|
Post by Trojandog (Terry M) on Aug 24, 2023 17:44:24 GMT
Whatever the rulebook says, it would be a travesty for the owners not to be given a vote on this. I understand what you are saying, but it may be a case of be careful what you wish for. Board members are mostly local and can be lobbied - their email addresses are on the club website. With 2400 owners in 40+ countries, the majority are probably not local. Only the club holds that database and can communicate with owners. I doubt if owners who use this forum hit three figures.
|
|
|
Post by Trojandog (Terry M) on Aug 24, 2023 17:52:23 GMT
Yes, the proposed investment is into the women's squad, but that investment will bring huge improvements across the whole club. Better staffing, increased expertise, affiliations with other clubs, improvements to infrastructure such as training facilities will benefit the entire club; mens squad, pathway, U18s, junior squads etc... This sort of thing gets said in American sports all the time, and it's never true. Why would a foreign investment consortium spend money on improving our infrastructure a single penny beyond what maximizes their investment? What do they care about our junior squads? What's in it for them? I invest in Lewes FC because it's important to me that a club exist somewhere in the world that has these values. That's my payoff. Mercury 13 is going to want to see dividends. They are investing tens of millions of pounds in women's football across the world because they see an emerging market and they want to extract something from it. It's an exciting investment opportunity for them, not for us. So you are saying that they would appoint a nutritionist and ban him or her from talking to anyone outside the women's squad? Or turn the 3G into a training centre with changing rooms, showers, gym, treatment room, and ban the men's team from using it?? Throughout the higher echelons of the football world, women's teams benefit from investment into the parent club's infrastructure, yet uniquely at Lewes, the men won't benefit from similar investment?
|
|
|
Post by Trojandog (Terry M) on Aug 24, 2023 17:56:49 GMT
Yes, the proposed investment is into the women's squad, but that investment will bring huge improvements across the whole club. Better staffing, increased expertise, affiliations with other clubs, improvements to infrastructure such as training facilities will benefit the entire club; mens squad, pathway, U18s, junior squads etc... This sort of thing gets said in American sports all the time, and it's never true. Why would a foreign investment consortium spend money on improving our infrastructure a single penny beyond what maximizes their investment? What do they care about our junior squads? What's in it for them? I invest in Lewes FC because it's important to me that a club exist somewhere in the world that has these values. That's my payoff. Mercury 13 is going to want to see dividends. They are investing tens of millions of pounds in women's football across the world because they see an emerging market and they want to extract something from it. It's an exciting investment opportunity for them, not for us. "What do they care about our junior squads? What's in it for them?" Same as what's in it for professional clubs who invest millions in junior squads.
|
|
|
Post by gonefishing046 on Aug 24, 2023 18:02:33 GMT
I would not bank on getting a vote on this. Become an owner and have a say in the running of the club. Well that say happens when the board of directors are elected by the owners. I am in a similar situation elsewhere. I imagine voting the board in gives them the mandate too agree a deal which reading the email they are in favour of. It looks as thou this or similar has been going on for twelve months with owners not being kept in the loop.
|
|
|
Post by stuartnoel on Aug 24, 2023 18:04:15 GMT
Any specific questions you want to raise or put to the board can be done so via the feedback form or email account that was in the communication to the owners.
I will always try to answer questions where I can. We were aware that a story was going to break which included our name in - unfortunately we couldn’t control that which is why the communication to all owners was sent this morning.
Everyone has their own opinion on the rights and wrong of our approach since equality was launched in 2017 and this consultation which could move us from equality to equity.
A rising tide does float all boats. An investment into our Women’s operation will mean investment in facilities that are used by our Men’s, pathway and community teams. It will mean better resources for our Men’s team (pitch, changing rooms, medical facilities, technology), a more professional set up off the pitch with some of the roles currently performed by volunteers (the website for instance) being better resourced and funded.
|
|
|
Post by everyotherweek on Aug 24, 2023 18:10:56 GMT
Very interesting to read all these views, which seem largely to be hostile towards the proposal. I am too.
I support the equality setup, but this would clearly change that. Some would be more equal than others. In my experience, investment funds are not there to be altruistic. They demand a return and can be ruthless to extract it. A 51% stake gives them total control, obviously. If every owner was against something and could be encouraged to vote (ho ho), they would still lose. This means that Mercury 13 could take the Women's team anywhere else if they wanted to - Eastbourne, Crawley Milton Keynes, New York? - they need have no connection with Lewes. They could remove the club from FA jurisdiction to be part of some Arab funded super league and we couldn'tdo a thing about it.
'They share our values' is easy to say until the investors ask questions!
I think football teams play at the level they earn; if they get good,well coached players and progress, fine. If not, they are relegated, that's fine too! It's a game and most of us want to watch a team we can relate to. That's why we come to Lewes and not trek to a Premier league side.
Sell out if you wish, but you will lose lots of support and goodwill. If you don't care, take the money.
|
|
joem
Sussex County Division Two
Posts: 131
|
Post by joem on Aug 24, 2023 18:25:13 GMT
Could the email this morning have been more up front about the media running the story today, and not pretending we all needed to be hushed up about it?
|
|
|
Post by bustersmum on Aug 24, 2023 18:27:13 GMT
I agree with Every Other Week. I support Lewes FC because it is different to the way both the Premier League and other clubs in our league operate. It is very sad that a women's side like Lewes can be "bought" by an investment company. Lewes is a non league side in a small town. Has the over inflated ego of some involved in the club means it sells it soul to the highest bidder.
|
|
|
Post by nschlut on Aug 24, 2023 18:32:08 GMT
This sort of thing gets said in American sports all the time, and it's never true. Why would a foreign investment consortium spend money on improving our infrastructure a single penny beyond what maximizes their investment? What do they care about our junior squads? What's in it for them? I invest in Lewes FC because it's important to me that a club exist somewhere in the world that has these values. That's my payoff. Mercury 13 is going to want to see dividends. They are investing tens of millions of pounds in women's football across the world because they see an emerging market and they want to extract something from it. It's an exciting investment opportunity for them, not for us. "What do they care about our junior squads? What's in it for them?" Same as what's in it for professional clubs who invest millions in junior squads. If the board is discussing a binding agreement, with specific targets and deliverables, with Mercury 13 to build an academy that is capable of both 1) routinely churning out Championship-level players, and 2) will benefit local Lewes youth players as a whole, then that should be mentioned. That would be a drastic and expensive reimagining of how I understand our junior squads to function. I am skeptical that Mercury 13 will follow through on many of the things that this morning's letter says they will do, beyond what is contractually required or in their best financial interest. My source for that skepticism is that I have followed sports before. I am certainly not willing to assume that they will do additional good things for the Lewes community not mentioned in the letter. I imagine this is how most club takeovers happen. Think about all the tangential benefits! A lot of promises are made, and even more are implied. How often are they fulfilled? On the most basic level, the question for our club is this: Someone wants to buy our spot in the Women's Championship. Should we sell it? They must think our spot is profitable. Why don't we?
|
|
|
Post by ringmerrook16 on Aug 24, 2023 18:46:21 GMT
Don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other, pros and cons on both sides but the equality fc part - anyone who thought that was a long term arrangement was deluded. It’s a nice gesture and a great feel good story, but it can’t be sustainable if either squad is to develop and push on. If the women’s side were in the top flight (whatever that looks like in the future) and the men’s side went down for example, level playing budgets wouldn’t make footballing sense, likewise if it was vice versa - that’s football and it’s the nature of the beast. I for one have no issue with that, if the women’s side push on and end up as a good, top flight club and need more budget than say the men’s non league side, so be it, good luck and congrats to them.
If the club as a whole is going to push on and continue to be competitive at a higher level, financial backing is what will do it - unfortunately. Majority ownership though, not a good look.
|
|
|
Post by sedlescombe on Aug 24, 2023 18:54:01 GMT
Why are the athletic reporting it as a controlling stake if it's just an investment opportunity? I can’t comment on their source or what they’ve written in the article. I can only underline what has been included in the email shared with our owners this morning in that we are in a consultation process with an external party on a potential investment proposal into part of the club. I have received no such email. Was it from the club account?
|
|
|
Post by nschlut on Aug 24, 2023 19:05:19 GMT
Everyone has their own opinion on the rights and wrong of our approach since equality was launched in 2017 and this consultation which could move us from equality to equity. The board wants Lewes FC to go from having a men's team and a women's team, to just having a men's team. That's not equity. Sure, there would be women wearing Lewes FC colors competing in the Championship, but that team would be a franchise that we're licensing our name to. There would be one fewer grassroots women's football club in the world. That's not equity. Mercury 13 is targeting us first because we're the smallest club in the Championship and they think (apparently correctly) we're the cheapest option. Heck, we're probably the smallest club playing at this high a level of women's football anywhere in the world, and Mercury 13 sees that and sees a bargain. It's great that they want to spend money on women's football, but let them invest in a club that isn't community-owned. Or if they really want a piece of Lewes FC, they can pay £50/year and get one vote like the rest of us.
|
|
|
Post by Trojandog (Terry M) on Aug 24, 2023 19:06:10 GMT
I can’t comment on their source or what they’ve written in the article. I can only underline what has been included in the email shared with our owners this morning in that we are in a consultation process with an external party on a potential investment proposal into part of the club. I have received no such email. Was it from the club account? It was from consultation@lewesfc.com to all owners. Might be in your spam.
|
|
|
Post by sedlescombe on Aug 24, 2023 19:13:48 GMT
Fan ownership has historically been very goods at saving clubs on the brink of bankruptcy bur less so at growing the club beyond their natural place within the football food chain. Money talks whether it comes from a Middle East dictatorship or a local businessman.
I think we all knew that this moment was likely to arrive. In recent years we have been as much sugar-daddy owned as any other -from people embedded in the local community and want to do something for their local community but nonetheless the club owed its position - particularly on the women’s side from investment from wealthy individuals.
It will be interesting to see where this leads. I don’t yet know enough about what is envisaged as I haven’t had an email but it will be interesting to see how much this much vaunted fan ownership actually means to people.
|
|
|
Post by sedlescombe on Aug 24, 2023 19:22:13 GMT
I have received no such email. Was it from the club account? It was from consultation@lewesfc.com to all owners. Might be in your spam. Thanks for responding but I have checked and hevent had an email from that address and I did just check the ownership renewed in March
|
|