The Falkirk FC Thread

[Higgenarse]

30 minutes ago, GunnerBairn said:

Not before we spark up debate on the standard of pies and lack of stadium bins.

The boy with the bins has left the building 

[GunnerBairn]

24 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

If we ever manage to get round to building a fourth stand it will definitely need to produce revenue on non match days to help pay for it I think. Whilst it would be great to have hospitality boxes, I'm not sure that we could sell them all on top of what we already do? Maybe in the Premier right enough and we wouldn't be in a position to build it until we get back there anyway.

Very true and of course every avenue should be explored to use the spaces on non-match days. One space is as good as another, and I guess the boxes could be used as office space for hire or meeting rooms during non-match week days. Some clever design could also incorporate facilities to the rear, facing on to the Foundation pitch for their use. The way the land sits opens up many possibilities. Hell you could stick a decent sized FFC restaurant in there, and fill a corner pod with a small FFC Hotel! (See Hearts have built one in Tynecastle now).  In fantasyland, a design which can ‘fold up and down’ to double as a concert stage for the summer gigs, would be ideal.

Edited February 9 by GunnerBairn

[BPM]

5 hours ago, PedroMoutinho said: 

I just don’t get the obsession with the gap needing to be closed through FSS memberships alone. To me if a supporter is choosing to put more of their hard earned cash into the club (whether that be through FSS, hospitality, merchandise or whatever), they should be thanked for that.

Have you not been paying attention for the last two years? 
How many times have we been told this is a historical gap for 15 years plus? We have filled the whole before with players sales and cup runs (as we did last season). Now a previous regime pretty much set us back on the player sales for 10 years by closing the academy and we are certainly not going to get good cup runs every season. So some sort of plan needed to be put in place out with those two things as we could not rely on soft loans any more. 
When the new funding plan was put in place we were told that to fill the £400,000 gap we would need to grow the FSS. Kenny Jamieson who headed it said there was around 5000 fans we could get to. If you got all 5000 you fill the hole plus 200k. Now that number is unrealistic and we are now pushing 900 which fills about 100k (net less the loan repayment), if you add other share sales this year and other donations my guess is about 150k is where we are at. The club has worked really hard on sponsorship, merchandise sales etc which I am sure will have gone above the targets set and will eat into the hole. To what extent I have no idea. The club also put the price of ST’s up this season which I would assume has also covered a bit too. Getting up will obviously help revenue but the trick will be to ensure we keep a lid on costs to get some benefit from that. 
So to say the club is merely obsessed with the FSS to fill the hole is frankly not true. 
What, on top of what they have done could they do? Who else but the fans is going to fill this void? Only about 20-25% of the fans are contributing to this at the moment, that is fact. No matter how you dress it up the scheme needs more supporters involved. It is not an obsession it is the model the shareholders voted for. Why would the Board not do what their shareholders voted for? The club recognised in the summer some fans did not wish to join FSS so launched the FFF fund. That gave a home for those fans, it went no where. We could try and get outside investment which I think should be done. Giving how proactive the Board has been I would be surprised if they haven’t had conversations on that front. A share issue has been ruled out for now. 

I keep asking you this question but you have still to give us any ideas outside this model as how the hole is to be filled. 
 

[LatapyBairn.]

7 hours ago, Latapy is god said:

So you accept mediocrity?

No, why? do you? 

Edited February 9 by LatapyBairn.

[Anthony Fitzgerald]

8 hours ago, Grangemouth Bairn said:

What is interesting is the number of economists on here

This. Genuinely believe some people are more interested in the running of the club than watching the matches. Some people are interested in just the football, and most like a mix of both. But this thread comes alive and adds multiple pages when it’s finance related, time after time.

[Disco Duck]

8 hours ago, Higgenarse said:

Already sold out my son

Grass

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

12 hours ago, Brockers61 said:

I see that Ayr United's redevelopment of their uncovered terracing is now taking shape and is due to be finished in time for the start of next season. Costs are quoted at £2 million which in this day and age doesn't sound too bad.  Do you think a similar solution of seats with terracing at the front would work at the Falkirk Stadium? 

I bring this up every time the 4th stand is mentioned, but bring back the gazebo! I loved being in there. 

[Brockers61]

Seeing as finance seems to be the current hot topic how about this for an idea for funding the new fourth stand?

Next season add £1 to ticket prices, this amount to be ring fenced and placed in an account to be used solely for the purpose of building of a new stand.

On the face of it it doesn't seem a lot of money but say we have roughly 100,000 people through the gates in a season then five years from now we would have in the region of £500k banked. No doubt we would need to iron out a few issues re VAT etc.  Once we have the 500k in the bank then the club can start approaching larger investors and sponsors to raise enough to get the construction under way. If this is not possible due to lack of investors, economic situation etc then the £1 levy just keeps rolling on and in 10 years we will have raised £1 million. 

Pretty simplistic approach I know but as they say the longest journey starts with the first step. If we don't make a start on doing something the we will be sitting here in 5/10 years bemoaning the fact we still don't have a stand.        

[Bairn to Believe]

4 minutes ago, Brockers61 said:

Seeing as finance seems to be the current hot topic how about this for an idea for funding the new fourth stand?

Next season add £1 to ticket prices, this amount to be ring fenced and placed in an account to be used solely for the purpose of building of a new stand.

On the face of it it doesn't seem a lot of money but say we have roughly 100,000 people through the gates in a season then five years from now we would have in the region of £500k banked. No doubt we would need to iron out a few issues re VAT etc.  Once we have the 500k in the bank then the club can start approaching larger investors and sponsors to raise enough to get the construction under way. If this is not possible due to lack of investors, economic situation etc then the £1 levy just keeps rolling on and in 10 years we will have raised £1 million. 

Pretty simplistic approach I know but as they say the longest journey starts with the first step. If we don't make a start on doing something the we will be sitting here in 5/10 years bemoaning the fact we still don't have a stand.        

Ticket prices went up this season with the club freezing prices next season. 
we need to get our house in order first before any additional stand is thought about imo. For me it’s on the wish list but not a priority. 

[gav-ffc]

15 hours ago, macclyde+ said:

Brian Kinnear.

Just signed with us, was he any good for you guys ?

Don’t watch the highlights v Airdrie in the play offs. He was training with Killie in the summer and hasn’t had a club since leaving us last summer think it says a lot.

[PedroMoutinho]

3 hours ago, BPM said:

Have you not been paying attention for the last two years? 
How many times have we been told this is a historical gap for 15 years plus? We have filled the whole before with players sales and cup runs (as we did last season). Now a previous regime pretty much set us back on the player sales for 10 years by closing the academy and we are certainly not going to get good cup runs every season. So some sort of plan needed to be put in place out with those two things as we could not rely on soft loans any more. 
When the new funding plan was put in place we were told that to fill the £400,000 gap we would need to grow the FSS. Kenny Jamieson who headed it said there was around 5000 fans we could get to. If you got all 5000 you fill the hole plus 200k. Now that number is unrealistic and we are now pushing 900 which fills about 100k (net less the loan repayment), if you add other share sales this year and other donations my guess is about 150k is where we are at. The club has worked really hard on sponsorship, merchandise sales etc which I am sure will have gone above the targets set and will eat into the hole. To what extent I have no idea. The club also put the price of ST’s up this season which I would assume has also covered a bit too. Getting up will obviously help revenue but the trick will be to ensure we keep a lid on costs to get some benefit from that. 
So to say the club is merely obsessed with the FSS to fill the hole is frankly not true. 
What, on top of what they have done could they do? Who else but the fans is going to fill this void? Only about 20-25% of the fans are contributing to this at the moment, that is fact. No matter how you dress it up the scheme needs more supporters involved. It is not an obsession it is the model the shareholders voted for. Why would the Board not do what their shareholders voted for? The club recognised in the summer some fans did not wish to join FSS so launched the FFF fund. That gave a home for those fans, it went no where. We could try and get outside investment which I think should be done. Giving how proactive the Board has been I would be surprised if they haven’t had conversations on that front. A share issue has been ruled out for now. 

I keep asking you this question but you have still to give us any ideas outside this model as how the hole is to be filled. 
 

As I have said, the club should be making sure there are as many options as possible for people to contribute to the club. FSS should be one part of that.

I’m also not sure how the closure of the academy prevents us selling players. Vaulks, Taylor, Wallace and Flynn have all been sold without coming through our academy.

Will be controversial but another thing I would do to stop the gap becoming any bigger is to cap academy spending at current levels until we are established in the premier league.

There is a danger imo (which the board have done well to avert to far) that you have coaches and fans understandably wanting more investment and you end up as an academy with a football club attached again.

The current approach also frees up resources to take gambles like Yeats, Lawal and Adams.

[MSG GTF!]

2 hours ago, Brockers61 said:

Seeing as finance seems to be the current hot topic how about this for an idea for funding the new fourth stand?

Next season add £1 to ticket prices, this amount to be ring fenced and placed in an account to be used solely for the purpose of building of a new stand.

Steady on, pal. Have you any idea the amount of people who can’t afford an extra quid a week? We’re paying enough on tickets, merchandise, hospitality, pies, stake bakes, beer, fags…and you want us to part with yet another pound of our hard earned??

[60`s bairn]

1 hour ago, PedroMoutinho said:

As I have said, the club should be making sure there are as many options as possible for people to contribute to the club. FSS should be one part of that.

I’m also not sure how the closure of the academy prevents us selling players. Vaulks, Taylor, Wallace and Flynn have all been sold without coming through our academy.

Will be controversial but another thing I would do to stop the gap becoming any bigger is to cap academy spending at current levels until we are established in the premier league.

There is a danger imo (which the board have done well to avert to far) that you have coaches and fans understandably wanting more investment and you end up as an academy with a football club attached again.

The current approach also frees up resources to take gambles like Yeats, Lawal and Adams.

Ryan Flynn was sold to Liverpool from our Academy in 2005. Murray Wallace was brought in from Rangers Academy to ours and spent a year or so in our Academy before getting into the first team.

[Newbornbairn]

First off - pretty sure there are plans for the 4th stand but it's a Foundation project involving community grants and the like. 

Like the idea of fans contributing directly to projects though - kinda like a church steeple fund. Things like a scoreboard or screen would be good. Make it a voluntary contribution like GoFundMe.

 

 

Ooh, ooh - if we get Clubber Lang to do an Only Fans we'll have a 4th stand and retractable roof by the summer!

[ShaggerG]

3 hours ago, Bairney The Dinosaur said:

I bring this up every time the 4th stand is mentioned, but bring back the gazebo! I loved being in there. 

I would think that could happen if we manage to get back to the Premier some day.

[ShaggerG]

23 minutes ago, Newbornbairn said:

First off - pretty sure there are plans for the 4th stand but it's a Foundation project involving community grants and the like. 

Like the idea of fans contributing directly to projects though - kinda like a church steeple fund. Things like a scoreboard or screen would be good. Make it a voluntary contribution like GoFundMe.

 

 

Ooh, ooh - if we get Clubber Lang to do an Only Fans we'll have a 4th stand and retractable roof by the summer!

That's an idea and maybe a way for folk who don't want to join the FSS to contribute on a random basis?

[Newbornbairn]

3 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

That's an idea and maybe a way for folk who don't want to join the FSS to contribute on a random basis?

Maybe FSS could put together a fans wishlist?

[Bairn in Exile]

3 hours ago, Bairney The Dinosaur said:

I bring this up every time the 4th stand is mentioned, but bring back the gazebo! I loved being in there. 

The gazebo was of its time as it were, it served its purpose to increase attendances but now that we have the KM7 it really isn't needed. Besides, they look terrible, just look at Cove or the one at Hamilton or even that one at Alloa. I'd rather have nowt than something like that along the east of the stadium. Better to bide our time and get a proper covered safe standing terrace built if / when we reach the land of milk and honey.

[Bairnardo]

Wee loan signing today would be just the ticket.

[Bairney The Dinosaur]

26 minutes ago, Bairn in Exile said:

The gazebo was of its time as it were, it served its purpose to increase attendances but now that we have the KM7 it really isn't needed. Besides, they look terrible, just look at Cove or the one at Hamilton or even that one at Alloa. I'd rather have nowt than something like that along the east of the stadium. Better to bide our time and get a proper covered safe standing terrace built if / when we reach the land of milk and honey.

All true, but I had so much fun in there and the fond memories will last forever.