The Falkirk FC Thread

[Springfield]

June 2024 Newsletter

Dear Member,  The FSS membership has this month exceeded the 1000 members mark (more on this later!). This means that we are now collectively contributing over £150,000 a year and we still hold our 25.1% shareholding. In just over two years the FSS has really cemented itself as a vital part of our club. It’s a special place to be. Many of our members have started contributing more than the minimum £10 a month and so, only if you comfortably can, please think about increasing your contribution and helping our club push on We’ve had our first preseason game against Dumbarton on Saturday, and a 3-2 win just builds on the excitement for the season ahead. The start of the season always brings optimism, and we think there is a lot to be optimistic about with this team. Nobody knows what the season will bring, but the only thing that can be guaranteed is that FSS members have played their part in providing the club with that bit extra to push us forward.  Our Progress on Your Ideas The regular feature where we can provide you with a monthly update on the FSS Committee’s progress on your ideas.  Securing our shareholding At (and since) our members meeting on 1 September, it had been understood that a mechanism which allowed the FSS to continue to contribute all funds to the club, whilst retaining the ability to secure our shareholding in the event of a future share issue, should be explored. At the FSS AGM in March, members were shown the options and heard that the Committee is recommending that our Partnering Agreement with FFC be amended to reflect that, in the event of a share issue, the FSS is issued a “Part Paid” class of shares which consequently protects the shareholding immediately, without the requirement for all funds to be available upfront. This had been submitted to the board for discussion at a forthcoming Partnering Agreement review, however this has been understandably delayed while the board look to manage the important company secretarial role so well performed by Gordon. Once everyone is satisfied that this is something we can move forward with, it will be shared with the membership for their thoughts before any final agreement. Junior Membership Members made it clear that there was an appetite to explore a FSS junior membership – and the Committee agreed! The FSS proposes to create a free 'subscription' membership for under 16s. It has been determined that the Junior Membership should best engage young people in the ethos of the FSS message "Fund, Safeguard and have your Say". Regarding 'Fund', it was suggested that by placing a cost on membership this would result in a parent/guardian contributing and would not engage the young person. A suggestion from the Junior Bairns will be taken forward whereby a contribution portal, which has an incentive to contribute towards, is created to encourage the young person to engage in this way. Regarding 'Safeguard', Junior Members will receive an E-certificate of ownership as our safeguarding is associated with the 25%+1 ownership of shares. Regarding 'have your Say', as Junior Members will not be permitted to vote or stand for election to Committee (as per our constitution) they will be engaged through focus groups and surveys with parental consent. Look out for the launch in July! PayPal After discussions with members, it was determined that the FSS should move away from PayPal due to their fees and the max 2-year subscription.  Members are removed from our membership list when not switching from PayPal. This is particularly disappointing as all the successful work that is being undertaken by all to attract new members is being counteracted by these drop-offs. These were individuals who signed up in the first couple of months of the subscriptions-based model and were vital in getting this off the ground. We believe that many, possibly even all, of these members are not dropping off through choice, but that the message has not yet got through to them that their subscriptions have ended. There’s still around 150 members contributing through PayPal and we don’t want this to happen unwillingly to any other members, so please, if you know anyone who may be in this situation then encourage them to continue their membership through our other payment options. There has always been the option to set up a Standing Order payment and this remains the preferred method for membership. You can set up a minimum £10 monthly Standing Order to the details below: Falkirk Supporters Society Ltd Bank of Scotland Account number - 21724460 Sort code - 80-22-60 It would be greatly appreciated, if switching to a Standing Order, you could also email us at subscriptions@falkirksupporters.org with your Full Name, Email Address, First Payment Date and Donation Amount as this would greatly assist with our tracking. Your data will not be shared and our Privacy and GDPR policy can be viewed at https://falkirksupporters.org/fss-policy-documents/.  Additionally, we have use of Total Tickets as a payment platform replacement which will be particularly useful for overseas subscribers. Members can switch by filling in their details hereand cancelling their PayPal subscriptions. 1000 Members! We’ve done it! The FSS Committee had set itself a target of 1000 members before the start of the new season and we’ve passed it (1002 to be exact!). This is an incredible achievement after just over two years and highlights just how engaged the support can be in a fan-ownership journey. We held our best competition yet when we passed the 1000 members mark and our lucky winners were contacted by email. These were the prizes, keep an eye out for more of our competitions: To carry the ball on flag raising day Win a signed NEW top Win a signed ball.  As a general rule, fan ownership groups tend to reach a membership of roughly half the number of season tickets. We had previously said that’s probably somewhere in the region of 1300 for us…but after the response from Bairns this season we really should be aiming to push way beyond the 1500 mark. For now though, lets enjoy being 1000! Summer Signings As you will all be aware of now, FSS contributions form part of the football budget and the most exciting part of the football budget is of course…new signings! This summer, as John and Paul have done such an incredible job (with the help of FSS funds of course!) of keeping the Invincibles together, we only get to spotlight a few new faces! Welcome to FSS funded summer signings Jamie Sneddon and Michael McKenna. And welcome back to permanent signings Dylan Tait and Ethan Ross! More contributions = more signings!! Volunteers The FSS continues to grow, which is great news but that also brings new challenges in how we manage the organisation as a lot of our administration has been done manually. Unfortunately, there were no new applications to join the FSS committee at the recent AGM, but there are co-opted positions available for people who could help develop the FSS or just help with routine activities. We have already received responses from several members already who may be able to provide assistance in the area of business administration but we are also looking for help in assistance in other areas such as marketing and building capability on the committee. Even if you just wish to volunteer some time without joining the Committee, we would appreciate all offers of help.  If you are interested or would like to learn more in getting involved, please get in touch with us at admin@falkirksupporters.org or through our social media channels. “One of Our Own” This month we would like to highlight our friends at Crunchy Carrots. They designed and supported us with the launch of our new website. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner.  Check out our new website here - https://falkirksupporters.org/ And check out Crunchy Carrots here - https://crunchycarrots.co.uk/ If any members, individuals or business, wish to share something with the wider membership, then please get in touch with us at admin@falkirksupporters.org. Our business partners

[FFC 1876]

1000 members and 150k+ a year is FANtastic. COYB

[GunnerBairn]

1 hour ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

The second and final one will be during the week, which is probably all I can say. There haven't been any surprise faces on the days I've been in. Everyone I've seen at training is a signed Falkirk player, other than U18s  who often get a chance to train with the first team and which goes on throughout the year. 

U18s have their first friendly next midweek. Women have their first friendly two weeks today. I presume both will be publicised on the usual social media places. 

 

Regarding the U18s, does anyone know if the lad McNab is a defender and if he’s a CB? He was on the bench vs Alloa on trophy day, I think, and if he’s a CB then would hope to see him and Logan Sinclair more, given our defensive issues.

[Bainsfordbairn]

3 minutes ago, GunnerBairn said:

Regarding the U18s, does anyone know if the lad McNab is a defender and if he’s a CB? He was on the bench vs Alloa on trophy day, I think, and if he’s a CB then would hope to see him and Logan Sinclair more, given our defensive issues.

Yes to both. He's a youth player (schoolboy?) and isn't one of those who was given an apprenticeship, so you might not see much of him. I think he's still young enough to play with the U18s next season so he probably still has time to earn a contract. I assume he was pulled into the squad on the final day due to the lack of defensive cover. 

[LauriestonBairn]

Noticed all the wee ticket stubs are yellow. Could this be a hint about the colour of the away top?

[Anthony Fitzgerald]

21 minutes ago, LauriestonBairn said:

Noticed all the wee ticket stubs are yellow. Could this be a hint about the colour of the away top?

Coincidence.

[Bigbrbairn]

Watching Yamal play for Spain last night and thought he was like a young Callum Morrison 

Edited yesterday at 14:10 by Bigbrbairn

[ClathyDave]

Would’ve taken this as a goalkeeper jersey, big fan.

[Bairnardo]

Just now, ClathyDave said:

Would’ve taken this as a goalkeeper jersey, big fan.

Whose arms and face are those? 

[Stainrod]

20 hours ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

Yes to both. He's a youth player (schoolboy?) and isn't one of those who was given an apprenticeship, so you might not see much of him. I think he's still young enough to play with the U18s next season so he probably still has time to earn a contract. I assume he was pulled into the squad on the final day due to the lack of defensive cover. 

The lack of progress of any players from the development squad is a concern . Although in principle I support the concept of developing our own young players I’m not sure of the financial value especially given that every penny is important in a very competitive championship. 
Guys I know who watch the shire and junior football locally say that none of our current youth loanees will cut it in the championship! Worrying !

[Shodwall cat]

26 minutes ago, Stainrod said:

The lack of progress of any players from the development squad is a concern . Although in principle I support the concept of developing our own young players I’m not sure of the financial value especially given that every penny is important in a very competitive championship. 
Guys I know who watch the shire and junior football locally say that none of our current youth loanees will cut it in the championship! Worrying !

Are these modern apprenticeships not funded to some extent though?

[Reggie Perrin]

27 minutes ago, Stainrod said:

The lack of progress of any players from the development squad is a concern . Although in principle I support the concept of developing our own young players I’m not sure of the financial value especially given that every penny is important in a very competitive championship. 
Guys I know who watch the shire and junior football locally say that none of our current youth loanees will cut it in the championship! Worrying !

Hardly surprising given the self destruction of our youth system in recent years.

It will no doubt come good again but will take time.

[AJ1981]

2 minutes ago, Reggie Perrin said:

Hardly surprising given the self destruction of our youth system in recent years.

It will no doubt come good again but will take time.

just checked on transfer market, 3 are 17, 2 are 18 and 1 is 19,  the oldest being the goalkeeper.  i suspect most teams in the championship will not be playing players that age regularly. 

[Bainsfordbairn]

11 minutes ago, Shodwall cat said:

Are these modern apprenticeships not funded to some extent though?

I think the money comes from fundraising by things like golf days, sportsmens dinners and sponsorship. It's notable that the academy has a different sponsor from the first team. 

I believe the sponsor only does youth football, used to be involved at the club and then pulled out in protest when the academy closed. So the money isn't coming out of the first team budget. 

 

I don't care about the opinion of guys who watch the Shire and junior football. TBH I'm not bothered about the opinion of many Falkirk fans  either, particularly when I read some of the stuff that goes up on COYB. I trust Tony Begg and John McGlynn though. If they think these guys are worth handing out apprenticeships to that's good enough for me. 

 

 

[Reggie Perrin]

3 minutes ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

I think the money comes from fundraising by things like golf days, sportsmens dinners and sponsorship. It's notable that the academy has a different sponsor from the first team. 

I believe the sponsor only does youth football, used to be involved at the club and then pulled out in protest when the academy closed. So the money isn't coming out of the first team budget. 

 

I don't care about the opinion of guys who watch the Shire and junior football. TBH I'm not bothered about the opinion of many Falkirk fans  either, particularly when I read some of the stuff that goes up on COYB. I trust Tony Begg and John McGlynn though. If they think these guys are worth handing out apprenticeships to that's good enough for me. 

 

 

Why subject yourself to the eye bleeding drivel on the COYB pages?

Most of the posters on there have yet to master writing with a crayon and are barely capable of coherent thought.

[AJ1981]

22 minutes ago, Reggie Perrin said:

Why subject yourself to the eye bleeding drivel on the COYB pages?

Most of the posters on there have yet to master writing with a crayon and are barely capable of coherent thought.

Can’t argue with the sentiment but I’d have worded it a bit differently 

[FFC 1876]

1 hour ago, Stainrod said:

The lack of progress of any players from the development squad is a concern . Although in principle I support the concept of developing our own young players I’m not sure of the financial value especially given that every penny is important in a very competitive championship. 
Guys I know who watch the shire and junior football locally say that none of our current youth loanees will cut it in the championship! Worrying !

18 year old Scott Honeyman's racked up just under fifty first team appearances in the lowland league for the shire whilst on loan over the past two seasons, scoring 11 goals and assisting 5. 

We've only just started our academy back from scratch 3 years ago so to have 5 modern apprentices in the first team at this stage is terrific progress.

It's now up to them to prove themselves worthy of a place in the team.

[BPM]

5 minutes ago, AJ1981 said:

Can’t argue with the sentiment but I’d have worded it a bit differently 

Write with chalk and blackboard? Thick as f**k? How would you have worded it? 

[18BAIRN76]

You go on the COYB page, read a few posts, then come off it realising you know less now than before you went on. Best avoided.

[AJ1981]

1 hour ago, BPM said:

Write with chalk and blackboard? Thick as f**k? How would you have worded it? 

sarcasm, understatement maybe irony?  IMHO name calling is usually the behaviour of insecure people trying to appear confident.