million in the bank. Enough to cover legal, planning, architects costs etc and hopefully the club can The finance the balance through loans. Obviously dependent on us being back in, and established in, the SPL.

Any legal issues with this from a FSS perspective or would a new organisation need to be set up to take future fundraising forward?

The problem with initiatives such as FSS and Falkirk Forever is that the promises made to spend the money on X or Y are meaningless.  As soon as the money hits the club bank account then Directors are duty bound to spend it on what they deem are in the best interests of the business.  And with no transparency around what the football budget is - how would anyone ever know that the money has gone there?

[grumpyoldman]

8 hours ago, Caractacus Potts said:

Looking at their accounts it seems there was no share purchases and can’t see any large loans mentioned although admittedly no expert. 

Remember that’ll be last years accounts  that are lodged with companies house 

Edited April 20, 2023 by grumpyoldman

[Guest Caractacus Potts]

7 minutes ago, grumpyoldman said:

Remember that’ll be last years accounts  that are lodged with companies house 

Yeh up to June 2022 but no files submitted for the purchase of any shares. Just see no evidence to support the claim that their budget is much bigger. Going by previous accounts it would seem unlikely. 

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, RC_Bairn said:

The problem with initiatives such as FSS and Falkirk Forever is that the promises made to spend the money on X or Y are meaningless.  As soon as the money hits the club bank account then Directors are duty bound to spend it on what they deem are in the best interests of the business.  And with no transparency around what the football budget is - how would anyone ever know that the money has gone there?

Near enough impossible to differentiate £A from £B as it all goes to the same bank account I would imagine.

[Latapy is god]

Dont really get some of the outrage at this new scheme which ultimately replaces B4L without the monthly prizes.  End of the day, it's to help our club.

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

15 minutes ago, Latapy is god said:

Dont really get some of the outrage at this new scheme which ultimately replaces B4L without the monthly prizes.  End of the day, it's to help our club.

Outrage is too strong. Questioning it's effectiveness or necessity is not outrage.

[grumpyoldman]

1 hour ago, Caractacus Potts said:

1 hour ago, Caractacus Potts said:

Yeh up to June 2022 but no files submitted for the purchase of any shares. Just see no evidence to support the claim that their budget is much bigger. Going by previous accounts it would seem unlikely. 

Agreed, nor much sign of profit. The guy Smith who is Ayr’s majority shareholder is worth a bob or two though.

Edited April 20, 2023 by grumpyoldman

[Guest Caractacus Potts]

15 minutes ago, grumpyoldman said:

Agreed, nor much sign of profit. The guy Smith who is Ayr’s majority shareholder is worth a bob or two though.

Yeh seems like it. They have an average attendance is just over 1,500 so any money he is putting in is probably helping to keep them with a half decent budget for the championship but no bigger than ours as far as I can tell. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Caractacus Potts

[LatapyBairn.]

2 hours ago, Duncan Freemason said:

You need to really and truly need to want to do this. You cannot choose this because you can’t afford a ST up front, and this offers you an alternative pay monthly scheme. That would be daft, as you would indeed be paying a £120 paywall in order to get your ST. That’s a helluva huge APR if spreading the cost of your ST is your only driver.

The selling point of “100% of the money goes to the playing budget and academy” begs the question of “so then where does the FSS money go”? Does it go on less sexy expenditure that some might rather avoid, and so switch camps?
Given a continued upward trend in subscribers (made more difficult by our poor performances in 7 of our last 8 league games) FSS is likely to have secured all unsold shares in the next three and a bit years. Then what? It would have no reason to exist, so would it be sacrificed in favour of the FFF donation system?
 

 

I’ve asked this question before regarding the long term plan for the FSS, when the target shareholding is reached it’s imperative the money continues to be generated in order to make long term fan ownership an attractive option so it would be good to set out a vision. Perhaps the supporters society money could be ring fenced to fund the academy or to help fund a development on the stadium east side, or even just ring fencing it to supplement the playing budget. The guys on the board and the FSS committee need to get together and come up with something members/fans will continually invest in. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by LatapyBairn.

[grahamstonbairn]

2 hours ago, RC_Bairn said:

It's basically a replacement for B4L - but this time directly under the control of the club

….and without the monthly prizes.