News: Yoof.

[The Caretaker]

Just seen another one fly over ...... <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laughuncontrollable.gif" alt="" />

[AFF]

No V.A.T. invoice Caretaker? Really?

 

Well as the receiver of goods and services, strictly speaking you don't need a VAT invoice, although, as you will know, you can't reclaim it in those circumstances. The VAT, that is.

 

I'm somewhat surprised that the club didn't issue one, however. One wouldn't want any difficulties with H.M. Customs & Excise. And, presumably, Inland Revenue, as that would have been taxable income, I imagine.

 

Oversight, no doubt.

[Guest]

I was aware of the moves by the senior club to cast aside the affiliation with City Youth an affiliation that had been built up over three decades. Now that the information has been made public, I am able to give my views.

 

During my time with the Youth, the relationship with St Albans was, at times rocky, but we always stuck together and to be fair there was a good working relationship with the Senior Club Chairman John Gibson. To the extent that the senior club enjoyed the benefits of being linked with one of the best youth setups in the county. These benefits not only resulted in a number of players from the youth taking the field for St Albans and progressing further but also the youths involvement in helping to run the St Albans Reserve side, which had seen some notable successes before the first of Mr Gibson's changes at the start of last season.

 

However, I must now say that I feel Mr Gibson has made a bad decision for St Albans which history will show is a good decision for London Colney.

 

City Youth have been told that the reason they are no longer required to field teams in the Midweek Youth League and the FA Youth Cup was to give the St Albans PASE team a higher profile. We now know that this is not the case, it would appear that St Albans would not be fielding the PASE team in the Midweek League?

 

I am also aware that when Mr Gibson made the decision to end the affiliation with the Youth a number of senior St Albans Directors had not been informed and were to say the least not pleased that decisions had been taken with out their input.

 

From a financial stand point City Youth paid all the expenses for the Midweek Youth team, travel, training, officials etc, with the senior club providing the pitch and facilities. So money cannot be the reason? Alternatively, is it the estimated £500 per player the club gets from the PASE scheme?

 

St Albans City Youth FC will enjoy a very fruitful relationship with London Colney and to be frank City Youth will still be around long after Mr Gibson gone, but will the senior club?

[AFF]

Here's an intereting 'piece' from today's St Albans Observer [several points to ponder, methinks]:

 

Gibson; 'City Youth split for financial reasons'

 

THE decision to stop St Albans City Youth from playing midweek matches in the Allied Counties Midweek Youth League at Clarence Park is "purely financial" according to Saints chairman John Gibson.

 

In a letter published on Page 8 of this week's St Albans Observer, former City Youth chairman Mervyn Morgan accuses the club of being short-sighted in their decision to end the affiliation between the two separate clubs - St Albans City Youth will now play all home games at London Colney's Cotlandswick.

 

However, Gibson insists that the club's ongoing financial struggle means that they simply cannot afford to allow City Youth to use the Clarence Park pitch on a Wednesday night.

 

"It's not a matter of putting our case forward," said Gibson. "I think Merv is a really smashing bloke and I have all the time in the world for him and in many ways wish he was still running City Youth.

 

"But we've lost Arsenal Ladies because of the state of the pitch, the ground and floodlights are falling apart and we really just need to take care of it with kid gloves.

 

"We lost an awful lot of money last year and it is a case of trying something different."

 

The problem the club faces is that, although there is grant money available to improve the ground, if it was to be used, City would be left with nothing to spend when they finally move into a new ground on the outskirts of the City.

 

"Any money put into Clarence Park is wasted when we move and we can't afford to lose as much money as last season so we just have to be so careful," said Gibson.

 

And in a bid to boost the coffers, City are hopeful of a professional club using Clarence Park as a reserve ground on midweek evenings, which potentially could generate more cash than a first team game on a Saturday. However, talks are still at an early stage.

 

Meanwhile, Gibson is confident that City's Academy side, which is run by Steve Castle in conjunction with Oaklands College, will help bolster the first team.

 

"The scheme is in its third year and we feel it is worth giving it a good go. Colin Lippiatt has built up a reasonable relationship with Steve and two or three of them could make that transition next season."

 

The Academy side will play in a Nationwide league with other similar academies in the area on a Wednesday afternoon at Oaklands, while playing FA Youth Cup games at Clarence Park.

.

[Zagreus]

I don't understand, at one point Gibbo says:

 

"But we've lost Arsenal Ladies because of the state of the pitch"

 

and then the article says:

 

", City are hopeful of a professional club using Clarence Park as a reserve ground on midweek evenings"

 

So how will the pitch be any better if a "professional reserve" squad is playing on it rather than the St Albans Youth team? What did the Youth squad used to do on the pitch, make soil castles and plants cannabis seeds?

[AFF]

Hmmnn. The article says that talks [with a professional club regarding the availability of t'Park fortheir reserve side midweek] are at an early stage.

 

I hope that the Reserve team manager at that club doesn't see this article. He/she is unlikely to be impressed to hear that "the ground and floodlights are falling apart".

 

I've read the piece a couple of times. According to 'theex' and other comments on here, the Midweek Youth side cover all their own expenses, which I don't doubt. So. They cost the club nothing. The reference to 'financial reasons' can only mean that, while the midweek youth side cost nothing, they make nothing either, in financial terms, of course. As the Reserve side of a professsional club playing midweek would make money, the club are keeping the slot free, I deduce.

 

As an aside, is this the first formal announcement of a relocation from Clarence Park?

 

Its good to know that Lord Lippiatt has built up a reasonable relationship with Steve Castle.

 

Someone should have a serious look at the Media and Telecommunications Department at the club.

[The Caretaker]

Quote:

"It's not a matter of putting our case forward," said Gibson. "I think Merv is a really smashing bloke and I have all the time in the world for him and in many ways wish he was still running City Youth.

 

Thanks John. I wont bother coming down next year then.

 

Quote:

"But we've lost Arsenal Ladies because of the state of the pitch

 

Who went to ????

 

Borehamwood........and guess what....... they run a reserve side and a midweek youth team who all use the same pitch.

 

Then on to Stevenage ....... you know whats coming <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

Johns comments are somewhat unfair on Clive, who has done some excellent work not only for the Youth but also the Senior club over the past few years.

 

Also if you cast your mind back one of the reasons the Arsenal Ladies left was not just the pitch but also when they played matches at Clarence Park they were on their own,no one from the senior club used to turn up and make sure things were OK.

 

It was the same with the Reserve side, the paid employees at the club who had the responsibility to manage the ground, to be frank, only had one interest and that was the first team.

 

When it gets to the stage that the Midweek Youth and the Reserves start becoming more popular than the senior team, which was the case in many quarters, the Club decided to pull the plug.

 

Which brings me onto the costs of running the Midweek Youth Team. All team expenses were covered by City Youth. The only expense down to the senior club was for the floodlights, which cost around £35 per match (info from other clubs)so the financial grounds John Gibson has quoted amount to £535 per season.

 

Very sad.

[Rob_the_Saint]

£535 loss versus potential £10,000 (est.) profit.... hmm, know which I'd choose, even though it may be short-sighted in the long term.

 

Also don't think his comments about 'Merv' were in any way having a pop at Clive, you know how the papers twist things around.

[AFF]

You've made a couple of points there, Rob.

 

Dealing with just the first, where do you get the figure of £10,000? Is that an estimate of the benefit of having a profeessional club playing Reserves fixtures at t'Park? Did we 'make' that when Spurs Reserves and Arsenal Ladies were at the Fortress?

[The Caretaker]

Quote:

£535 loss versus potential £10,000 (est.) profit.... hmm, know which I'd choose, even though it may be short-sighted in the long term.

 

What price Martin, Mackail Smith, Deacon, Seeby ..... shall I carry on <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />

[AFF]

I'll wait Rob. Just a couple of other points in the meanwhile.

 

If there is a significant amount of money to be made by hosting the reserve side of a professional club, it shouldn't be viewed as all profit. Additional expenditure will be required to maintain the pitch to a high standard. In addition, I suggest that some form of 'welcome' to our guests would be appropriate in the form of senior representation at their matches, proper reference to them in our matchday programme, marketing, etc. and perhaps a corner of the clubhouse devoted to those visitors.

 

Gibbo is quoted to the effect that we lost Arsenal Ladies due to the state of the pitch. Theex suggests that there was more to it. I don't know about that, but we certainly didn't make the most of it when they were here, in my view.

 

Caretaker makes the point that Woood and Stevenage host pro-clubs and retain a Reserve and Yoof team. That's a fair point. Perhaps they spend part of Rob's £10,000 on pitch maintainance.

 

I still don't get why we can't host a pro-club's Reserves as well as field a Reserve and mid-week Youth side, and I don't see that its anything to do with the £535 cost of electricity. But then, I don't know anything about football. I just read the newspaper and I don't get it.

 

Like Rob, I imagine that Gibbo intended no offence to CT when he spoke of Mervyn Morgan. However, he was expressly quoted so its unfair to blame the paper. The rest is pretty poor in terms of P.R. in any event. It may assist if carefully thought-out Press Releases are issued rather than off-the-cuff interviews which, I suspect, is the basis of that article.

 

The state of the ground and the intention to relocate are probably best left to another day. A more appropriate place for a first announcement might have been found, perhaps.

 

Most of it demonstrates the deeeper malaise within the Club in my view and I wonder whether anyone else feels the same way.

[Guest]

Quote:

Most of it demonstrates the deeeper malaise within the Club in my view and I wonder whether anyone else feels the same way

 

A good afternoon to you, AFF. Hope you are keeping well.

 

I was just thinking. Have you ever thought about buying the club? You could then be in a position to quash the 'deeper malaise' at a stroke, rather than putting yourself through all this continual suffering.

[Webbo MFI]

he has a point though

[Iron Webbo]

that'll be the day!

[Webbo MFI]

AFF i meant

[Rob_the_Saint]

So did Iron Webbo!

 

Spurs Reserves eh... some great games, in front of paltry crowds. A couple of useful Norwegians I seem to remember... Iversen and someone else. Doubt if we made much cash out of it though. As for the Gooner Gals... the Killigrew U11's could give them a good game... poor pitch my *rse!

[AFF]

So where did the £10,000 come from, Rob?

[Rob_the_Saint]

I knew you'd ask that AFF... 10 games @ £1,000 each to use the pitch, break even on the rest.

[Electric ~soul~]

Quote:

Rob the Saint said: A couple of useful Norwegians I seem to remember... Iversen and someone else.

Probably Nielsen, though he was Danish!

Scored the winning goal in the Worthless (copyright humourous Arsenal gag) Cup Final in 1999!!