Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2023 17:54:58 GMT
stuart the previous board may no longer be in place but there influence still carries weight contrary to what some believe..moving on im curious concerning these proposals who approached who did mercury approach us or did we approach them if we approached them the question must be why now when all previous efforts to get sponsors were largely futile it could be said what incentive was offered what was the carrot i along with others have serious misgivings concerning these proposals something along the lines of to much to soon trying to run before we can walk etc etc etc..and why do they only want 51% it could be said there hedging there bets..and whats the significance of the name athletic?...and lastly if the board deign to put it to the vote whether its to be a yes or no to these proposals and lets suppose the vote says no to these proposals will the board honour the result of such a vote or will it be steamrollered through regardless The nature of fan-ownership means there will always be changes to the board structure - every AGM some will step down, others will be elected. We’ve been open as a board about looking at other investment options. Through individual networks and conversations at events, the discussions started with individuals associated with Mercury13. I’m interested to understand, despite what’s been said and written why you don’t feel there would be integrity in the result of a vote?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2023 18:16:24 GMT
stuart if there is no vote concerning these proposals it would leave suspicions of the integrity of the board despite what has been claimed and if there is no vote then suspicions will intensify that it was and already is a done deal despite any denials . could it be the board suspect they wouldnt win such a vote and therefore have no intention of having one....yes im aware im impertinent however such matters are beyond good manners
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Post by aggers15 on Sept 2, 2023 8:08:53 GMT
The Origins of Lewes FC Women Ltd.
Winning games was always my highest priority.
Winning provided the driving force which kept me constantly building on the successes delivered by my players in the years between 2002 and 2017. Building is a slow, painstaking, and complex process and it took local businessman Ron Moore and me those15 years to create the basis for what became Lewes FC Women Ltd.
From 2002 I was the manager of Lewes Ladies FC, a team not then part of Lewes FC. Ron and I oversaw its development for many years, supporting it financially, spending thousands of pounds of our own money as well as vast numbers of hours of our own time. When the team became part of Lewes FC in the 2013-14 season, we were glad the Board of Directors left us to continue developing the club’s women’s team as we saw fit. They later agreed to drop the fees they were asking women players to pay for playing at the club – a big milestone at the time.
Our competitive objective had always been to climb as far up the pyramid as possible, but do it in a steady, sustainable and layered way, consolidating before we pushed on. As a result, we rose in ten years from South East Counties football to what was in effect Tier 3 of the women’s pyramid in England where we reached fifth place in the league after a difficult start. This foundation allowed the club to subsequently apply for upward movement to Tier 2: the FA Women’s Championship.
In 2014 I left my role as team manager and became Head of Women’s Football at Lewes FC. My successor as manager, John Donoghue and I wrote a strategic blueprint document: The Rookettes – a Blueprint for Footballing Excellence and Achievement - which we gave to the club in 2015. It set out how we wanted our players to play, as well as a coaching model which included formations and strategies around defensive and offensive play. The blueprint included objectives and metrics to help us measure how we were doing. We would set our season’s goals including points tally, league position, target games for wins and draws, along with areas such as medical provisions, strength and conditioning. We started a Girls Football Academy, and Foundation and Development Squads so there could be a continuous pathway into senior women’s football at Lewes FC, drawing on the local talent pool in the community.
Recruitment in football is a basic component of success and for us, players were not just positional commodities. You need a mixture of personalities in this process. Players who can be knitted together into a team by a manager for the common cause. Those who would give everything to each other and who thrived at being the underdog. I would often use the term ‘warriors’ to describe the type of energy we required for matches. The higher up we went the more warrior-like we became.
Our success demanded better resources and a greater budget as well as good stewardship, and I recall many battles trying to persuade the Board of the potential of the women’s game to enhance the club’s status. I think the fact that we won 8 trophies and gained 2 promotions without this recognition was instrumental in shifting opinion. As was our ability to beat bigger clubs like Brighton and Hove Albion. I am sorry there was a need for these battles and that so often I had to prove that the effort deserved respect.
Whatever the destination, the on- and off-pitch teams who worked with me to build the asset now under offer should be proud of the journey; I am.
Jacqueline Agnew, September 2023.
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wm
Sussex County Division Two
Posts: 207
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Post by wm on Sept 2, 2023 15:05:54 GMT
The Origins of Lewes FC Women Ltd. Winning games was always my highest priority. Winning provided the driving force which kept me constantly building on the successes delivered by my players in the years between 2002 and 2017. Building is a slow, painstaking, and complex process and it took local businessman Ron Moore and me those15 years to create the basis for what became Lewes FC Women Ltd. From 2002 I was the manager of Lewes Ladies FC, a team not then part of Lewes FC. Ron and I oversaw its development for many years, supporting it financially, spending thousands of pounds of our own money as well as vast numbers of hours of our own time. When the team became part of Lewes FC in the 2013-14 season, we were glad the Board of Directors left us to continue developing the club’s women’s team as we saw fit. They later agreed to drop the fees they were asking women players to pay for playing at the club – a big milestone at the time. Our competitive objective had always been to climb as far up the pyramid as possible, but do it in a steady, sustainable and layered way, consolidating before we pushed on. As a result, we rose in ten years from South East Counties football to what was in effect Tier 3 of the women’s pyramid in England where we reached fifth place in the league after a difficult start. This foundation allowed the club to subsequently apply for upward movement to Tier 2: the FA Women’s Championship. In 2014 I left my role as team manager and became Head of Women’s Football at Lewes FC. My successor as manager, John Donoghue and I wrote a strategic blueprint document: The Rookettes – a Blueprint for Footballing Excellence and Achievement - which we gave to the club in 2015. It set out how we wanted our players to play, as well as a coaching model which included formations and strategies around defensive and offensive play. The blueprint included objectives and metrics to help us measure how we were doing. We would set our season’s goals including points tally, league position, target games for wins and draws, along with areas such as medical provisions, strength and conditioning. We started a Girls Football Academy, and Foundation and Development Squads so there could be a continuous pathway into senior women’s football at Lewes FC, drawing on the local talent pool in the community. Recruitment in football is a basic component of success and for us, players were not just positional commodities. You need a mixture of personalities in this process. Players who can be knitted together into a team by a manager for the common cause. Those who would give everything to each other and who thrived at being the underdog. I would often use the term ‘warriors’ to describe the type of energy we required for matches. The higher up we went the more warrior-like we became. Our success demanded better resources and a greater budget as well as good stewardship, and I recall many battles trying to persuade the Board of the potential of the women’s game to enhance the club’s status. I think the fact that we won 8 trophies and gained 2 promotions without this recognition was instrumental in shifting opinion. As was our ability to beat bigger clubs like Brighton and Hove Albion. I am sorry there was a need for these battles and that so often I had to prove that the effort deserved respect. Whatever the destination, the on- and off-pitch teams who worked with me to build the asset now under offer should be proud of the journey; I am. Jacqueline Agnew, September 2023. So, are you in favour of flogging 'em off?
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Post by Fhorum Mhember 22 on Sept 2, 2023 15:13:57 GMT
I can see the dilemma, Mr M. Do we trust the Board to make the correct choice, or like Brexit do we leave it up to people who don't know what they're doing 🤣
I wasn't really thinking about debt - that would be a different kettle of fishy stuff. I was just thinking that, even without debt, a sudden decrease in income, if that were to happen, when we're in a situation that relies on that income, could be tricky. If I'm living the high life, and suddenly my resources dry up, then I'm going to have to lose my chef, my cleaner, and my hairdresser. I'll have to learn to cook pretty quickly, or I'll starve. My house will be a mess. And my hair doesn't bear thinking about. I'll have to bin my Fortnums gold card, and slum it in Aldidl with the rest of you riffraff. Maybe I'll be ok, or maybe I'll fall apart.
It may be tempting to speculate to keep climbing the ladder, but make a mistake and we could come sliding down a large serpent.
Of course, my middle name is Dour, and things could actually work out grand. Amazon, for example, spent years soaking up other people's money, then got to a stage when they could look after themselves fine thanks very much. Though maybe there wasn't much competition in their sphere at the time. Or maybe the others just faded away - where are they now.
Hi JA. Been a while and all that. Hope things are good with you. I've been thinking about the old days a bit, in relation to the current conundrum. Think I preferred those days. I know it wasn't right, with your players paying to play, and that needed to be addressed. But there was something raw and pure about it that appealed.
The big girls game has become more like the big boys game, and will become moreso. And fair enough, at that high level. It's a shame if it can't avoid the annoyances that we have in the men's game, but that's money and professionalism for you. I suppose it depends what kind of club we want to be - up there with the big folks, or something different. I suppose, after ten years of watching the club from the sidelines, I got more involved ten years ago due to the plan for a fan run club, and being self-sufficient. The fan-run thing never really worked out as I'd envisaged, and we never became self-sufficient - just director-sufficient - and now we want to be investmentco-sufficient.
But I accept this is a view of someone in their dotage. I love test match cricket and listening to TMS, for example, while everyone seems to want T20 and Hundred nonsense. The world moves on. Ah well, I guess next time they discover a new dinosaur, they'll name it after me, so that's something to look forward to.
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joem
Sussex County Division Two
Posts: 131
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Post by joem on Sept 2, 2023 17:27:13 GMT
I have discovered a new favourite word in “Aldidl”
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Post by mightymouse on Sept 2, 2023 17:33:17 GMT
Sympathise with your staffing problems Nhorm. My advice would be to get rid of the hairdresser, it’s obviously not working out and if we’re relegated they’re going to have to go anyway.
Thakyou Ja for posting. As a fan who stands on the terraces and isn’t involved or informed behind the scenes there was lots I didn’t know and it made me think what can be achieved with vision and hard work. You must be very proud. I can imagine there are many reasons you wouldn’t post a preference for the proposal but I would be interested to hear whether our joining the increased professialim in the game is a good position for Lewes to take and what our responsibility to our players is. For example, we had a post on here regarding womens contracts and arguing that our players would have some security from longer terms. This is something we could achieve with more secure funding and it might mean we can build up some consistency in the squad rather than losing our best players in the summer. Are we holding our players back by not accepting funding or should we be concentrating on nurturing players from grassroots?
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Post by sedlescombe on Sept 3, 2023 6:28:28 GMT
stuart the previous board may no longer be in place but there influence still carries weight contrary to what some believe..moving on im curious concerning these proposals who approached who did mercury approach us or did we approach them if we approached them the question must be why now when all previous efforts to get sponsors were largely futile it could be said what incentive was offered what was the carrot i along with others have serious misgivings concerning these proposals something along the lines of to much to soon trying to run before we can walk etc etc etc..and why do they only want 51% it could be said there hedging there bets..and whats the significance of the name athletic?...and lastly if the board deign to put it to the vote whether its to be a yes or no to these proposals and lets suppose the vote says no to these proposals will the board honour the result of such a vote or will it be steamrollered through regardless The nature of fan-ownership means there will always be changes to the board structure - every AGM some will step down, others will be elected. We’ve been open as a board about looking at other investment options. Through individual networks and conversations at events, the discussions started with individuals associated with Mercury13. I’m interested to understand, despite what’s been said and written why you don’t feel there would be integrity in the result of a vote? It’s not necessarily that there won’t be “integrity” in the decision as such, simply that what seems a good idea to the directors and those at the top of the club might not be the same as the owners. That is not to say the board are dishonourable simply that they need to make sure they are aligned with the rest of us. I don’t think the hesitancy over having a vote helped matters and suggested the process was closer to being a done deal than perhaps the board were ready to admit. Not completely done but there must be a reason the two sides are still talking. As for consulting..well having been at workplaces where employers consult with staff over redundancies: somehow there being no redundancies is never on the table. The presen,ration alone reminded me of a Mick Mcgahey quote (not someone routinely quoted on these boards) it has felt like the board and senior management haven’t wanted to be constitutionalised out of a sale. Equality FC - if I remember correctly started with a reelection manifesto from Charlie and Ed. It will end with this sale …sorry investment (as an aside my purchase of The Guardian in WH Smith’s yesterday enabled me to invest in retail and publishing interests) The principle that one club two teams same budget will be replaced by selling the women’s team to an investment vehicle with unknown fun’s run by a football agent. There is a genuine dilemma. “Franchise Rooks” would certainly have a greater chance reaching its potential if it is unencumbered by the men’s team beyond the original sale proceeds which would give a short-term boost. There is a real dilemma here and one that was always hurtling towards us. What happens when the funders leave. Would we be satisfied at playing at a lower level but continuing as Equality FC (two teams same budgets) or do we let the money men and women in through the door to reach for the stars for at least part of the club. It’s a decision we all have to make and it hasn’t felt like the board were as committed beyond “consulting”
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Post by Fhorum Mhember 22 on Sept 3, 2023 9:28:23 GMT
My advice would be to get rid of the hairdresser, it’s obviously not working out I'd get my solicitor on to you, but unfortunately he's behind bars after some dodgy dealings with Heathfield.
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doc
Sussex County Division Three
Posts: 60
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Post by doc on Sept 6, 2023 20:54:41 GMT
stuart if there is no vote concerning these proposals it would leave suspicions of the integrity of the board despite what has been claimed and if there is no vote then suspicions will intensify that it was and already is a done deal despite any denials . could it be the board suspect they wouldnt win such a vote and therefore have no intention of having one....yes im aware im impertinent however such matters are beyond good manners It was said tonight that if a ‘huge’ majority of owners voted against the proposal the directors would have to think carefully about it. It seems to me that the concept of fan ownership and equality has already been inherently compromised.
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spur
Isthmian South
Posts: 857
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Post by spur on Sept 6, 2023 22:22:31 GMT
I was called away from the town hall, but if that's the board's attitude any suggestions that the owners have a genuine say is a farce
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wm
Sussex County Division Two
Posts: 207
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Post by wm on Sept 7, 2023 7:39:39 GMT
stuart if there is no vote concerning these proposals it would leave suspicions of the integrity of the board despite what has been claimed and if there is no vote then suspicions will intensify that it was and already is a done deal despite any denials . could it be the board suspect they wouldnt win such a vote and therefore have no intention of having one....yes im aware im impertinent however such matters are beyond good manners It was said tonight that if a ‘huge’ majority of owners voted against the proposal the directors would have to think carefully about it. It seems to me that the concept of fan ownership and equality has already been inherently compromised. If that genuinely was stated, it will be fascinating to see how any director tries to spin their way out of anyone claiming that the sale has clearly been pre-determined. Shocking to get that from a community fan-owned club, really. Makes one wonder how much influence the sugar-daddies still have, as they're probably the ones most determined to keep their original dream alive for as long as possible despite the natural forces of established league clubs jumping on the ladies football bandwagon.
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Post by bertie on Sept 7, 2023 7:44:08 GMT
I attended the whole town hall. I have been to many tricky forums like this where there are multiple questions being asked. I thought the new director, not sure of his name, but the one who was fielding the questions from the chat bar did a great job. I felt like concerns were listened to and answered directly and openly. I'm still undecided how I will vote, and keen to hear a bit more from Mercury 13 themselves, but grateful for yesterday.
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edb
Sussex County Division Three
Posts: 55
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Post by edb on Sept 7, 2023 8:01:40 GMT
It was said tonight that if a ‘huge’ majority of owners voted against the proposal the directors would have to think carefully about it. It seems to me that the concept of fan ownership and equality has already been inherently compromised. If that genuinely was stated, it will be fascinating to see how any director tries to spin their way out of anyone claiming that the sale has clearly been pre-determined. Shocking to get that from a community fan-owned club, really. Makes one wonder how much influence the sugar-daddies still have, as they're probably the ones most determined to keep their original dream alive for as long as possible despite the natural forces of established league clubs jumping on the ladies football bandwagon. I don't need to add spin : 1) The sale has not been pre-determined , the word 'huge' was used but should not have been and further clarification on voting will be provided 2) No ex-director is involved with the board or has any influence over the current Board
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Post by stuartnoel on Sept 7, 2023 8:53:51 GMT
It was said tonight that if a ‘huge’ majority of owners voted against the proposal the directors would have to think carefully about it. It seems to me that the concept of fan ownership and equality has already been inherently compromised. If that genuinely was stated, it will be fascinating to see how any director tries to spin their way out of anyone claiming that the sale has clearly been pre-determined. Shocking to get that from a community fan-owned club, really. Makes one wonder how much influence the sugar-daddies still have, as they're probably the ones most determined to keep their original dream alive for as long as possible despite the natural forces of established league clubs jumping on the ladies football bandwagon. Quite a lot to unpick here so will keep it simple: 1. No spin required. 2. No decision has been made, no agreement signed 3. Fan-owner community club that’s consulting with the fan ownership base 4. Zero influence It sounds like you didn’t make the call last night so I’m happy to make some time to chat before Saturday’s game, or my fellow director Trevor can meet before Sunday’s Women’s game versus Birmingham City. It’s important that as an owner when you get the opportunity to vote you have had all your questions answered and potential concerns addressed.
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