tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70860703999680116772024-02-07T07:52:16.734+00:00Maidstone United BlogUpdates from Maidstone United Football Club's directorsMaidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-58034244123663910962022-02-07T19:00:00.001+00:002022-02-07T19:00:23.094+00:00Director's blog: OA's Q&A<p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What a few weeks it has
been. After two seasons of Covid disruption at last we are seeing some regular
football, live at the stadium, with enthusiastic fans creating a great
atmosphere.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The men’s first team are
doing us proud right now, second in the table as I write this and on an
unbeaten (well you know what I mean…) run of 12 matches.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I must congratulate Hak
and his staff for turning the season around after our form collapsed in
October. It seems a simple demand on the players has paid off: work harder! We
can see the effect of this in our performances. Opponents are given far less
time on the ball and pushed to make mistakes; when we attack we have more
players available making runs, getting into good positions; when we lose the
ball players are working their socks off to get back in position and defend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When we the fans see our
team playing with such effort and commitment it makes us even keener to shout
our support. It’s win-win and long may it continue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If I could just add one
important additional reason for our recent success: my absence from the
matches. I have been stuck in France as the Covid restrictions tightened in
November and this appears to have had a miraculous effect on results. Finally,
I’ll have to admit that Tim Murrell and you others are right, I am a bad
omen…don’t worry I’m not returning to Kent for a few weeks yet!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Despite being away for so
long there have been a few questions flying around and so I thought I’d give
you my answers to some of them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Is this the best team
we’ve had at the Gallagher since coming home?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think it’s too early to
say. We’re on a great run and the team is playing some exciting football but
let’s judge them after a full season. Hopefully in May we’ll be celebrating
something special. It would take an exceptional season-long, effort however to
match Jay’s promotion squad of 2016. The squad which sat near the top of the
National League table towards the end of 2017 was decent too. Players such as
Pigott, Lewis, Loza and Hines were outstanding and we beat teams like Dagenham,
Woking, Eastleigh, Sutton and Macclesfield all away from home…and Cheltenham!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What’s going on with
all these contract extensions then?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Terry, Bill and I feel we
have an exceptionally talented and hard-working management team and playing
squad this season. Given there is a reasonable chance of promotion we felt it
was timely to secure the services of our manager and the spine of next season’s
team early. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We are delighted with
where we have got to with this but of course other players still have the
opportunity to prove themselves too. There is abundant talent throughout this
squad.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We are of course aware
that extending contracts like this at our level of football is not without
risks. In other situations I have seen the award of a long contract cause
players to stop trying so hard or go off the boil. Others are unlucky with
injury. In the case of this season’s squad we have a very honest, hard-working
group so I have no worries on that score. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">How are the club’s
finances doing?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Through Covid Terry, Bill
and the team worked very hard to batten down the hatches and avail ourselves of
all the public financial assistance going. You, the supporters, have been
generous in donating season ticket moneys and in many cases working as
volunteers around the club to help us where possible. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, despite being shafted
by the National League in the October 2020 funding distribution (more on this
later), we have managed to turn in another profitable year. We will be publishing
the figures in a few weeks time. This is the ninth year in a row we have made a
trading (EBITDA) profit and I will be asking Kieran Maguire, the guru of
football finance, if he knows any other club with such a record.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It may not be as sexy a
football record such as winning the league nine times in a row, but I’m mighty
proud of the achievement nonetheless. Our profitable business model underpins
the club and makes it safe and sustainable in an era of bankruptcies and
financial over-stretching.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Are there any plans to
expand the stadium?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In past years stadium
expansion was obligatory in order to meet grading requirements (the reason
behind the Genco Stand) and was paid for by the profits we made together with
grants made available by the Football Foundation. The situation now is slightly
different. We don’t have to expand the stadium for ground grading purposes now,
regardless of whether we get promoted this season or not. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">However this season has
seen the occasional return of a horrible phenomenon – crowd disturbances. We
are trying to address this by improving our security operation and by
restricting access to unaccompanied, non-member youths. Nonetheless we have to
admit that the way we are able to accommodate away fans is not ideal. Placing
home and away fans in the same stand is always provocative to a certain section
of support. It’s not just at the Gallagher. We have seen this at Eastleigh, at
Dagenham and at other stadia. It’s never ideal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some fans have asked why
we can’t put away fans in the town end. Well the stadium was designed to have
away fans entering through the north turnstiles, they can be segregated more
easily, turnstile capacities have been calculated with this in mind, extra
seats can be made available in the main stand. Furthermore the town end has the
greater facilities for home supporters, the Spitfire Lounge, the food outlets,
the Club Shop, the meeting area in front of the turnstiles. There simply is no
other way of segregating supporters safely in line with capacity, entrance and
exit requirements.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the master plan for the
stadium, once built out to its 6,000 maximum capacity, the town end becomes the
home supporters’ end and the Genco Stand becomes the away supporters’ stand,
with a segregation line where appropriate. We may have to add turnstiles and
exits at the north end at some stage. However we have limited funds for
expansion at present. This might change if we are promoted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the National League we
become eligible again for substantial grant support, although Football
Foundation grants are always capped at maximum 50% of total building costs… As
a result we are starting to look again at the feasibility of replacing the town
end terracing with a larger terrace, maybe a slightly smaller version of the
Genco Stand. This would have to be done within a tight budget, without
restricting future development of the West side stand and with a design capable
of having additional facilities (changing rooms, seats, bars, etc) bolted onto
it in the future.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It will be a fascinating
feasibility study. If we were to find a way of designing and funding this it
would resolve our Genco Stand issues instantly. The town end would revert to
its previous use as the home supporters’ end. It’s a long shot but watch this
space.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Are we still contesting
the National League’s disastrous governance during the Covid period?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Where do I start? Firstly,
let there be no doubt as to what happened. The National League board proved to
be incompetent throughout the crisis, from March 2020 onwards. There were
errors of judgement and errors of mismanagement, there was arrogance and
failure to admit to mistakes and apologise for them. Clear-headed directors
would have resigned but the ones we had were simply unable to grasp the
seriousness of the crisis and the extent of their statutory responsibilities as
directors, which are to represent all clubs fairly and not to feather their own
clubs’ nests.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The chairman, Brian
Barwick, who finally resigned months after we and other clubs called for his
head, kept blindly bleating ‘we are a well-respected league’ during every
public utterance, as though he was conducting the orchestra on the Titanic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jack Pearce, who was the
architect of the flawed distribution of October 2020, has refused to admit to
or apologise for all the errors of judgement. Let’s not forget it was Pearce
who saw fit to recommend a distribution which went against government
guidelines to reimburse lost gate receipts. His distribution proposal rewarded seven
out of eight National League board members’ clubs with £500,000 more than they
should have received. He acted as though he knew better than government. To add
insult to injury the directors of those clubs, whose pockets bulged after
adopting the Pearce distribution plan, then had the gall to appoint him
Barwick’s replacement as League Chairman. Even Stalin would have blushed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It’s really no excuse to
say ‘well it was Covid so what else could we do’. The then Chairman Barwick
should have had the humility back in March 2020 to establish Covid crisis
committees to assist the league. Some of his board colleagues, who subsequently
resigned, had proposed this. He could have drafted in additional support. He
could have seen what was going to happen and himself resigned, admitting he had
no appetite for the challenges ahead. He and his board simply weren’t up to the
task on their own. They behaved as though they were some village committee
organising a knees-up, not a company board responsible for governing some 68
clubs, clubs with combined turnovers of £50 million, clubs with 2,000 paid
staff and hundreds of thousands of fans. It’s very serious stuff.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p>O</o:p>ver the past months we
have been working hard with other angry clubs and our legal advisers to hold
the guilty parties to account for what went on in these recent dark days. This
has proved complex and expensive. We have not given up though.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the meantime we have
been made aware of a project to produce a film documentary telling the truth
about the National League governance during this period. We are looking forward
to working with the producers and writers to create a powerful documentary,
whose exposure of the truth will have a real impact.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Have you finished now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes, give me a cold
compress. Goodness, I haven’t even mentioned 3G pitches yet…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Er…Any news on 3G
pitches?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes. Tracey Crouch’s
recent review into football governance, hopefully to be adopted by government
in the Spring, says League 2 should allow 3G pitches for a grace period of three
years, which is as good as unconditionally allowing them. Moreover there are
now clubs in League 2, e.g. Sutton, Harrogate and Leyton Orient, who have shown
they are in favour of 3G pitches. I remain confident that we will be able to
use our 3G pitch in League 2 if ever we knock on the EFL door.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Anything else?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes. Apologies for being
long-winded. That’s what not being able to attend matches and talk to you in
person does for me. So let me end by wishing you all a great end-of-season
spent following the Stones.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yours in sport</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Oliver Ash</i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comSaint-Germain-en-Laye, France48.898908 2.09376120.588674163821153 -33.062489 77.209141836178844 37.250011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-426412548825226992020-10-22T11:40:00.000+01:002020-10-22T11:40:10.631+01:00NL grant: utterly confused and bitterly disappointed<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The distribution of the £10million grant from the National Lottery to the Vanarama National League has left me utterly confused and bitterly disappointed.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Maidstone United Football Club have many things to be proud of: one being the way that we run the business in a sustainable way, reinvesting the profits from our activities back into the club, and two the sheer volume of deeply committed supporters who come and support the Stones and pay their entrance fees.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Government was specific in that the money they brokered for our football clubs, via the National Lottery, was designed to ’replace lost gate revenue.’ Clubs agreed to start the season, taking on trust the promise to cover these lost revenues. This has not happened.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our average gate over the last two seasons has been 2,000 per match and our club will receive 36k per month from the National League. This is some 50% below our estimated monthly shortfall! It is also nearly £50k per month less than Dover who attract just over 1,000 per match.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On the face of this it looks stupid but when it becomes clear that those sitting on the Board making the decisions are heavily biased towards their own financial wellbeing, then it's not just a stupid decision but possibly corrupt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For the Board of the National League to arbitrarily decide the first thing that they will do is take 60% for their own clubs and give the South and North just 20% each looks stupid, especially as they have no mandate to keep the money for themselves as they should be representing the interests of all of their member clubs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We are sure that the league sponsors such as Vanarama, BT Sport and the National Lottery will be carefully reconsidering their sponsorships on the back of this scandalous decision!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a clear case of the Board not serving the membership and a clear misuse of the way that the money was supposed to be spent.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For Tonbridge Angels to get 30k per month on their crowds of 600 must have felt like Christmas to them but for Hungerford Town to get 30k per month on their crowds of just over 300 it must feel like Christmas, New Year and Easter all at once.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is utterly crass, short-sighted and stupid, with the Government's words ringing in our ears that the money is: ‘to be spent on lost gate revenue.’</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hungerford and Tonbridge never ever had this amount of gate revenue so they are now in a massively better position as they will have spare money to sign players that they would never have been able to afford to attract.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This can also be seen with Oxford City and their 350 supporters getting the same 30k as Havant and Waterlooville with their 1,400 supporters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The corruption and conspiracy theories abound when Boreham Wood, who have already made public their association with Sports Minister Oliver Dowden, and who have 730 supporters get just 10k per month less than Notts County with their 5,000 supporters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dagenham and Barnet, with their crowds of 1,200, also do well from the distribution – again just 10k per month less than Wrexham with their crowds of 4,000.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Please bear in mind that both these two clubs have members on the Board before you decide whether this constitutes abuse of power, conflict of interest or stupidity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is one of the most extraordinary cases of the misuse of grant funding that I have ever witnessed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The FA and National League had a clear mandate to spend the money on lost gate revenue. What they have done is ignore this and instead allowed National League Board Members to favour some clubs with outrageous amounts of money that far exceed their gate receipts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Terry Casey</i></span></p>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, UK51.270363 0.52269922.960129163821158 -34.633551 79.580596836178842 35.678949tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-22411370290737238462020-06-23T15:23:00.000+01:002020-06-23T15:23:23.803+01:00A return to some sort of normality<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>We are all desperate to return to some sort of normality after some of the most stressful and anxious times we will ever experience.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whilst to some football is just a sport, to many people it is much more than just a game. For millions of football supporters attending a game and supporting their team will be a massive step towards the new normal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maidstone United is, and will always be, a club deeply committed to the community it represents and the closure of the Gallagher has meant that thousands of people have not been able to gather to watch or play the game that they love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are working hard to get all elements of the business operating, as the club is suffering from the complete shutdown of all our income streams.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The most high profile of all our activities is of course the first team which drives the whole business model.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If the first team is doing well we find recruiting academy students is more successful, we find our player development squad numbers increase and, of course, we get bigger crowds through the gates.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the flip side if we don’t get things right on the pitch, then financially and emotionally life can be dire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our three seasons in the National League were a struggle and I also felt last season was a great disappointment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite the difficulties of the last four seasons, we have always made sure that the business is profitable and viable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We will continue to take a sensible approach to how we run the club and are prudent about the money we spend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the first decisions we have made is regarding the playing budget for the 20/21 season because our retention and recruitment will not progress unless we have a financial framework to work with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have contacted players we feel could be right for the team, initially to establish their thoughts about whether they would prefer to train three mornings or two evenings a week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our findings were clear in that the majority of the players we spoke to wanted to train three mornings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was no evidence that this would force the playing budget upwards but it was evident that the players we wanted were ambitious and wanted to make football their main source of income.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For Maidstone United to continue this training regime is a major statement of our intention to get back to the National League. Whilst our three seasons were difficult, we learned a lot and will not make the same mistakes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The playing budget will be less than last season but because of the uncertainty around crowd numbers and start dates, we will try to be flexible and keep some funds in reserve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In addition to the five contracted players, we are in advanced negotiations with a further four of last season’s squad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are keen to avoid signing the journeyman players who drift from club to club without really committing to Maidstone United, so our campaign will concentrate on more local players.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are a substantial number of players that are of interest to us but making sure we make good signings has never been more important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We know from telephone calls to hundreds of our supporters how vital the football club is to many people so we will ensure that we will be ready for the new season, whenever it starts. Thank you for your continued support.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Terry</i></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, UK51.270363 0.52269951.190874500000007 0.36133750000000003 51.3498515 0.6840605tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-38085225532912003202020-03-04T19:56:00.001+00:002020-03-04T19:56:36.940+00:00The responsibility of doing our best<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s been a difficult week at the club after that disappointing men’s first team result at Weymouth and the nature of the performance. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have been spending hours and hours with Terry, Bill, John and Hakan reflecting on what is currently not right and how we can fix it. Everybody has their view on what to do and we appreciate this. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, we have the responsibility of doing our best to operate the club successfully and put things right when needed. We know we don’t have all the answers but we are working hard.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The team struggled on Saturday because we were missing at least five key players and because the team endured a five and a half hour coach journey after a closure on the M25, arriving at the stadium less than an hour before kick-off! All this puts huge pressure on the team. To his credit Hakan made no excuses for all this but I will. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week we know the players and coaches will try their damnedest to get the win, recover some self-respect and give something back to the supporters. Having said that it will not be easy. Welling are in form and we will still be missing several of our key players. It’s up to the others to show some pride and extra effort for the cause.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More generally we are suffering somewhat off the field as well. Due to overspending on the playing budget since the beginning of the season, some below par performances and a 15% drop in attendances, cash-flow is extremely tight. This reduces our room for manoeuvre. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I say repeatedly, we cannot and will not operate like several other clubs in the National League, where owners subsidise annual losses to the tune of between £500K and £1.5M. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We believe several clubs in National League South also run at a significant deficit. We can’t match that and sometimes it’s frustrating. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We budget to spend less than we produce in income. It’s that simple and it will keep the club alive and kicking when others fall by the wayside.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As stated previously we are still trying to identify possible investors to help the club grow sustainably faster but for the moment we are no further than several preliminary discussions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are therefore unable to create financial miracles as we toy with ways of improving performances. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are already considering carefully how to operate next season. Clearly there are choices and changes to consider and we hope to make an announcement about all that shortly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the meantime all Terry, Bill and I can do is to thank you for your support and please continue to get behind the team whenever you can, even when things are not going the way we all want them to. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The club is a great club and it needs you to push behind it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Oliver</i></b></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221948.6894645 2.0294984 49.0237635 2.6749454tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-8465558113624105672020-01-01T10:42:00.001+00:002020-01-01T10:42:20.599+00:00A defining decade for the Stones<strong><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So it is Happy New Year time once again. On behalf of the directors I would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful 2020 whether you are with family, friends, at work or doing what you most enjoy, watching the Stones of course.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have just ended an amazing decade in the life of the club. Back in January 2010 we were coming to the end of our tether and by August the Maidstone United train had hit the buffers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ten years on and we have a fantastic stadium in a great location near the town centre and we have enjoyed progress on and off the field for most of the decade. It really has been an extraordinary ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you to all the fans. Those from yesteryear and then the wilderness years, and also all those who have joined the party at the Gallagher Stadium and supported the club on its recent journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you to our business partners, in particular Gallagher Group, Britelite, Gullands, Shepherd Neame, Compare and Recycle, Rockingham Reins, Genco, Churchill Security, Manchett Facilities, Henry Reeves and Co, Simon Miller and Haynes who have stayed with us and supported us faithfully over the decade and thus enabled us to play at National League level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you to all the volunteers who have stood by us and with us and worked tirelessly to raise the profile and prosperity of the club. Thank you to our staff, who give everything for the cause and have done throughout the dramas of ten long years. Thank you all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have come a long way but there is still a long way to go. The challenge is to remain patient, be proud of the sustainable business model and community club we have and enjoy the football played at National South and National League level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Accept that it will not always be the beautiful game. Understand how tough it is to survive financially when we are unable and unwilling to throw money we don’t have at the playing budget, while other clubs at this level and above spend hundreds of thousands of pounds which they don’t earn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s frustrating trying to compete with these clubs but that’s just how it is right now. Maybe it is for the best. However, we do appreciate that because of these limitations not every aspect of how we run the club will please all of you all the time. All we can do is ask for patience and understanding. Everybody at the club is a supporter and we are always trying to do our best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As you know we recently announced a plan to try and find new investment to enable us to grow sustainably, faster. Our strategic plan, the success of which will depend on this new investment, is to develop the stadium to enable us to increase our recurring commercial and football revenues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also want to keep developing the community side of the club including the women, disability and the youth football sections and ensure all this remains a valuable asset to the local area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s a heck of a challenge for us to remain sustainable and to achieve a promotion to the EFL within the next decade. However, I believe that it is absolutely feasible and that this coming decade can be every bit as exciting for Maidstone United as the last one has been.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have had plenty to cheer over the past ten years. I won’t bore you by discussing every memorable match in detail because like me you’ve probably watched most of the games fifty times already.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So instead, before I go, I’d like to name my team of the decade and invite you to comment and challenge my selections on social media.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I haven’t gone for any players from the last 12 months because it’s a bit too soon for this season and last season is generally best forgotten. However, I really hope by the end of this season some of our current players will have progressed from ‘favourites’ to ‘legends’.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Goalkeeper: Lee Worgan.</strong> Lee was outstanding for us over several years and played in two of our amazing three promotions in four years. He was a real club man and got involved in coaching and soccer schools. Became an official Stones legend for one particular penalty save and subsequent celebration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Right Back: Jamie Coyle.</strong> OK, so I’m playing Jamie slightly out of position here but we’re overloaded with centre-back legends and Jamie was versatile enough to play right back. He was a strong defender and a stalwart for us for a couple of seasons. He was a leader too on the field and is now developing a good coaching career off it. In the runner-up position were other good players and characters like Seth Twumasi, Callum Driver and Richard Davies, who looked so promising before injury did for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Centre-Back: Steve Watt.</strong> Watty is a shoo-in for a centre back spot. Such a strong header of the ball, excellent reader of the game and a forceful communicator, who set a fine example with his commitment. A core part of our successful run. A club legend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Centre-Back: Sonny Miles.</strong> It is to Sonny’s credit that he beats Lokko, De Havilland, Okuonghae, Finney, Parry, not to mention Elokobi, to this position. Very effective, always gave his heart for the club and played with total commitment. One of those who made you feel his heart was made of amber.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Left-Back: Tom Mills.</strong> Tom came up through the ranks and played for us for years and years, a good, solid defender, improved season on season and always reliable. Some spectacular goals were the icing on the cake. He beats Joe Anderson and the adaptable Bobby-Joe Taylor to the spot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Right-Midfield/Wing: Zavon Hines.</strong> Zavon was only with us for a three-month period in 2017 but what a time that was. He was one of the best players ever to appear for the Stones and when he wanted to perform he was unstoppable. Some sublime moments of skill and great goals (Eastleigh away anybody?). He outdoes stiff competition from the dependable Matt Bodkin with Vas Karagiannis also close to featuring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Centre-Midfield: Stuart Lewis.</strong> It’s a tough position to pick with so many good and popular players competing. Stuart wore his heart on his sleeve as well as the captain’s armband. Always showing a good example with his tireless running box to box. His signing in early 2017 saw a massive turnaround in our fortunes and we ended the NL campaign strongly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Centre-Midfield: James Rogers.</strong> A credit to him for seeing off competition from other memorable club midfielders such as Danny Lye, Reece Prestedge, Micky Phillips, Jack Paxman, Jai Reason and Joe Healy, not to mention Jay Saunders. James was an old-fashioned ball-winner for the Stones and he commanded the midfield for a couple of terrific seasons. A real Stones legend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Left-Midfield/Wing: Alex Flisher.</strong> What a player he was for the Stones. Skilful and with a huge heart he was the sort of player you would travel far and wide to see. A real eye for goal and a fabulous left foot. Good enough to keep Blair Turgott and Jamar Loza out of the side, both of whom were excellent for the club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Striker: Joe Pigott.</strong> His performances lifted us in 2017, we were not the same side without him. Perhaps the best signing of that period. A strong, skilful striker, he could score out of nothing, as those of us who witnessed his stunning opener against Dagenham in February 2017 would affirm. Now doing well a few levels above. Good luck to him. One of our own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Striker: Frannie Collin.</strong> A Stones legend goal-poacher, who will always be remembered for his winner against Stevenage, fortunately before VAR was invented. Was a key part of our climb from the depths of the pyramid and fans took him to their hearts, like they did to most of these players. Close runners-up were Jay May and Shaun Welford, two talented strikers who played their hearts out for us, and also Ian Draycott.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Manager: Jay Saunders.</strong> Well, who else? Seven memorable seasons as gaffer. Many of these players were his recruits, he certainly knew how to get them to play for us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Head of Football: Bill Williams.</strong> Still the wisest footballing mind in the office. An invaluable source of support, advice and encouragement for Terry and me over the past ten years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, that was fun to do, not easy to make team selections, brings back many good memories. I would certainly love to see that team in its prime out on the field again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All that remains is for me to wish you a Happy New Year and a Happy New Decade and Come on you Stones!</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oliver Ash</span></em>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-49326839134189040232019-10-24T17:43:00.000+01:002019-10-24T17:43:18.431+01:00Dead and Bury’d<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>So after death throes worthy of a B movie murder scene and with a Parliamentary Committee picking over the bones and extracting embarrassing platitudes from EFL and FA executives, it looks like Bury FC are finally gone – kicked into hell by a succession of shady and inadequate owners and a book full of inadequate rules and regulations.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What can be gathered from snippets of information and from news reports of unlikely white knights, dropping out as they realise the extent of the financial debris cluttering the club, is that nothing can be gathered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bury have been stripped bare and left for dead. There is virtually nothing remaining. The stadium has been mortgaged to the hilt and eye-watering fee payments made to shady, off-shore companies using the club’s precious monies; even the car park has been sold. Opening the cupboards at Gigg Lane reveals a plethora of skeletons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What has happened to Bury has led to a crescendo of angry fans turning on their owners, to a stream of pundits and journalists turning on the EFL and EFL clubs for approving the system of rules and regulation which failed to protect Bury, nearly failed to protect Bolton and Blackpool and may yet turn out to have failed to protect other vulnerable clubs like Oldham or Notts County.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now don’t get me wrong, I have great sympathy for Bury fans. They are the innocent ones. At least they are alive and kicking and will fight back, survive and prosper again, as Maidstone United fans eventually did after our own liquidation event in 1992. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However I have no sympathy and still less understanding for all the one-tracked crocodile weepies who complain that all would be right if only the Premier League gave lower league clubs more money. This is just nonsense. The only winners would be players whose salaries would inflate to absorb the additional funds. Do you really think club owners would do anything else with the cash?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The solutions to helping the fans of League 1 and 2 and National League clubs to avoid the fall-out from financial collapses shouldn’t have to depend on hand-outs from the Premier League, who already contribute vast sums to grassroots football and to lower league pro football. They require new administration by an independent body, not beholden to club owners’ self-interest, and missioned to develop and protect the game as a whole. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To do this they need to have regard for the unique depth of pro football in England with its 115 pro clubs, but be prepared to consider creative ways of making it more efficient, sustainable, responsible, appropriate for today’s world and safer for supporters, for many of whom their football club is not just a big part of their life, it is their life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They should consider, for example, making two regional divisions out of League 2 and National League, saving the hugely expensive and polluting journeys undertaken by clubs, extreme examples of which would include Dover travelling 400 miles to Barrow to play in front of barely one thousand fans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They should toughen up rules on fit and proper owners – this is a no-brainer and one can only wonder why it has taken the Bury debacle for it to be so high on everybody’s agenda now. How about zero tolerance for any previous convictions or bankruptcies whatsoever? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They should level up competition and reduce pressure on owners to spend more money on player salaries than their clubs can afford by setting division-wide salary caps and policing them rigorously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There should be tough budgeting rules pre-season limiting what clubs can spend to what income is verifiably due or guaranteed in advance by owners. Talk to the French Rugby Federation for goodness sake, who administer similar rules in their top two divisions and make them work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then they should grab the low-hanging fruit. By allowing 3G pitches in League 1 and 2 they will open the door to clubs adding some £300-500k per annum to their net revenues. This is life-changing. This could prevent a second Bury. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We all know these pitches are used in international competition and are of the highest quality. They are completely safe. The only difference is the bounce and roll is slightly different but then so is it on many bog-like League 2 pitches. Ask any fan of the National League clubs using 3G pitches: Sutton Utd, Bromley, Harrogate and my club Maidstone, whether they enjoy watching football on 3G pitches and you will receive a huge thumbs up. These clubs have enjoyed great success and prosperity using 3G pitches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So now a new and progressive independent regulator should boot into touch the conservatism and prejudice of some clubs and other administrators and open the door to 3G pitches. Otherwise it’s pure hypocrisy, crocodile tears and ultimately, a further kick in the nuts for the fans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Oliver</i></b></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-72836740886239680472019-05-14T18:02:00.000+01:002019-05-14T18:18:29.401+01:00Still grounds for optimism<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>It’s difficult enough when the business you run struggles after so many successful years but when that business is the football team that you support, it makes life almost unbearable.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I know how the fans have felt over the past three years in the National League and although we enjoyed the feeling of relief when we stayed up in the first year, since then life as a supporter of the Stones has been testing at times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As owners we have felt the financial impact of trying to stay in the National League. In previous years we have carried our profits into the next season and used the money for building works and improving the facilities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We did, however, make a miscalculation when we increased playing budget by about 20% at the start of the 2018/2019 season. We felt this would guarantee our survival at this very competitive level, help to sustain attendances and see us push on to mid table and maybe even flirt with the playoffs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The reality, as we now know, was the polar opposite, with a miserable season ending in relegation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We have learned from our mistakes and will continue to learn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our business model will never be in a position to compete with the likes of Salford and Leyton Orient. In previous seasons, we have also been plagued with trying to compete against clubs who have thrown money into a playing squad and inflating the financial expectations of players.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While we are desperate to win matches for ourselves and the supporters it cannot be done at all costs, which would put the club’s long-term stability at risk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have absolutely no doubt that John and Hakan will bring the Gallagher back to life and bring a team together that we can be proud of.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The players we have signed so far have all demonstrated the same eagerness to play for Maidstone United, with one of the big reasons for signing being the reputation of the supporters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was humbled by the support and kind words I have received and the massive optimism that supporters show despite everything we have had to put up with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here’s to 2019/2020 being a season to remember for all the right reasons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Terry Casey</b></i></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-50136775307614551052019-01-25T20:12:00.000+00:002019-01-28T19:23:35.060+00:00Questions, comments and fake news<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Replies to questions, comments and fake news about Maidstone United, finances, player wages, 3G pitches and how professional football leagues could be restructured in England.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For those of you who missed my informal Q & A down at the club recently (only people called Morgan ever seem to turn up to those…) here are some blunt replies to comments, questions, allegations and fake news items heard and read recently. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(This was written just before John Still took over as Maidstone Manager.…)</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Maidstone Utd have no ambition »</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes we do, we want to be a successful, sustainable, stable and family-friendly club. We know we’ve made some questionable decisions this season : apologies but we’re only human and we always seek to do our best in the long-term interests of the club. We’re ambitious for the club to rise as high as it can in the football pyramid while respecting the above goals. After three difficult years in National League we now realise it will take longer than we thought to get into the EFL but so be it. With our financial structure – and unwillingness and inability to subsidise the club – that’s where we are for the moment.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« What financial structure ? »</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We’ve invested in a £5 million stadium fit for National League but not EFL League 2 (another £1-2 million would be needed). No other club except Fylde in National League has had to build and finance a stadium from scratch in the last 8 years. The business model means there is little spare cash to finance the business except that which is generated from the business itself. In good seasons we have managed to get promotions while earning enough revenue to keep building the stadium so we would comply with League rules. This means we have no cash reserves built up. It is all in the metal and concrete. In difficult seasons like this one, where we have extra costs from changing the playing squad and management and crowds have dropped significantly, the cash flow is under great pressure. It is a vicious circle. People don’t always realise that there is constant capital expenditure and maintenance needed to keep the show on the road. This season for example we have had to replace the floodlights and restructure the pylons at a cost of some £40K. Last season we installed toilets under the Genco Stand (£60K if I remember correctly). In another season or two we will probably have to replace the pitch. We understand that (particularly the more recent) fans might deem the current situation of struggling in NL for three seasons too awful to bear but every supporter who gives up on us reduces our revenues and impacts the budget. You need to know that.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Are Maidstone able to survive in the National League or are we a ‘yo-yo’ team now ? »</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Right now the NL is so tough to survive in financially that we will struggle to break out unless we find a new source of funds. We are always open to consider new investors or partners who could have better financing and a sensible strategy going forward. However as we are at present, if we manage to recruit more wisely, we should be able to enjoy stable years in NL and/or play-off years in NLS. We hope fans will buy into this reality as something to savour not to abandon. In due course we will find a way of moving on upwards but it will take time. It may be the same sort of ‘yo-yo’ situation as we experience with Brive rugby club at present; we just have to make the best of it.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Does the club have an £800 per week wage cap ? »</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Are you lying ? »</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Er…no. We set playing budgets where we believe we can afford them as part of the overall forecast for turnover and expenditure in the business. We have never set any individual player salary caps although we judge on a case by case basis if we think we should make a special effort or pay a fee for a particular player. I think it would be indiscrete to individual players to give more detail on this.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« You seem to play your cards close to your chests… »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What ? Please tell me you’re joking. I challenge you to find me any other club where the owners are so open with information about the club, regularly do Q & A sessions, publish blogs about the club, submit their accounts promptly, sometimes with additional comments and press releases and provide information whenever reasonably requested (without breaching confidentialities) on every aspect of the club.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« What moneys do you and Terry take out of the club ? »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">None. No interest, no salaries, no expenses. We hope to recover some or all of our investment as and when we divest in due course but even then a principal goal will be to leave the club in good hands, otherwise all that has been built up will have been in vain.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« We had everything and we threw it away… »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No we didn’t, cheer the fuck up.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Why do we have so many loan players ? »</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sometimes you don’t want contract commitments to players. This season ironically we planned to put more players on contract and in the end this has slightly back-fired on us. Several players have gone out on loan during the season but only on reduced wages, so this is costing us significant amounts of money and impacting the current playing budget…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Why don’t we recruit a new centre forward ? »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We’ve been trying. We can’t afford to pay top striker’s wages right now, particularly if this means we have to relocate the player and put him up in a hotel or flat. We can’t really afford this sort of arrangement at the moment, we have to be more selective. But yes, we are looking for an affordable big centre forward who knows where the goal is…</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Money from sale of Turgott will finance next season’s NLS squad. »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sorry ? This is about as truthful and accurate as a Donald Trump tweet. Please stop.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Did we ever buy that piece of land from the Council ? »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well we finally exchanged contracts on it a few weeks ago after a ridiculous amount of time and effort. We are waiting for final clearance from The Millenium Commission (don’t ask…) before we can complete.The purchase is highly significant in the medium term as it will enable the West Stand development to take place when it can be financed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Why did you replace the first 3G pitch after only 4 years ? »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was wearing out quicker than we planned because of the high usage. It had to meet demanding standards of the leagues (FIFA 2*) in terms of ball roll, bounce, shock absorption, etc, while at the same time being used extensively (50+ hours a week). It failed its test in 2016. We then had a panic to replace it as economically and fast as possible in Summer 2016, which disrupted our Summer and pre-season useage. This time around we hope to get 5 or 6 years out of it but we have to be ready to finance another one as from the end of next season just in case…this might cost around £100K…</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Let’s face it 3G is never going to be allowed in EFL is it ? Let’s go back to grass »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Not so fast please. Never say never. It’s not going to be easy but as I still believe in the massive benefits of 3G to smaller pro clubs I still believe it will be accepted sooner or later in EFL. One alternative proposal we are making at present to EFL is that League 2 should accept a grace period of three years to allow NL 3G clubs a reasonable time to replace their pitch. So if a club were relegated after one or two seasons they would have been able to keep their 3G pitch and maintain their community structures. Also clubs might just install a better natural pitch after a season or two of planning and with the benefit of having enjoyed generous EFL funding for a couple of seasons. This would ultimately benefit all League 2 clubs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Going back to grass is simply not an option for us at present. The 3G pitch does bring in significant revenues and it gets people coming down to the club and becoming involved. It’s part of our DNA. Replacing it next time will not be cheap but it won’t be ridiculous either (see above). In 2016 we invested in a new engineered sub-structure which should last 20 years. This means only the actual carpet needs relaying.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Don’t think natural pitches come cheap either. High cost and high maintenance. For a top hybrid pitch we’d need not far short of £1 million to install one and you can’t play more than roughly 10 hours a week on it depending on the weather so it won’t allow any significant community use. 3G, hybrid and natural pitch technology is all changing fast so we have to try and keep our eye on the ball here and be creative and reactive.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Why is the National League such an impossible one to survive in ?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The fact is that the five professional divisions in English football are administered by three separate leagues, The Premier League, The Football League (EFL) and the National League. These are not administered in a uniform, structured way. Rules are different between the leagues and there are rich and poor divisions. When you go from NLS to NL you find the average playing budget for the NL is £500,000 higher (yes you read that correctly, perhaps I should spell it out like they used to do on the teleprinter when Raith Rovers beat East Fife 10-0…) than in the South division below ; you cannot by law drink alcohol while watching a match, which probably costs us £80K in lost revenues ; the travel and accommodation costs are far higher as the league is truly national ; to compete you may have to convert to full-time employment contracts and add various layers of playing and non-playing staff to your operation. If after all this your club is still standing well I’ve got more bad news for you, you may also have to fund considerable additional stewarding services to segregate matches. That all adds up to a hit of about £800.000.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All this is in addition to any one-off costs of extending stadia to comply with strict rules on capacity, seating, dressing rooms, floodlighting, etc. After absorbing all these costs you might find you cannot increase your playing budget very much so you then find yourself battling relegation at the bottom of the table, resulting in crowds dwindling and reduction of ancillary revenues, cup income, etc. So the National League could be said to be the graveyard of the pyramid. This explains why clubs are so desperate to get out of it and spend obscene amounts of money in owner subsidies to do so. Forest Green Rovers were rumoured to be subsidising at £2 million a season while in NL and Ebbsfleet the same amount until recently. My guess is that today many NL clubs are still choosing/having to inject £500K-£1 million per season into their clubs. Leyton Orient new owners are rumoured to have already ‘invested’ £10 million since taking over in June 2017 as they try and make the leap into the promised land of the Football League (EFL). The bottom line is that annual handouts to clubs from the EFL from commercial and TV surpluses total around £1 million today for League 2 clubs while they are less than £100,000 for National League clubs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is of course a parallel with clubs in The Championship busting a gut to try and reach the Premier League, As an example take AFC Bournemouth in Season 16-17 in the Premier League. Their reported turnover was £139 million. Of this amount £124 million came from Premier League TV and commercial rights.* That’s 90% of turnover. Staggering. By comparison the money is considerably lower in the Championship. In 2015-16 season club turnovers were between £10 – 40 million and total losses in the division were over £200 million. ** Some clubs will risk everything to try and get to The Premier League. It is a similar story (albeit on a far smaller scale) with the gulf between the National League and EFL League 2.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« What can be done to change this imperfection in the league structures ? »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now that’s a really good question. The answer is lots but football administration changes very slowly in England so don’t wait up for it to happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">40 years ago the Conference was created and populated with the top semi-pro clubs. Today the National League is predominantly populated with fully professional clubs in their diverse forms. When you look at some of the clubs playing in The National League today (or who have recently been in it) you could be forgiven for thinking this was a brother division to League 2. Here are twenty of them – Chesterfield, Tranmere, Leyton Orient, Hartlepool, York, Torquay, Wrexham, Chester, Stockport, Southport, Aldershot, Dagenham, Barrow, Macclesfield, Barnet, Luton, Halifax, Cambridge, Lincoln, Grimsby…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One argument I find appealing is that this division should now be incorporated into the EFL as League 3. There could be renegotiation with the TV companies and other EFL sponsors for extra rights and fees, as EFL would have extra matches to screen and more product to sell. There would need to be a negotiation with The FA for additional financial support for the new division, integration of the division into the EFL rules, reorganisation of EFL competitions, etc. However all this should lead to extra revenues being generated to provide League 3 clubs with a financial support of, say, £300-400K per season, which would be a decent, gradual step-up between NL and League 2 and which would be welcomed by all National League clubs and especially those clubs pressing to join EFL at present and risking a fortune to do so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The question of increasing promotion places up into League 2, the ‘3 up 3 down’ campaign upon which the National League focusses so much attention today, would be resolved in one fell swoop : there would even be four up and four down as in the rest of EFL. Relegation from League 3 would be as it is at present in National League.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">National League clubs playing on 3G pitches would also have their difficulties resolved by being members of EFL League 3 and being entitled to 3 years in which to remove their pitch in the event of promotion to League 2.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Clubs in League 3 would be less likely to risk everything for promotion because the financial gap between League 2 and League 3 would be smaller than the current gulf between NL and League 2.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In terms of administration EFL would need additional resources to run an extra division but after the restructuring period these would not be significant and higher costs would effectively be compensated by economies as the National League would effectively disappear. The administration of NLS and NLN, now the highest non-league divisions, could be handed to one of the three leagues currently running Steps 3 and 4 of the national game. In due course sponsorship and rights sales would enable these two top non-league divisions to create new revenues, identities and prestige.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Wouldn’t it make sense for the professional National League clubs of today to be incorporated into the EFL ? Wouldn’t it make sense for non-league football to be regional with semi-pro clubs at its pinnacle ?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">« Are Maidstone going to be relegated this season ? »</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We still have a chance to survive but it will take a minor miracle. We’ll be doing everything we reasonably can on and off the field. If we do go down it will be a blow of course but we’ll recover, go again and bounce back stronger and better prepared next time </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oliver Ash</span></i>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-60091672358681285602018-12-21T17:41:00.000+00:002018-12-22T10:46:18.092+00:00Hip hip hooray<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>I recently joined that exclusive club of bionic patients who will carry a titanium hip replacement joint around with them for the rest of their days! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The operation took place on the 29th November and although it had to be done because of the very uncomfortable state that an osteoarthritic hip leaves you in, the downside is that it has restricted me from seeing a live game since we played Eastleigh on the 27th November.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It has driven me mad sitting at home just doing a few exercises and very little else, waiting for the recovery time to come round and be signed off. All communication at the moment has come via the telephone and email and I can’t wait to get back down to the Gallagher and start doing my job again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The trouble with convalescing is that you have far too much time to think and read. Both are a formula for sending you to bed smarter than when you woke up but it can also give you sleepless nights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have spent many hours over the past fortnight pondering every aspect of our football club. Amongst all the massive positives; I was brought back to earth with the headline in last week’s KM. It certainly stirred up a great deal of unwarranted comment and, in some cases, unnecessary abuse towards certain members of our club and the club itself. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is something that we all could have done without and we all need to move on and have clear positive minds for the real task in hand, which is supporting our team and management and start moving up out of the bottom four.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We have built an excellent club here at Maidstone United. We have first class, honest ownership. We have a great support. We are in the throes of change for the first time in six years and dealing with it on a day to day basis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Within the club we know we are not perfect, we accept we will make mistakes and put our foot in it from time to time, we don’t have infinite resources either but one thing I can tell you is that we all have the wellbeing of the club at the front of our minds. Everybody here puts in a serious shift to keep the club going as positively as possible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There are some negatives: such as the injury to our most creative and best goal scorer Blair Turgott but for me the most niggling negative of all at the moment is that we have a very small percentage of so-called supporters who seem to find great delight in letting us know what they think we don’t know and how they would go about solving all of our troubles. In some cases it has been quite personal and abusive. This is not helpful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We have a huge job to do to stay in this league, so to the very small percentage of negative writers I have a very clear message. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Firstly, you are entitled to your opinion and by all means express it but always in a non-abusive manner please. That said, if you feel so strongly that what we’re doing here at the club is wrong, do what anyone has the ability to do – stop coming and please allow the rest of us to get on with our jobs and let us run and support the club how we see fit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, and back on a positive note, can I wish you and your family a very happy Christmas and best wishes for what I hope will be a good 2019.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Bill</i></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-92013720470275160052017-11-19T20:57:00.002+00:002017-11-19T21:02:33.523+00:00Ten years on<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>This year is the tenth anniversary of my involvement with Maidstone United and I raise my glass to that. No regrets yet. On the contrary the experience has been most stimulating and highly enjoyable – at least from October 2010 onwards. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It has been my good fortune to have met some wonderful people who support the club in so many different ways and to develop a bond with the club, its loyal business partners and its supporters. Long may this continue for me and my family because Maidstone United is now important to all of us and the club is, in every sense, a worthy cause.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Not everybody thinks this of the club of course, even those who really should. Last week we published a press release regarding the local council and the issue of the piece of land we have been trying to buy. But more of that later. This is but one of the thorny, existential issues facing the club as we now find ourselves competing at the top end of the National League. Everything concerning 3G pitches, stadium development and financing and EFL rules for entry seem to be coming to a head. Let me review these challenges in detail and consider where we are and where we want to go…! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In 2011 we were still playing at Sittingbourne and when we moved into the new Gallagher back in July 2012 we were in the Ryman South. When you look at John Gooch’s marvellous video of the new ground launch on Stones TV and you follow the camera around the mudhills and mudfields which eventually became the Gallagher Stadium you cannot help but be gob-smacked by how far we have come in a short space of time. It’s why we sometimes still do things ‘on the hoof’, there has never been a period of consolidation. It’s always been Go, Go, Go… Currently we find ourselves with a fabulous new stadium but which is far from ready to be accepted in EFL. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTE8LGNtkl9XPOS_Knh_zsooTyKTfSqbVk4WDk5J8hA3XMOLSQcShm32CD9wntg6FNDJKeWG1sm398YphVrHOuzf_U8KjbAro8sbeiIxt57uHeL4PvzBJkIqcn9bQCEpBjAc-7Jk6Qeo/s1600/Page+48-49+Gallagher+Stadium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTE8LGNtkl9XPOS_Knh_zsooTyKTfSqbVk4WDk5J8hA3XMOLSQcShm32CD9wntg6FNDJKeWG1sm398YphVrHOuzf_U8KjbAro8sbeiIxt57uHeL4PvzBJkIqcn9bQCEpBjAc-7Jk6Qeo/s400/Page+48-49+Gallagher+Stadium.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Forgetting for a moment the question of the 3G pitch, we still have to persuade the EFL to let us take part in the play-offs this season, should we finish seventh or higher in the League, a genuine possibility. In order to satisfy them on this we have to show by 31st December 2017, backed up with architects’ drawings, planning documentation, detailed costings and a programme of works to be carried out, that before 30th April 2018 we will be able to fulfil the EFL ground criteria. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This means increasing the capacity to 5,000 of which 1,000 are seated. It also means increasing changing room sizes, adding medical rooms, press facilities, disabled facilities, turnstiles, etc. It is more complicated than meets the eye. For example no hard standing areas alongside the pitch count for capacity in EFL. So before we even start to consider increasing the capacity from 4,200 to 5,000 the capacity will have dropped to about 3,200! So we have to find another 1800 capacity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When we demolish the existing Loucas End we will lose the 500 existing capacity. So we will need to replace these numbers too. So it will need to be a pretty massive new South Stand in due course. We are now looking at just developing the South End initially seeing as the West side is currently on hold and we have to have a plan capable of being constructed in its entirety between mid-May of one season and end April of the next, and while football matches are being played. As if that were not all challenging enough we have to work out how to finance all this. Building a huge Super Genco Stand at the South End together with associated ground and utility works will not leave much change out of £2 million. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It has to be said too that we are perhaps the only National League club to be in this position, of having to extend our stadium every time we are promoted because we started only six years ago with nothing. We haven’t had the luxury of building up the infrastructure over time. We’ve almost risen too fast. Other clubs at our level have large stadia which qualify in many cases for EFL – in some cases even at Championship level – together with training facilities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When I spoke to the Crewe chairman recently about 3G pitches he explained that there was no pressure for them to install a 3G pitch because they have a first class training facility up the road. We find ourselves in the invidious position of having to extend and alter virtually every facility we have in order to go up to the next level. It is true that EFL have some room for flexibility in allowing some items to be upgraded or extended at a later date but there is absolutely no guarantee they would do us any favours the way things stand at the moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Talking of 3G right now we are squeezed between an EFL not allowing artificial surfaces and a National League punishing clubs for being successful on them. Things are certainly moving on all this but it is hard to see what the end-game will be. The EFL may decide to allow 3G and relax other rules relating to entry to EFL but not before 2019-20 season, (may…) while the National League double relegation Rule 23.12 can only be changed by a vote of clubs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is unlikely clubs will vote for changing this controversial rule without pressure from the FA because as it stands it would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. However in reality, if a 3G club were promotable and refused to rip up their pitch and put in natural grass (not a simple matter anyway in little over two months) what would the FA do on appeal? I believe it would be difficult for The FA to force the relegation punishment down a 3G club’s throat given all their public support for 3G pitches and their acceptance widely in international football. And that is before any question of legal action (already hinted at by one 3G club) or public outcry at the absurdity of it all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Could this rule lead to clubs trying to throw matches? Well, it sounds unlikely doesn’t it. The idea of Sutton v Bromley at Wembley with both sides attacking their own goal is shocking. For me the very fact that the rule penalises success so strongly inevitably gives an incentive to losing and that is disturbing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The question has of course arisen as to what would we do if we were in the position of winning promotion. I have spoken to a few fans as well as colleagues about this. My view at present is that we cannot afford at this stage in the club’s life to rip up our pitch and put down grass. As well as the cost of putting down grass (£200K-300K?) there is the ‘loss’ on the cost of the virtually new 3G pitch installed last year (£200K), plus the loss of income and savings through losing the 3G pitch (estimated at £500K per annum). Add to that the loss of our community infrastructure, the need for a new training facility for the first team and all other club teams and the potential cost of reinstalling 3G should we be relegated immediately back down from League 2 and it starts to appear like a no-brainer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You’d have to be insane to rip up a complete club model of community and sustainability. Now this is just my opinion and we have not debated this at board level nor discussed it openly with fans (Winter Supporters Meeting in January, date to be announced shortly). I do believe however, contrary to what was argued by a National League spokesman in Matt Dunn’s excellent recent article on 3G in the Express, that our fans would understand if we were forced to refuse promotion because we felt it could kill the club financially. I believe they would back us as they have always backed us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our club has after all already suffered the worst loss of all for football club fans in 1992 when the club folded having taken a promotion for which it was not ready and which it could not ultimately afford. We would have to be insane risking that again. I believe our long-suffering supporters would want us to do the right thing for the club in the long-term and if that means refusing a promotion and then facing the consequences on 3G so be it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Whatever happens this season on and off the pitch I firmly believe we will not end up suffering the ignominy of a double relegation from the National League. Terry and I remain confident that we will find solutions to the various challenges outlined above (and to the ones I haven’t told you about) as we have always managed to do. Simply this is the first time since we returned to the Gallagher Stadium that we have had a set of challenges which are so daunting. They are daunting because of time. It is not hard to plan for, say, three to five years in the National League while you prepare properly for promotion to EFL. It is harder to work out what to do when you find the players outperforming in Year 1 and giving you the ticklish problem outlined above of possible promotion or play-offs!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All this brings me back to the strip of land and the borough council. As you can see acquiring this strip of land is not the critical issue we face right now. It would however allow us to consider development options serenely and probably make some savings on costs. In the longer term it is essential in order to develop the West side with a modest stand. As it happens the strip of land was only ever going to be used as an access way and we have no intention of developing it. If we can acquire this land there will be enough room for the West side to be developed into a small stand with this new access way used to get into it from the back. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In order to play ball we did offer to pay a clawback bonus to the council if the stadium land were ever sold at a profit. What we have to have is simplicity. Our stadium site is covered in easements, rights of way, covenants and legal charges. You will be horrified to learn it cost us nearly £10,000 in legal fees and countless hours of unproductive administrative work just to get the Football Foundation grant for the Genco Stand put in place! We cannot afford to have a restrictive lease contract doing the same thing for us. This we made abundantly clear to the council but they ignored it, while stating that they supported the club and it was good for the town.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What I find ironic is that in my activity in French rugby with Brive we have a very supportive local authority. The Town Council in Brive la Gaillarde and the Regional Councils give us around €1,200,000 per annum in grants and sponsorships and this amounts to some 7% of our annual income. The officials from the councils are always at our side supporting us on match-day and providing logistical support whenever possible. They understand that the town gains much of its recognition from the rugby club ‘brand’ and that if the club is successful it will rub off on the town and the whole region. It is truly win-win. A few years ago an economic study estimated the economic value of the rugby club to the region to be some €53 million annually! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now I am not advocating that in Maidstone the council owes us anything. I appreciate that public finances are under pressure and that there may be more deserving causes. We are not asking for grants or sponsorship. Just genuine support when we need it and when it can be given without cost to the council. Here we have such a case. When you consider all the challenges we have as described above we could do without the extra one of spending 12 months going round in circles on what should be a relatively simple matter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well, that was a bit of a lengthy ten-year review. I hope you found it stimulating. I hope the next ten years in the life of your club are just as stimulating as the last ten and together we have a lot of fun!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">COYS.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Oliver</i></span><br />
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Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-88098716648938398782017-09-08T18:32:00.001+01:002017-09-08T18:32:04.415+01:00Agents - are they saviours or parasites?<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The statement – “Are agents good or bad for the players and the game as a whole” first came up for me way back in 1980 when I had been just been given the job as coach to the Atlanta Chiefs in the North American Soccer League and the debate is still rearing its ugly conversational head on a regular basis.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mixed opinion is widely spread across the whole of the football world! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now if I was a player today I think I would have a positive approach towards agents as there is no doubt on occasions they create opportunities or make more money for players. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But if I was a Manager I have to say I would, without doubt prefer to deal with the player directly and leave the agent sitting outside the office! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Supporters I believe are like pundits, journalists and hacks that have little time for them as most see them as leeches just taking from the game and pushing up the prices to unbelievable levels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the National League level where we operate nearly all players have an agent, so both Jay and I and of course Terry have had to become used to dealing with them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Personally, I do believe that professional footballers need professional advice. However, at the same time I don’t believe that they ever need amateur opinions. Whilst I believe in some cases agents are responsible for badly advising their clients and should be held accountable for this advice, it is reasonable to say that not all agents undertake such practises, whether the advice is innocent advice that may have been well intentioned or unqualified bad advice or advice with an ulterior motive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But as a general rule I do believe that most agents try to safeguard the best interest of their clients.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What I do disagree with and feel doesn’t help our game at all is the fact that today almost anyone can become a football agent. You just need to register with the Football Association, take a multi-selection exam, get yourself insured then out you go searching for the next Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So what percentages of agents in this country can firstly, see talent in a young player and then secondly advise him throughout his development if they have had no background in football, let alone ever played the game, not many I would suggest. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s a bit like me taking a three week exam on electrical engineering and actually picking up the tools! I’d have no idea at all as to where to start.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So to conclude: My experience of agents over the past thirty seven years has been some good, but mostly bad and today I take each encounter on a very individual basis and judge them as I find them. But the jury is still out and it is I believe for most folks still a bit like the old marmite or anchovy comparison, you either like them or you don’t and I think it’s going to stay that way for a very, very long time yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://twitter.com/thebossbw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@TheBossBW</a>)</span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-63777910619687338502017-02-22T20:40:00.000+00:002017-02-22T20:40:58.022+00:003G fake truth<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The coverage of non-league football was incredible last weekend. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sutton United and Lincoln City were virtually wall-to-wall on any media outlet covering football. When Lincoln beat Burnley, away from home, it was quite simply sensational. I am full of admiration and respect for what they have achieved. The supporters will be in seventh heaven for a few days or even weeks and the clubs’ coffers will be awash with gold. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For Lincoln the adventure continues and who can say, now, when it might stop? For other National League clubs these stellar performances are an incentive to work even harder to achieve similar results next season, now that these two clubs have shown it can be done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have a particular connection with Sutton because of our 3G pitches. Our positive experience with 3G since 2012 encouraged Sutton to install theirs in 2015 and we had many constructive contacts along the way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is the reason I was particularly delighted with their FA Cup progress, as it showcased this fantastic pitch. In three rounds of the FA Cup, three 3G records were broken. The first time a League One, a Championship and finally a Premier League club had played a senior competitive match on 3G. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each time the pitch played beautifully and there were no problems of any significance. Each match was marked by attractive, passing football along with robust, sliding challenges on occasions. Watching on TV it would have been easy to imagine the teams were playing on a Premier League quality natural mud and grass pitch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Except that sadly we couldn’t. The media coverage of 3G had about as much basis in fact as a Donald Trump press statement. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Instead of pushing the achievements of a non-league club like Sutton in an unpatronising, analytical way by explaining in detail how the 3G business model has been the saving of their club like it has been of ours, the commentators and pundits jumped on every chance to criticise the pitch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We were treated to comments about how Danny Wellbeck could not be risked on the pitch with a slightly injured ankle, how the pitch was very different and difficult (Arsène Wenger); how the pitch would be watered and would behave very differently to a dry one (Arsène Wenger again, who seems not to have noticed that it rains in England occasionally and that even mud-grass pitches are sometimes wet, sometimes dry); how Arsenal would have to beware "the ball suddenly deviating or stopping dead" (Martin Keown, for goodness sake ); that it was a good question (rather than a no-brainer) as to whether playing on 3G was better than playing on a traditional non-league bog (Graeme Le Saux). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mr Le Saux is by the way an ‘Ambassador’ for the Football Foundation, who have been busy installing 3G pitches all over the country in recent years. Please Graeme, hurry up and tell The Football Foundation just how bad 3G pitches are, because it would appear they don’t know yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The worst part of hearing all this nonsense spouted by so-called experts, who really should know better, is the disrespect to non-league clubs. Here was one shining example of a non-league club, Sutton, using a top quality artificial pitch to improve the football they play on it, as evidenced by an astonishing FA Cup run. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But no, the media ignored the positives for the non-league club and concentrated on all the supposed negatives for the Premier League club. There were no plaudits for 3G pitches enabling the community to become fully involved in their non-league club by having football played on them virtually non-stop. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was no mention of 3G clubs’ football academies bringing out the best of our youngsters around the country. No analysis of how 3G can make postponements a thing of the past and make a club financially sustainable. It was awful, patronising, embarrassing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I suppose it could have been worse…the pundits and commentators could have expressed astonished disapproval about other European countries, some of whom seem to have recently won World Cups, who foolishly allow and encourage these difficult 3G pitches in their top professional Leagues; they could have attacked the irresponsible FIFA people, who allow 3G in the Champions League and World Cup qualifiers and in the Womens’ World Cup finals; or even criticised professional rugby for allowing 3G to be used in senior club level and full internationals, when it's clearly bad for your joints – I mean what do rugby people know anyway?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yours, Oliver</span><br />
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Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-13999536920116081742016-08-05T18:28:00.000+01:002016-08-05T18:28:56.724+01:00So another exciting season starts...<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You still have to pinch yourself to remember that this time six years ago we were starting another season in Ashford with no concrete plan as to how the club could survive let alone go forward. Only in my wildest dreams did something akin to the Gallagher Stadium appear on the horizon looking like Old Trafford, but then again I'm not sure I want to go into too much detail about my wildest dreams... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now we are actually starting a season in Division 5 of the professional game. Pinch, pinch. Fixtures against York and Wrexham and Tranmere are now the norm not the exception. Pinch, pinch. We only have one FA Cup match to win before we can get to Round 1. Pinch, pinch...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Terry, Bill and I rarely make formal targets for the season, just as we rarely have formal Board meetings. Of course we discuss the football just like you do and there is usually a meeting of minds, after all if we didn't have a similar outlook on matters football and business we would have fallen out long ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For me an admirable target for this season would be top half. Such a result would be fantastic. If you had come up to me at Homelands and said in six years time would I accept 12th in the Conference and a 4000 capacity new stadium in town with a top quality new 3G pitch I'd have torn your arm off before eating it. Well, maybe not eating it...but I may well have accepted your offer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This close season has been frantic. We have had to commission and lay a new pitch. We have had to prepare plans for our new stand. We have had to prepare for a new division with new rules and constraints, travel on a national scale, new players to recruit and existing ones to manage, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been a massive effort by Bill, Terry, Jay and all the club staff, who have been flat out trying to get all this in order. It is a major challenge getting everything done within the strict time limits imposed by the FA and raising vast amounts of money (close to £1,000,000 this close season) but as ever we will do our best. As long as it makes good business sense. So far that is still the case although in an ideal world we might perhaps have 'chosen' to wait another year before promotion because of all the capital project requirements which come in its wake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our financial results for the past season will be published soon and they are looking as encouraging as in previous seasons. Four successive seasons of increasing turnover and steady profit margins is not to be sneered at. It underpins increased capital spending on the stadium at a difficult time and encourages Terry and me to invest further as we will unfortunately still have to. The main thing is we are investing in infrastructure which will give the club a first-class home for the foreseeable future and not in a quick hit on players. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We asked the supporters to contribute through our <a href="http://www.maidstoneunited.co.uk/standupforthestones/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stand up for the Stones</a> project and so far the response has been terrific. Many thanks to all of you who have given and thanks in advance to those who are still to give. Every contribution makes a difference, not just with this specific fund-raising but throughout the season, with tickets, merchandising, beer, in fact everything the club tries to sell. It all goes towards club funds and allows the club to operate successfully at this level. It's very simple really: every penny you spend in and around the club helps your club! So please make that extra effort for Maidstone United, go the extra yard if you can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm not sure that supporters realise how much pressure is placed on clubs by The FA and Leagues with their endless rules and regulations, not always useful or fair, but which pile on stress and pressure. When Sport England threaten to cut FA funding if their structures aren't reformed and professionalised I cannot help but agree with the sentiment. The FA and Leagues should exist to help all their clubs, not just some of them, reduce their stress and remove the needless obstacles in their way and not just to expand the blazer buttons and egos of some of the officials.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Terry always accuses me of spending my every waking moment on the sunny terrace of some mythical Parisian café-bar. This is a quite scandalous accusation, the very thought of which is disturbing my Pina Colada by the pool here on vacation...from where I wish the Stones, Jay and all our new squad, all of our wonderful supporters, the very best of luck for the exciting season ahead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yours, Oliver Ash</span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France33.6609389 -95.55551300000001933.449512899999995 -95.878236500000014 33.8723649 -95.232789500000024tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-64132865954981219892016-07-27T20:13:00.000+01:002016-07-27T20:13:27.726+01:00Is the present Drinking Act at football stadiums outdated?<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>There are a number of adjustments that we will all have to make now that we have been promoted to the upper echelon of non-league football, and for me personally the most frustrating change is going to be that none of our supporters will be able to drink alcohol when they are in ‘view of the pitch’. </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, you did read that right - this now takes effect at all first team games, exactly the same as we have all got used to when we play FA Cup matches. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After five years of being able to walk into any of our four bar areas here at the Gallagher Stadium order a drink and casually either stand and chat or sit down and consume the contents while watching the game has now gone – it is not allowed at this level under the control of alcohol Act which came into force in England and Wales in 1985. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is my opinion that there are now a couple of very valid reasons why this Act should be revisited. The first is that without doubt the average match day experience has changed significantly since banning football supporters from consuming alcohol ‘in view of the pitch’ happened back in the 80s. And yet, nearly 30 years later, it still remains the case that drinking and watching football while cheering on your team is a crime potentially punishable by a prison sentence!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Even grounds at our level now bear little resemblance to the pre-Premier League environment of the 1970s and 1980s. The make-up of crowds has shifted dramatically. The affluent middle classes feel that they can attend football stadiums with their families, with little risk of encountering danger. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Secondly, there is a very clear disparity with other sports. Why should a Rugby supporter be able to drink a pint while sitting in their usual seat, simply because the game in front of them involves an egg-shaped ball rather than a spherical one? Or similarly the Barmy Army, famed for following the England cricket team all over the world, are lauded for their drinking culture; yet lazy stereotypes associating England football fans with alcohol-fuelled hooliganism persist. If there remains concern that drinking alcohol while watching football matches poses any more risk than doing so while at rugby or cricket, such a view needs in my opinion to be objectively re-evaluated and substantiated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The justification for the more general Licensing Act in 2003, which allows premises the option of flexible opening hours and the potential for 24-hour drinking, was that it would discourage binge drinking by enabling people to spread their alcohol consumption over a longer period. This more liberal approach was a welcome acknowledgement that the out dated restrictions aren’t necessarily the most effective way of influencing behaviour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, this legislation contradicts the situation which we are all going to have to face in the Gallagher Stadium, where our fans will be indirectly encouraged to drink as much as they can, as quickly as they can before the match and at half time, to compensate for not being allowed to do so while the match is taking place. In this contradiction lies an inherent, outdated suggestion that football fans are unworthy of the privileges enjoyed by the general public at Rugby and Cricket.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is pressure on non-league clubs to be self-sufficient; revenue generated from match day food and drink sales has become more crucial. I believe that relaxing the pitch side alcohol ban could make a difference to clubs’ like ours quest for survival.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the current, vicious political climate, it is inevitable that some tabloids would sensationalise the idea of reversing the legislation as a gateway to the return to the hooliganism of the 1980s, but evidence contradicts that. The assumption that football fans can’t control themselves is again in my opinion an antique relic that bears little relevance to supporters of today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But we are for now where we are and all of our supporters understand the law of the land and more importantly the rules that abide here now at National League level. We all understand that we will have to adapt to an FA Cup type mode every week and behave accordingly. But it still doesn’t make it right and I hope that someone, somewhere, more powerful than me argues the case with the authorities sooner than later, as I have seen nothing wrong with our clubs approach to drinking over the past five years that warrants this change in approach. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bill Williams</span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-75355054986195790372015-11-05T19:29:00.000+00:002015-11-05T20:03:16.251+00:00The joys of the cup, 3G in the Football League and five years on...<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Once again, thanks to the skills and professionalism of our squad and management, we find ourselves in the first round of the FA Cup and looking forward to a real treat of a match on Sunday against Yeovil. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am gutted to miss a home game in the FA Cup First Round for the second year running, particularly as it looks like we will set a new capacity record thanks to the huge demand for tickets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We are obviously delighted with the interest generated but disappointed for those unable to get tickets. There is no perfect system for satisfying everybody when demand outweighs supply. We do however recommend joining our Fan Club as it is relatively cheap and guarantees you a ticket and also helps club funds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At times like this our newer supporters in particular might be forgiven for thinking this is just what it's like every year. But you'd be wrong. This is an exceptional run of success for the club and we should all savour every moment of it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">To get to the proper rounds of the FA Cup is always the icing on the non-league cake. It allows the players and managers to test themselves against seriously talented professional teams; it gets the club into the limelight for brief but unforgettable moments; it raises the profile of the club and enables us to attract more supporters, more business partners and more customers, all of which is positive for the long-term health of the club. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Also it's a huge amount of fun mixing it with the 'big boys'. This is what most non-league clubs dream of. So let's share the dream and enjoy every minute and never, ever, take any of this for granted. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And while we do that, let's remember that our squad has managed to get us to third in the league and pressing for a play-off place. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is as notable as the FA Cup run and will hopefully keep our whole season as alive and kicking as the previous Gallagher Stadium seasons have been. There is a long way to go of course but there is a growing confidence that we can compete in this league and have a chance to reach the play-offs in April. Let's see how we go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The FA Cup also raises the profile of our 3G pitch, which is no bad thing, even though we are aware our pitch does sometimes look tired, what with all the use it gets and can appear shiny and patchy, particularly under the lights and on TV. After Graham Westley's comments last season on the dangers of 3G, while his club Stevenage were advertising it in their programme as perfect for youth training, it will be interesting to hear what the Yeovil manager has to say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Recent weeks have seen England play on 3G again, without any serious adverse comment. Furthermore we have heard on the grapevine that the Football League are once again revisiting the 3G issue, under pressure from The FA. The time may indeed not be far away when a club from National League comes knocking on the Football League door with a 3G pitch. The FA realise that there is no simple way for National League to manage 3G clubs seeking promotion while the Football League door is shut. So they will be as keen as we are for the Football League to allow in 3G. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On that topic I noticed today that Kidderminster Harriers, in serious fiancial difficulty, were taken over. Their new owner stated he was looking at a new business model to grow the club as a community facility not dependant on match day revenues…well my friends at 3G4US may have some advice for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You will possibly be aware of the race against time to get the new east staircase open and fit for purpose this Sunday. The completion of these works will give us over 3000 capacity in normal circumstances and just under 3,000 when we segregate. It all depends on how we segregate too. The numbers change all the time depending on where we might put dividers and how many rows of seats or metres of terracing we wish to block off. That depends on whom we are playing… in any event these numbers will be quite satisfactory for us and the league. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We are also embarking on a new master planning exercise for the stadium design to revisit where we plan to be in future years as and when we continue to climb up the pyramid. The focus now is achieving the minimum capacity requirements (4,000 for The National League and 5,000 for League Two) in a logical and economical way, so as to give us the best possible chance of financing them sensibly. The precise urgency of this exercise may depend on how the team is doing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can all be rightly proud of the club's facilities, which are among the newest and best in the league. On top of that please let's make sure all of us, staff and supporters alike, continue to welcome all fellow and opposition supporters to the stadium with the same friendliness we usually do. That is what we stand for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As Christmas pokes its nose round the door, can I respectfully ask you to consider buying presents through our shop? Look out for special opening times in the run up to Christmas. We try and produce new and attractive merchandise, Helen and her volunteer staff are the friendliest in the business and every penny contributes to your club's financial stabilty. So it's for a great cause! Thank you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lastly we held a club Premium Partner wine-tasting event last week, thanks to Shepherd Neame, which was successful. Our Premium partners such as Shepherd Neame, Britelite, Gullands and Gallagher Group, as well as many others, contribute hugely to our resources. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On 19 November, in the evening, we host our twice-yearly Supporters' Get-Together in the Spitfire Lounge. The theme is 'Five years on, looking back and looking forwards'. You will have a chance to meet fellow supporters for a drink or two, chat to Jay Saunders and some of the players and ask questions, hear from Terry and Bill about the latest club news and possibly view the premiere of the latest Stones TV production thanks to Fred Atkins and John Gooch. In fact you might soon be seeing much more of John's work because he is returning shortly to bring you - once again - highlights from most of our matches. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yours in sport,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oliver Ash</span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-57321108392342804732015-06-07T16:29:00.000+01:002015-06-07T16:38:47.852+01:00The shame of FIFA<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Now this is a tough blog to write. I started a week ago and every day something sensational happens and I have to rewrite it. By the time you read this Desmond Tutu will probably have taken over as interim head of FIFA, Jack Warner will have been arrested again, this time for attacking Sepp Blatter with a baseball bat, Greg Dyke and Michel Platini will have been hauled in by the FBI and the results of all the corrupt World Cups going back to 1962 annulled. Now there's a thought...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With all the disgust in the air following the circus act that was the FIFA congress and Blatter's subsequent resignation it is all too easy to feel over-emotional and even down-right revolted about the sorry state of football administration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When a governing body, association or league gets to the point where there is neither sense nor morality in its rules, finances, governance and transparency then the corruption, in every sense, has to be arrested.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks to the free spread of information around the internet and social media there is now a spirit of revolution in the air; we can now take stock of all these years, during which the ultimate control of our worldwide game and its huge financial resources have been stolen by a group of evil men in suits, who resemble the henchmen around the dinner table in a mafia movie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And 'evil' they certainly are. Look at the obscenely huge amounts of money stolen. This very theft deprives millions of football fans the world over, including those in very poor countries, of improved football facilities capable of dramatically lifting their quality of life. It's all very well FIFA claiming they gave loads of money to poor football nations. Maybe they did but how much more money should have been given if they hadn't all been stealing it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It all reminds me of an equally sickening scandal involving people abusing trust in France a few years ago, when the CEO Jacques Crozemarie was convicted of stealing millions from the leading cancer research charity Arc. It just beggared belief. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How could it come to this? How could we end up allowing this situation to go unchecked for so long? One reason is simply that we, the fans, are a long way away from the FIFA debacle. Our game is administered by national associations, which in turn are administered by continental associations, which then come under FIFA</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So the question perhaps needs asking differently: how come all the well-paid football suits in the other governing bodies didn't intervene earlier to stop this embarrassing mess happening? It's not as though the Sunday Times and BBC hadn't pointed the big finger years ago. How could they have let it get this bad? How far down the tree does the corruption, the incompetence, the disregard for the ordinary football fan go?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And of course in football, as in politics, vile regimes thrive on apathy. You let the bad guys get away with more and more and suddenly you realise they've taken everything. And that is exact what has happened here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So what next? I think the FA and UEFA need to keep the pressure up for total reform under a new President. Clean out the dirt, all of it, every single crook and start afresh in rebuilding a world football body serving the world and not taking from it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Change the mad voting rules (not the first time I have criticised the mad voting rules of a governing body before...) to give votes to countries based on numbers of football players.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Limit the length of Presidential office to 10 years maximum so it's harder to establish a corrupt fiefdom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let Russia keep the World Cup, unless evidence suggests it's significantly more corrupt than previous World Cups in the Blatter era have been.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let Qatar keep it too if it's played in the winter and if they reform their treatment of site workers and pay significant compensation to families of workers killed because of appalling working conditions. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fan-owned clubs</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How does this follow on from the tirade on FIFA I hear you ask ....? Well there is a link here believe it or not. The theme is fundamentalism. The placing of one idea (or governing body) on a pedestal and not questioning it; discarding any alternative idea as worthless; rejecting critics as heretics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In recent months there has been a torrent of praise and passion in favour of fan-owned clubs. These are what football is all about. Give the game back to fans and all will be beautiful in the land of milk, honey and cup runs. The game is for fans so let it be run by fans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Recent examples are the extraordinary FC United, the rebirth of Hereford and Merthyr Town and now a fund-raising by Bath City. There are several other cases in other areas of the pyramid where fans either control or have a big say in running their clubs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And in a fundamentalist way we are told that the other traditional business model for football clubs, one or more shareholders, not always fans, often making annual financial contributions to keeping the club afloat, is by definition morally reprehensible and should be scrapped.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The existence of a few headline cases of business mismanagement leading to the demise of clubs such as Salisbury and Hereford, together with cases of clumsy owners trying to change the whole identity of a club (Cardiff) or stripping assets (in the rare cases like Man U where there are assets to strip), means that the traditional business model for football club businesses is rotten and must be discarded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">David Conn, the talented Guardian sports writer, raves about the FC United revival and attacks single owner models. He recently wrote:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"Many whose enrichment has outraged football lovers have made millions by selling shares in football companies that supporters still quaintly refer to as clubs. The guiding light for running football should be as simple as the game’s essence."</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Except of course it's not that simple. These new-fangled fan-ownership models are hot off the press and have not yet gone past their trial period. It would be only sensible precaution to thread a few questions through the euphory and optimism. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Such as how will a purely democratic and 'communist' ownership model be able to deal decisively with all the ups and downs which affect football club businesses over the years? Is a 'communist' model likely to be more efficient than other communist political and economic models before it? How will it cope with needs to raise further cash? With questions of salaries, director payments, and cash management going forward? With questions of strategy, profitablity targets and sinking funds? The decision to raise ticket prices in order to raise cash? Resolving grave differences of opinion, which can arise even amongst fans with their beloved team in common? And what about those genuine fans, who for whatever reason will not buy shares in their club? What voice have they got? And what about those genuine fans of those clubs who might feel their club could be better run in a different, perhaps more traditional, way? Perhaps they will feel even less involved now that they are not fan-owners?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">FC United may be a fine business model, it certainly is a great story and I sincerely wish them well, but where will they and others be in 5 or 10 years' time? You can only ever judge these things in retrospect. And doing just that let's not forget - or even simply discard as "irrelevant" - a previous system of fan ownership at Ebbsfleet, which time showed to be fatally flawed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This need for a balanced view and the wisdom gleaned from the passage of time is equally true of cases where a new and wealthy owner invests heavily in a club and its sustainability is questioned, like Margate. Let's wait and see and judge this model further down the road when the business plan ( if there is one) has run its course. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now please don't think I'm saying that these new models of fan ownership won't work. I'm not. I'm just saying we should exercise some caution before assuming in the manner of Candide that they are the panacea for all known evil in the football world at this very early stage in their development.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After all there are still many examples of traditional football club businesses, which seem to function well. Who is to say they would operate better under a different regime? They don't all have hordes of angry fans outside their gates screaming for the Chairman's head on a platter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These clubs are in many cases run as efficiently and honestly as they can be by their owners, who are also fans themselves. I would hope that this description might even apply to the owners of Maidstone United but that of course is for others to judge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The point here is that even when a club is owned by a mere handful of fans, it is still fan-owned. Such supporter-owners are as emotionally linked to their clubs as any other supporter and in most cases have business experience and financial resources to boot. They may therefore be in a unique position to combine the (optimistic) desire to see some sort of return on their investment with the desire to preside over a sustainable club serving its supporters and the wider community. It just may be the best solution for the business in question. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In some cases it is the only solution because of financial needs. When Terry Casey and I took over Maidstone United in 2010 the club was on the edge of bankruptcy and was losing money hand over fist. Time was of the essence in finding a solution to funding the new stadium for the small amount of £3 million.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We almost immediately tried to widen the ownership in order to raise substantial capital for the stadium project. We thought by offering shareholdings to supporters, admittedly in sizeable chunks because time was so short, that we might flush out a few enthusiastic supporters with funds and the desire to be part of the adventure going forward. No interest was forthcoming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In addition the banks and the local council all refused to assist financially. We had no choice other than to find a way to stump up the money or the club would have folded. Even if we had had more time I doubt whether sufficient funds could have been raised by offering smaller shareholdings to more fans. Even, say, 2000 fans contributing £200 each would only have raised £400k, a sizeable amount of money but a drop in the ocean when compared to the amount needed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now 3 years on our capital structure is established and the value of the club and its stadium is such that no 'fan ownership' business model is possible for the foreseeable future. However the fans remain an integral part of our daily thinking for obvious reasons. The fans are at the heart of the club, they are both allies and customers and it would be nonsensical to ignore their wishes, demands and aspirations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So let's just keep things in perspective about fan-ownership. Let's by all means doff our caps and admire what our friends at FC United and Merthyr Town are doing while keeping our feet on the ground and respecting other business models too. In 5-10 years' time it will be fascinating to compare the performance of these clubs with clubs like our own and see how we have all performed. Then and only then will it be time to draw any firm conclusions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Oliver</i></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-27758854963247252842015-05-15T10:59:00.001+01:002015-05-15T11:04:09.218+01:00Building for a successful future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipsDrWr7jBRmbBviAMBOISXw0QhGPnVciHiYfYF9nz6kl3hsGFJ-N6WKT8KkblTAapInHtuaVhYdOGc9ml8f18vTTZromN0ipB7G_aOvrWsvhpG4nOGfM_VlynH9DQ8x0dJ1VNADzAhg/s1600/Terry-Casey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipsDrWr7jBRmbBviAMBOISXw0QhGPnVciHiYfYF9nz6kl3hsGFJ-N6WKT8KkblTAapInHtuaVhYdOGc9ml8f18vTTZromN0ipB7G_aOvrWsvhpG4nOGfM_VlynH9DQ8x0dJ1VNADzAhg/s320/Terry-Casey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It seems like a long time since a thousand or so of us heard the news that Hendon had drawn and our result at Dulwich had virtually made us champions. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is difficult to describe my feelings of relief and elation because I had never before felt such an overwhelming sense of achievement. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Oliver, Bill and I will be eternally grateful to the staff, the stewards and volunteers who gave so much time and commitment to get the club to where we are now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being able to share the moments after the Dulwich match and after the final game at home to East Thurrock with the supporters, who have followed the team in such great numbers throughout the season, meant all of our efforts have been worthwhile. I am so grateful for being part of those joyous moments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The minute we knew that we would be promoted we put the finishing touches to the fundraising and plans for the east stand extension. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Work starts on Monday (18 May) and we expect it to be complete by 7 August, the day before we play our first match in the NLS. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have a new lounge with 52 seats and we have 175 seats in the stand extension that we have been able to offer as season tickets. Incredibly all these seats have been sold for the start of the 2015/2016 which has vindicated our decision to spend £600/£650k on this development. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There will be about 100 seats that we cannot sell as season tickets because we must offer them to our opponent's supporters when games are segregated. These seats will be available for sale on a pay on the day basis as the majority of games will not be segregated. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although the schedule for completion is tight we will be working all the hours necessary to fulfil our commitment to those supporters who have bought seats for the start of the new season. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These works, along with extending the terraces at the north and south ends, will increase our capacity to 2,600 but to achieve the required capacity of 3,000 we must also install new stairs and new turnstiles in the north east corner. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have submitted plans for this work and are hoping to schedule this in alongside the east stand extension. We have until March 2016 to get the capacity to 3,000 to satisfy the requirements of the NLS.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To sustain all of our successes we know that we must continue to support Jay in his ambitions to secure the club in the NLS and put a team together that can challenge for a place in the higher league. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have the support and we have the infrastructure to play at a higher level and we intend to reward that support by putting together a team that we can get behind and be proud of. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We will be facing opponents with substantially more money to spend on their squads but we have given Jay a budget that we feel will give him every chance of winning matches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have enjoyed three exhilarating years and had an amazing journey and we fully intend to have more years of excitement and success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Terry</i></b></span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, Maidstone, Kent, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-58534724493943186572015-01-06T15:59:00.000+00:002015-01-06T15:59:26.484+00:00Does anyone have the right to behave badly at a football match? <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Does anyone have the right to behave badly at a football match? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The answer is obviously no. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So why recently have we had one or two so-called supporters take it upon themselves to think they have the right to throw beer over the opposition management, players, or in fact anyone who should be in the immediate vicinity is beyond me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These people need to have a quick rethink!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">May I remind everyone that the throwing of anything is totally against our ground regulations and anyone caught doing so will be issued with a banning order.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At our league game on New Year’s Day when we played Tonbridge Angels a very serious incident occurred mainly through the stupidity of one individual who decided, for whatever reason, that he would throw the contents of his container at an opposing official. An individual then decided to seek retribution.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The actions of these individuals were so out of order and it is the first time that we have ever witnessed this type of behaviour at our stadium. Had it not been for the quick and professional action of our security team this, in my opinion, could have erupted into a significant incident.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bad behaviour is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. These two individuals will be banned from the ground.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This has since brought about a huge debate suggesting that we should consider withdrawing alcohol on match days. Now, I have very strong opinions on this subject and get totally hacked off when the minority, who always have a nasty habit of messing things up for the majority, cause this type of debate to even take place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here at Maidstone United we have always believed that the majority of our supporters are sensible people and why shouldn’t we as a club allow our supporters to make the decision that if they fancied a lager, cider or whatever, they could buy it at any time and go stand or sit in the stadium and relax and drink it. We spent a lot of time and money making sure that our supporters could enjoy that decision to have a drink anytime, anywhere in our stadium.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So once again the mindless idiots take it upon themselves to mess it up for the large majority and decide to throw beer pitch side and cause everyone untold problems. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So my solution to the minority is a simple one, if you throw anything we will catch you and ban you from watching any home games – as I believe that it is fairer to try to educate the minority and eradicate them from our crowd - than punish the majority who just want to have a drink and enjoy a game of football.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>(The incident is currently being investigated by The Football Association and Kent Police).</i></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, Maidstone, Kent, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-20873323628790687932014-12-03T18:00:00.000+00:002014-12-03T18:00:31.488+00:00Standing out from the crowd<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The level of concern raised by the supporters over the incidents of bad behaviour in the crowd is confirmation that the vast majority of our fans find the abusive and racist language of a tiny minority quite unacceptable. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are three incidents currently under investigation: the first involves the setting off of a flare during the Stevenage replay which injured two of our supporters. It was a mindless and dangerous act which ruined the match for some of our genuine fans. We are still looking for the culprit and if we can identify him the club would ban him instantly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The second is the person who made racist comments while standing with his young son. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He does not seem to have returned to the ground as all of our security staff and stewards are carrying a photo of him and if they see him he will be ejected from the ground. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Finally the abusive behaviour of the three people at the Herne Bay match, which was so depressing to listen to, have been identified and we are currently making efforts to contact them to speak to them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These idiots do not have the right to destroy the enjoyment of our proper supporters. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Their behaviour could be deemed to be a breach of the peace and lead to police prosecution if they were conducting themselves in this way on the street. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These people have absolutely no right to single out a young person just because he plays in goal for the opposition to the levels of abuse that he had to endure that evening. The conduct of the racist, the three morons who were so abusive and the idiot with the flare is intimidating, upsetting and will ultimately put at risk the thousands of real supporters who are passionate about their football team but know how to conduct themselves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Currently we pay a substantial proportion of our match income on security and we are prepared to spend more so that the real supporters can watch the team feeling safe and comfortable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are looking at the way these incidents were dealt with and acknowledge that we could do more. It is such a shame that the subject of the blog cannot be that we are second in the league, still in the FA Cup and also still competing in two more cup competitions, and have probably the best Maidstone team for many many years.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think that Wrexham will be tougher than Stevenage and Welling but with the team we have anything is possible. To all of you genuine supporters who are travelling to North Wales please do what you do every week and make us all proud of our wonderful football club and its magnificent fans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Terry</i></span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, Maidstone, Kent, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-38886707684653253142014-11-07T15:00:00.000+00:002014-11-07T15:00:23.126+00:00My views on The Football League vote<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jhwt6VVVA4lT-6tn_M-FbMi-Eq61nNbK0S3ZYMfFBHnWNU9MQuwp69eLCeSF2XAmjUx_lVHxbVZi_f8l3lw1MptBVQNOeJGYW1JQWFRFJVAJJFYhac2NCYWuzopZYrfkoNDHMZrsCUo/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jhwt6VVVA4lT-6tn_M-FbMi-Eq61nNbK0S3ZYMfFBHnWNU9MQuwp69eLCeSF2XAmjUx_lVHxbVZi_f8l3lw1MptBVQNOeJGYW1JQWFRFJVAJJFYhac2NCYWuzopZYrfkoNDHMZrsCUo/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After the announcement that The Football League had not approved 3G at its meeting yesterday there seems to be some uncertainty and worry amongst supporters. This is understandable but we should not be too pessimistic. </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes it is disappointing that The Football League didn't approve 3G yesterday as both The Football League and ourselves expected. Yes it does raise the question as to what The Conference will now do. But anything more is pure conjecture at this stage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One detail to correct: at the September meeting of The Football League where an informal vote was held we understand 17 Championship clubs voted in favour together with 14 League 1 and 15 League 2 clubs. That gives the 46/72 (64%) figure. At yesterday's meeting this percentage fell to 50% as we know but we do not have the breakdown of the 34/68, plus four abstentions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our information after yesterday's meeting is that The Football League clubs wanted more information on certain aspects of 3G. We don't know what that information is but it may well be to do with safety and injury questions. The PFA statement yesterday was anti-3G and 'menacing' and yes the Welsh game in Andorra was of course 'bad press'. Clearly the pro players have genuine injury concerns and unfortunately you can always criticise injury research, even FIFA/UEFA/FA research, and claim it's not relevant or not lengthy enough or wrong or biased, etc...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite all this 3G was only one vote short of being approved up to League 1!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Following yesterday’s meeting we understand The Football League is going to try and answer questions, reply to any concerns and provide further information to clubs before planning to hold another vote next year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for The Conference, well they already said clearly they intend to allow 3G next season. For me this is clear. I do not believe the Conference has to hold a vote on this matter. Of course the Conference Board could get nervous because The Football League have not yet approved 3G and decide to alter their stance. This is possible for every issue they deal with at any time. However I believe it is extremely unlikely they will go back on their declared intent because:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">they will realise that The Football League are close to voting in 3G and probably just need a bit more time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The FA will continue to press for 3G. It is one of FA's leading policies going forward to improve English football at all levels</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The FA hold considerable sway over Conference, much more than they do over The Football League</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">more and more clubs are turning to 3G and more and more 3G stadium projects are being considered by clubs at our level and below. 3G is growing everywhere as an accepted high-quality pitch surface. Two clubs now play in SPFL on it and an international rugby match will be played on 3G for the first time in a weeks' time at Kilmarnock. And if it's OK for rugby…</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">they in any case have come round to believing it is the right thing to do and in the interests of their clubs...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(and they know we ain't giving up without a fight...)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So despite this irritating hiccup – perhaps the 3G campaign was indeed taking us all too far, too fast? I do honestly believe we should not be overly worried. If we were to be promoted in May I still believe we would be able to go up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You don't have to believe me of course, that's up to you. But don't please let the issue upset the buzz about this Sunday's big game and the tremendous season we're having in general. It certainly won't upset mine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oliver</span></i>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-85660140537436003332014-08-03T15:30:00.000+01:002014-08-03T15:30:06.218+01:00A wonderful victory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipsDrWr7jBRmbBviAMBOISXw0QhGPnVciHiYfYF9nz6kl3hsGFJ-N6WKT8KkblTAapInHtuaVhYdOGc9ml8f18vTTZromN0ipB7G_aOvrWsvhpG4nOGfM_VlynH9DQ8x0dJ1VNADzAhg/s1600/Terry-Casey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipsDrWr7jBRmbBviAMBOISXw0QhGPnVciHiYfYF9nz6kl3hsGFJ-N6WKT8KkblTAapInHtuaVhYdOGc9ml8f18vTTZromN0ipB7G_aOvrWsvhpG4nOGfM_VlynH9DQ8x0dJ1VNADzAhg/s1600/Terry-Casey.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The achievement of Maidstone United Football Club in changing the face of non and lower league football should never be underestimated. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By allowing artificial 3G pitches the Conference have opened the doors to football in the 21st century, which can now be played on even and true surfaces. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I feel we will look back, as we look back on the pitches of the sixties and seventies, and wonder why it was ever in doubt that 3G surfaces would eventually prevail. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although I am not bitter about the song and dance Oliver had to go through, the extraordinary attitude of some of those running football became a symbol of what is wrong with the nation’s favourite game. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each time I heard a dissenting opinion about 3G it was obvious that yet another dinosaur of the game hadn't bothered to do any research on the realities and benefits of using an artificial surface. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I recall meeting with the supporters after another depressing defeat playing at Ashford and being asked whether the surface will never be accepted and beginning to doubt whether this incredibly risky decision to install 3G would explode in our faces. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bill never doubted the decision and Oliver, by his efforts, clearly was never going to back down. We were alone and isolated in the football world but we knew we were right this had to be the only way forward. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What then happened is that the football loving public of Maidstone gave the 3G surface the most overwhelming vote of approval. This was no longer a battle for Bill, Oliver and I – it became a cause for almost two thousand people every week. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The supporters were clearly telling the rulers of the game, the politicians and the football hierarchy that they should embrace the new way that the game should be played. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each time we stood up in front of the supporters and said that we would win the battle one day it was your support that kept us going. We have as a club much to be proud of. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We should all recognise the efforts of Oliver in achieving this momentous change. His skill and determination has been prodigious and an object lesson in perseverance and bloody mindedness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know he would want to acknowledge the various people who helped, such as Matt Dickinson from The Times and Matt Dunn from the Daily Express who so eloquently made the case for 3G and gave it a national profile, and to Greg Dyke and his colleagues at The FA for showing great leadership on this important issue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The 2014/2015 campaign is going to be another battle but after this victory we must believe that anything can happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks for your support.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Terry Casey</span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, Maidstone, Kent, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-26137485818663090102014-06-27T17:25:00.000+01:002014-06-27T17:25:52.729+01:00Can there ever be any excuse for underachieving?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHB7bpMFC4xiJXhveuKp6HZsBmFETWrU8Lot92NbLzGzzsUGUTcFYeqhdpFX6nzjWXfqlndzTLq4ZAqcxWZ8id8qx-xHWqIiLuWSp1pGr00QAQwrj_e0H1yPbQNYgpUdeqh_SGxUIyMs/s1600/Page+4+Bill+Williams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHB7bpMFC4xiJXhveuKp6HZsBmFETWrU8Lot92NbLzGzzsUGUTcFYeqhdpFX6nzjWXfqlndzTLq4ZAqcxWZ8id8qx-xHWqIiLuWSp1pGr00QAQwrj_e0H1yPbQNYgpUdeqh_SGxUIyMs/s1600/Page+4+Bill+Williams.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>After my Directors XI had once again taken the supporters team to task in our annual football match down at the Gallagher Stadium, we all carried our very tired bodies into the Spitfire Lounge for a couple of drinks, a bit of pizza and a friendly chat.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The conversation was varied but there was one subject that kept coming up from most of the regular supporters – who kept reminding me that the season wasn’t very far away – was: ‘what do I think we will do better this season and not make the same mistakes?’. Or more to the point: ‘can we stay clear of the injuries and can one or two players up their game?’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It jogged an age old problem that I have faced throughout my whole football career. I know exactly where everyone is coming from as I am the same – I hate getting beaten and want my team to win every game – so what I believe everyone was asking me indirectly was: ‘can there ever be any excuse for underachieving?’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We made a lot of genuine excuses last season, mainly to do with the injury crisis that struck and it is the only excuse that I believe any coach can accept. If a player has a genuine injury or is ill, it is impossible for him to perform at his highest standard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How often have you read after a very good performance the manager or coach says: ‘We have set a high standard and now we must reach the same each week’? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The formula to getting each player to achieve his very best standard of play each week is a very complex ingredient as there are so many factors involved. But it is what the management have to strive for and somehow place that ingredient somewhere in that player’s brain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So what does it really take to make a championship team? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I believe that the most important ingredient is, if possible, to select and sign the best players available. You then need to get the balance of those selected players right, train them well and get them to a highest level of fitness. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You also need to instil a clear understanding of the different systems that the team is going to use, drill the set plays into every one of them and sharpen every aspect. Add to that making sure that each player feels good about himself, his fellow team mates and the club. Some people would call that creating a good team spirit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When you put it all down on paper it all sounds relatively simple, but of course it isn’t and even when you think that you have got it all right – out go the team and they get beaten 4-1 by the very same team that they had beaten 4-1 a week earlier – you ask the question: ‘what went wrong?’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It turns out on this occasion that although everything you did was in fact the same – three players had played with slight injuries, the centre half got a pulled hamstring just before half time and two of the players had rows with their wives before they left for the game the very same morning!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So to all those supporters who spoke to me over a pint and think that they have all the answers, hopefully you can now see that it certainly isn’t a simple task trying to make sure that every player we sign doesn’t ever underachieve! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Bill</i></b></span></div>
Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, Kent, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-15857851104806191212014-05-11T14:59:00.000+01:002014-05-11T14:59:07.012+01:00A cunning plan…<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I have now
heard about the proposals for League 3 and heard the reaction from the
non-league world: outrage, annoyance, fear, disbelief, any number of negative
sentiments. Hardly any in favour. </b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">People have questioned the logic, questioned
the Commission membership, questioned the motives, questioned Greg Dyke’s
credibility. I too believe the proposal to be misguided and wonder why it was
put forward in what appears to be such a clumsy and provocative way. Deliberate
surely? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There
remains the strong underlying issue here of an FA, which has to run an England
team but which doesn’t control the source of its players anymore: the Premier
League. After all the Premier League were not even on the Commission and let’s
face it, Premier League clubs, foreign-owned in many cases, don’t care if no
English players play for them as long as they win things and make heaps of
dosh! The biggest challenge Greg Dyke has is to wrest some control of English
football back from the Premier League, a tough ask.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">League 3 is
supposed to be a solution to the challenge of producing more talented young
English players for the national team. Even Greg Dyke himself admits it may not
be the best solution but it’s the only one they seemed to all agree on and he
invites us to propose a better solution or accept this one because something
needs to be done. Well it has certainly got the debate stirred up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">League 3 is
wrong firstly because it ignores the unique nature of non-league and lower
league football in England, which cannot be compared easily with other
countries’ structures. We have about 100 full-time professional clubs. Is there
any other country in Europe, which can claim such a huge figure? The huge
number of followers and supporters of non-league and lower league clubs is also
exceptional. In France’s professional Division 2 for example, the bottom four
clubs’ crowds average 2000, comparable with The Conference, our Division 5. Our
pyramid structure is highly liberal: all clubs can legitimately aim to rise to
the top. Nothing but merit restricts them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Additionally
League 3 adds an unfair element of imperfect competition: clubs will inevitably
put together their (reserve) team not simply in order to win matches and the
competition as a whole, but in order to ‘practise’, to improve players, their
experience and ultimately their club’s first team. This will skew the results
unfairly. The division will be compromised and the results almost irrelevant in
sporting terms. This pollution of the pyramid is undesirable to say the least.
The pyramid is not perfect (e.g. the absurd situation by which non-league clubs
at AGMs get one vote in Step 1, 3 and 4 but virtually no votes in Step 2…) but
it’s not bad the way it is, thank you very much. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More
importantly it doesn’t seem to be the best solution to the problem. After all
the FA Commission highlighted the problems: too few coaches in English
football; too few good pitches; too little competitive football for 18-21 year
olds because existing reserve leagues are not deemed competitive enough; surely
they are not trying to tell us that the only answer they can find to all these
questions is the League 3 idea. Surely they know we will realise they can’t be
that stupid? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let’s look
at the questions and answers: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">We need more coaches? </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Well create more courses and
coaching/training facilities and make sure conditions and costs are such that
more top football people are tempted to apply and qualify. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Too few good pitches?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Well yes it was only going to be a
matter of time till I got to that one. Then continue to promote 3G pitches
throughout English football; not just in grass roots but in lower league stadia
that will improve the standard and frequency of football being played. It’s one
thing we can learn from our fellow Europeans: it works. In this respect the FA
have started to shake up football’s reactionary governing bodies in England and
perhaps League 3 is a cunning plan to harass and provoke these bodies into
creating a stir, the volume of which might cause a rethink at Premier League
level where change needs to happen and where The FA is weakest? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Too little competitive football for
top reserve teams? </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Well
set up a competitive reserves competition. Perhaps the obscenely wealthy
Premier League clubs should put some of their millions up as prize money for a
Premier B League, to give a proper incentive to win games? £5 million for the
winning club should make it competitive.
Or improve the player loan system to encourage clubs to loan out players
to lower league clubs but limit the numbers allowed to be loaned to each club.
It’s hardly rocket science but would it not work?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">And why not push for limits on
players not qualified to play for England in the Premier League?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> This would be similar to what the
French Rugby Federation have recently chosen to do in the Top 14 competition,
comparable to England’s Premier League in football, in order to improve the
poor results of the national team and combat the increasing numbers of foreign
mercenaries being imported by rich clubs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">And why was there no consultation of
non-league bodies?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">
There are a few non-league bodies who are capable of demonstrating common
sense, vision and leadership, e.g. the Ryman League, who should have been asked
their opinion. However having listened to the Non-League Show there are clearly
some who continue to live in cloud cuckoo land: issues like 3G show up the
failings in bodies like The Conference. They do not, contrary to what is
claimed, stand up for non-league football as a whole. They are not leaders they
are followers contrary to what their spokesman claimed; they are more concerned
to secure additional promotion places to League 2 (perhaps now League 3?), an
issue of importance to maybe 25% of Conference clubs, rather than promote 3G
pitches, which, as they themselves admit, would be welcomed by far more clubs,
even in The Conference itself, let alone throughout the wider world of
non-league, where so many people now support more 3G pitches. For Brian Lee to
state that “the FA have lost the plot” is laughable. The Conference need to
have a good look at their own plot first: voting rules, membership of their
Board and governance, communications, representation of non-league as a whole,
all have much room for improvement. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">And why not encourage non-league
clubs to form academies, as we have done and the NPL are doing as a League?</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> This can only provide benefits in
every sense. Instead there is still no real financial incentive for clubs to go
down the complicated and costly set-up costs of academies because the rules are
such that Premier League clubs can freely poach players and no financial
compensation structure exists for smaller clubs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So it just
cannot be possible that this is the end result of The FA Commission’s deliberations.
Greg Dyke is too canny for that to be the case. He and the FA have recently
shown great courage and leadership in the 3G campaign, throwing open its
competitions to 3G and pushing other bodies to embrace 3G. Their actions will
encourage more clubs to install these pitches and they have virtually removed
all remaining barriers to 3G in non-league. I can only assume therefore that
this wacky League 3 proposal must be part of a very cunning plan…</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Oliver Ash</i></span></span></div>
Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-20272503006255913032014-05-09T18:00:00.000+01:002014-05-09T18:00:03.659+01:00Close season observations and ambitions<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipsDrWr7jBRmbBviAMBOISXw0QhGPnVciHiYfYF9nz6kl3hsGFJ-N6WKT8KkblTAapInHtuaVhYdOGc9ml8f18vTTZromN0ipB7G_aOvrWsvhpG4nOGfM_VlynH9DQ8x0dJ1VNADzAhg/s1600/Terry-Casey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipsDrWr7jBRmbBviAMBOISXw0QhGPnVciHiYfYF9nz6kl3hsGFJ-N6WKT8KkblTAapInHtuaVhYdOGc9ml8f18vTTZromN0ipB7G_aOvrWsvhpG4nOGfM_VlynH9DQ8x0dJ1VNADzAhg/s1600/Terry-Casey.jpg" height="110" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Terry Casey</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last season was the best that Maidstone United have enjoyed for many years. </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Winning the league cup, finishing seventh in the league, our average league crowds increasing on the previous year – yet I felt that we had underachieved. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is in no way a criticism of Jay and the squad but an acknowledgement that at the start of the 2013/2014 season Jay had put together a squad was capable of, at the very least, making the play offs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">During the early months of the season it was unthinkable that we would not be involved in the final reckoning because we were beginning to realise that this team really was good enough. The impact of the injuries cannot be overstated. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Losing Steve Watt, our captain and the best centre half in the league; losing Mickey Phillips from midfield and losing one of the most exciting players in Orlando all meant that we were going to hit problems at some stage. Replacing Orlando with Rory should have helped but to lose Rory for most of the season was another blow. We underachieved because we did in fact have a team that might even have won the league but for the crippling injuries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I continue to say to people that we are not a Ryman league club – we should be in the Conference at the very least, and I feel confident that we are only a year away from making the step up to the higher level.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The academy proved its value to the club as it was lads like Gary Smith and Liam King who scored goals for us on our way to winning the league cup. I describe the academy as the jewel in the club’s crown and watching the way they destroyed Eastbourne Borough in the Conference Youth Alliance cup final made me feel immensely proud. I also felt terrific pride in the numbers of our supporters who travelled to Crawley to support the lads in their quest to complete the double.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Their successes on the field are second to none, leaving other academies in higher leagues wondering how we have become so successful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The facts are that we have the best coaches in Jay Saunders and Jack Parkinson, the best tutors in Jim Bodle and Tom Parkinson and the best facilities at the Gallagher Stadium. The young people are also aware that, regardless of their footballing ability, they are valued and are learning from excellent role models within the staff and coaching team. They should leave us with an understanding of how to conduct themselves once they enter into the adult world and to enjoy their triumphs and to show dignity when things don’t go to plan. As a testament to the lure of the academy we have had to turn away dozens of young people who wanted to join the academy for 2014/2015 season.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not making promotion, whilst desperately disappointing, means that we do have some time to plan ahead with the expansion of the ground. We have met with various organisations and have presented them with our plans to achieve the minimum capacity of 3,000. The problem is that the plans that we are currently looking at have come in at costs ranging between £800k and £1.2million. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We will have to borrow to get this sort money and the cost of finance is extremely prohibitive. We are now looking at cheaper options which might enable us to finance the project ourselves and would satisfy the need to get our capacity to the level required by the Conference. The fact is that there is a clear shortage of covered seating at the stadium and whatever we finally decide upon , we will meet that demand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The great 3G debate rumbles on and I am delighted that we have Oliver on this particular subject because he has moved the argument on through his skills, patience and perseverance. Every time I listen to anyone who opposes the case for 3G I can only conclude that they do not understand fully the argument. We must win the argument and my thanks go out to all of our supporters who take pride in the fact that their football club are about to change the face of non-league and lower league football. It has been the support of the Maidstone fans that have given Oliver, Bill and myself the strength to fight on. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The only sad note is that it appears the Michel Platini of the directors’ team has not been able to agree terms with Bill Williams and may not be in the team to face the supporters on 20 June. Representatives from both parties have been unable to reach a compromise. Sources close to the Ash camp have said that the tactics used by Williams did not suit Ash’s unique skills. Sources close to the Williams camp were unaware of Ash’s skills.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you for making Maidstone United Football club the envy of every non-league club in the country.</span>Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comMaidstone, Kent, UK51.270363 0.522698999999988751.190874500000007 0.36133749999998871 51.3498515 0.68406049999998864tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7086070399968011677.post-78287152409208722862014-04-03T19:59:00.000+01:002014-04-03T20:11:20.507+01:00A decent few days<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAGYTXjKWkjmcRaVs2Vu0a6EGOq9U5fpaEodQ5d9W2S2bpmvNqbcwwIfYHECaDWaGlnjPVHz8BIT106oO6lS6exyVk-tC6pTgMenkFUN8crMMYBilYaKRBFlomANBqTsJaUK84MyY9yw/s1600/Oliver-Ash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAGYTXjKWkjmcRaVs2Vu0a6EGOq9U5fpaEodQ5d9W2S2bpmvNqbcwwIfYHECaDWaGlnjPVHz8BIT106oO6lS6exyVk-tC6pTgMenkFUN8crMMYBilYaKRBFlomANBqTsJaUK84MyY9yw/s1600/Oliver-Ash.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Oliver Ash</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been a decent few days for your club. </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let's look at the positives and forget the negatives: we've welcomed back one or two key players from injury; we've stopped the run of away defeats; we're still unbeaten at home this season; we've got Jay signed up as our manager for next season; we're making good progress on our stadium extension project; next year's academy recruitment is going well; we're in the league cup final AND we’ve just won our play-off appeal to The FA. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Following the appeal hearing Ian and I were treated to a private tour of Wembley changing rooms and pitch. We could admire at first hand the hugely impressive infrastructure and pitch maintenance equipment. It certainly is an expensive business keeping a pitch like that in good condition year out. Although it is a hybrid 'Desso' type pitch, the grass needs constant feeding with light and CO² in order to grow fast between matches and events. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The FA appeal result was good news for the club of course because it keeps our season alive until the very end. It's also excellent news for the whole 3G4US campaign. Every development on 3G is greeted through email or on social media by a flood of replies and comments from all our fellow clubs in 3G4US. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There really is a great group of clubs involved in this campaign. There is good solidarity with all we are campaigning for and it's heartening to remind ourselves of that widespread support.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The appeal decision and the mood of the hearing itself was another clear indication that The FA mean 3G business from now on. There is a clear message for change. Now it is up to us on the field to defy the odds and to get into a promotion position.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If all that should happen (and I must stress that it is rather hypothetical given where we are in the table - the realistic odds today on us winning the play-offs must be about 7-1) and if we were refused entry to The Conference in May despite having qualified through the play-offs then we would be entitled to appeal to The FA. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whatever happens there is now a positive feeling around the club that even if it is not for this season one way or another, then at worst by next season all this will have resolved itself in favour of 3G being allowed in Conference and that is excellent news for clubs all around the country.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the subject of the stadium Bill, Terry and I met earlier this week to discuss the designs and funding for the Henry Reeves End extension. We are working on a design, which would give us another 600 seats and another 400 standing capacity, thus increasing the overall ground capacity to about 3300. It would provide much needed seating with excellent views of the pitch, extra covered stepped terracing in front of the stand and maintained pitchside railing standing capacity, albeit uncovered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once we have gone through the last revisions with the architects by the end of the month we will arrange to display the plans so that you can comment on them and give us some more useful ideas. This is sincere because the extra terracing design comes from comments made during the February supporters' meeting, so we do listen! However no design is perfect and this will be no exception. We have to do the best we can given the league requirements, health and safety, planning issues, available land and costs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are looking to fund this extension with the assistance of local agencies, The Football Foundation, and a debenture scheme, which would allow around 100 seats to be purchased in advance for several years at a reduced price. We may also need some capital contribution from club or shareholder funds and our major partners, all of which will be under discussion over the next weeks. The extended stadium should be capable of providing the club with an infrastructure enabling it to operate profitably and sustainably for the foreseeable future and provide comfortable high quality facilities to supporters, customers and the local community. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But never mind all the play-off battles, 3G arguments, stadium extensions, etc. All that really counts for the next two months is getting half-fit (no, let's be realistic, a quarter-fit) for the Directors v Supporters football match and BBQ party on 20th June. Hope to see you there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIL1DGUaOmAPiYSFU5h8gpkrjakVgPi1o0wz88ql9VvKIp6fVInVlUxi1qaFwIDhYLwMSvz2sEmBPGBnnDurZxRkdgLpyd9FORQE8dmMQkUx42sai7WBBNoCUhjklmFJ-i9q3l96YsW4/s1600/suppdirect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIL1DGUaOmAPiYSFU5h8gpkrjakVgPi1o0wz88ql9VvKIp6fVInVlUxi1qaFwIDhYLwMSvz2sEmBPGBnnDurZxRkdgLpyd9FORQE8dmMQkUx42sai7WBBNoCUhjklmFJ-i9q3l96YsW4/s1600/suppdirect.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">My appearance in last summer's supporters vs. directors match</span></td></tr>
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Maidstone Unitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985246988897973611noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177