Aspirations are too big!

[Guest]

Are the senior management at Bill Town going nuts? Are they forgetting that at the end of the day, Bill Town is a small non-league club that can barely get a gate of 400 at a home game. Does that not mean a new 2000 what have you stadium is a bit excessive, to fill the stadium would mean travelling to Basildon whilst increasing your body strucutre by 500%! At the end of the day the fans haven't asked for a new stadium, they just want to see some half decent football. So why not just improve the playing surface and do some maintenance on the new lodge or build a new stadium on the current site? why not turn the pitch 90 degrees, isnt that more than enough space? The idea of selling our top scorer and our most aggresive midfielder confuses me. Are the management in this job to improve the team and status of the club or to make the Club into a minature monopoly? whatever way my support for the club is slowly dissappearing, with many other people I am sure. Although i am not brilliant at Economics being 16, it is still quite obvious that selling 400 tickets out of 2000 might cause a bit of debt, causing players to be sold, then blimey! we r back where we r started, lets jus improve the lodge.

 

Sorry for the babbling, I am just getting a little frustrated with the running and mentality of a small non-league club.

 

That'll b all <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/let_it_all_out.gif" alt="" />

[CANV EFM]

i agree with you 'big dan' .. you may be a teenager but you talk some sense.. lets hope your townsfolk dont let your 'vase' winning famous team slip away!

[Simon BTFC]

Surely the most important aspiration for any small non-league club would be to make sure that 10+ years down the line they i)Still exist and ii)Are playing at as high a level as possible? Like it or not to guarantee the club has a future (aspiration i) ) we need to do one of the following:

1) Find a rich backer to pump personal money into the club (Obvious examples C*nv*y and Grays). Of course when the RB leaves we're back to square 1!

2) Become self sufficient ie Get income through the likes of hall hire for social events etc.

 

The second problem is of course new lodge itself. If we remain at New lodge, no matter what we do to improve it we are faced with the near certainty that, barring a complete change of direction from those who set the ground grading requirements, the only way is down.

 

A few hypotheticals for you:

 

1) We hang on to all the talented players we've had over the past couple of seasons: Roy, Joe, DJ, Martin etc Wage bill goes up by ~4-5k a week. Crowds go up to 800ave (would cover less than half the increase in wage bill) and we win the title. But can't go up because New Lodge can't get the ground grading (the access is inadequate). Next season crowds tail off back to 500 or so hard core followers because nobody wants to watch a club that can't go anywhere. We finish the season 500k in debt. The taxman comes knocking......

 

2) We "cut our cloth to fit" to quote the chairman. The playing budget is set at a level commensurate with our income. This puts us in the bottom 5 payers in the prem div. No chance of signing the likes of Essandoh and Mark Graham now. Our league position suffers as a consequence and so do the crowds. Before very long we're in div 1 being watched by 250, still struggling to get by because the only thing guaranteed to go down when you're relegated is your income.

 

3) We do a little bit of work on New Lodge to make us self sufficient. No point over-spending on the team as we can't go up. Finish 10th a record 6 seasons in a row. After a bad start to the 2008/9 season are relegated. "No Worries" think the fans "straight back up we go". No we don't. Once again ground grading requirements hold us back.

 

Ultimately there are no easy answers. This one will run and run <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/argue.gif" alt="" />

[jl]

no 3 sounds like the scenario under calder at the moment simon.

 

i would be happy for top 6 (ie our highest ever placing) , first round proper of the fa cup and whatever elsewhere. i certainly dont think thats too tricky but it seems beyond the scope of the present management.

 

whilst i feel we have done a decent deal for roy we cant keep selling our best players..sposing someone offers 8 grand for mark graham and 7 grand for jj what then.....people will get pissed off and not turn up...we are already 100 down on last season s average (admittedly with aldershot n canvey still to come at home) but at this rate no one will turn up and that surely defeats the object.

 

i believe the root of the problem is that the management cant get the best out of the players be they good bad or indifferent

 

 

big cheer for joe this afternoon

 

cmon the blues

[pc27]

jl - spot on mate, 100% agree with your comments.

 

[Guest]

Billericay Dan (or should i say wind-up dan), have you overdosed on the Radiohead over xmas?

[pabird]

About 3./.4 seasons ago when JK was leaving I thought there had been an offer by the clubs biggest sponsor to make more money available but only accompanied by a change at board level

IE a money man in a decision making position

[Simon BTFC]

Not quite pabird, the then sponsor Tony Thake made a bid to take over the club - (I'm probably not the best person to ask about this one as at the time I was imersed in cramming for degree finals!)

 

For me the issue is not so much short term ie what GC does or doesn't do - it's long term - where will the club be in 10+ years time (and I don't mean will it be in Billericay or Basildon <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ).

 

 

[pabird]

Understood Simon but the point I was making is that no matter how dilligent the board, Teams at this level make progress with one or better still two money people in the decision making positions

If the gate monies fail to allow for progression then trust me neither the football authorities nor the council or any other benefactor will assist other than allowing a sad status quo, The cost for non involved (day to day) parties is out of the question

One issue for certain is that involved people at board or whatever level must not be a negative cost factor

Hard decision no 1 If the gate fails to produce "progression monies" then is a move on to a site that would increase the gate by a sufficiant percentage

Hard decision no 2 If the club does not have money people in decision making positions and an appropriate move is not on should they go looking for such individual (s)

There are people with the funds who love the idea of being called President or Chairman or executive Director

Otherwise reality is yo yo status

 

 

[Guest]

RU Getting The message yet

[Andy Walsh]

Ultimately it doesn't matter about the new stadium as the money needs to be spent on a team that 2000 people want to watch.

It's a no win situation as building a new stadium will lead to it not being filled up or you buy a team for promotion and the grounds not good enough to get promotion.

But, surely the extra revenue will eventually lead to more money for players for a better team and eventually in a few years the stadium would be filled.

 

www.billericaytownfc.20m.com

[pabird]

Thats one hell of a leap of faith that simply building a new stadium will increase the crowd to 2,000

Are there market research figures to support such faith

[Guest]

Depends on whose market research you wish to believe.

 

Probem is this is not about BTFC it is about a new hotel and conference facilities on the back of a stadium which once built can be used for other things

[pabird]

Who runs these other facilities and is it the club who gain 100% of any profit from them

Is it the club who stand any loss

Or is it simply that the club gain a higher profile in the thoughts of the Basildon population

[Andy Walsh]

I didn't say building the stadium will increase the crowd to 2000(try reading what's been written properly). I said the team needs to improve and get better players if anywhere near that number are going to watch them.

[pabird]

I did read you correctly but maybe failed in my communication and if so I apologise.

Have a look at teams in and around your area of Essex

At Ryman premier level even FA trophy winners playing (generally accepted) attractive football, in contention for promotion to the conference do not pull 2,000 gates week in week out

If you gained conference(1) level then again you would need to be in contention year in year out to gain gates that average 2,000

The idea that a new stadium,conference centers, hotel sports facilities etc will have a layed down gate increase of such proportions is a non starter

To spend the money on players alone has merit in bringing home the silverware but there must even then be serious doubts in gaining average 2,000 gates

Non-league football clubs need cash in the bank and regular safe supplies of cash from backers and the backers will need to be on the board

In Essex there just isnt the drawing power for crowds, ask Colchester & Southend

Any initiative is welcomed by all football supporters but Sorry its a big ask in the Basildon area

[GazzaBTFC]

Looks like we will be split on this for sometime....myself included

 

One the one hand.....

Whatever happened to going down your local team and watching a good game of football on a saturday afternoon or a Tuesday night?

 

And I would agree...

Building the squad up for the "big push", a successful team brings in the silverware and the crowds and I thought the idea was that when the plans for the new stadium are "rubber stamped", Sadia will put a little more cash into the club for that purpose (I may be wrong here, so no comments).

 

As for the new stadium....

I really don't want to go to Basildon. Not 'cos I dislike the town 'cos I don't (there are some 'Ricay supporters who live there and like living there) but I have supported the club since 1974 and it is "home". I don't profess to understand all the politics that are involved in this move (should it come off) but would say that I have become very cynical as to what to believe and what not to believe. One of my worries is that if the move comes off, after a couple of seasons, the name and the spirit of the club will change to reflect the new location despite the undertakings and reassurances that it won't. And to be quite frank, the spirit of the club is changing now (and we haven't moved).

 

But....

It has always been a dream of mine to support Billericay Town in the football league and I don't think that is beyond any teams aspirations. Everyone must have a dream and in order to obtain that there has to be a sacrifice. In order to develop this I suppose there has to be change, wether it be at New Lodge or at Basildon. There are those of us who wish to bounce around the Ryman pyramid (in fact some one I have spoke to would prefer that we were still in the Essex Senior League!!!) but I'm sorry, I don't and I think the majority of our supporters don't either. Most of us would like to see Billericay Town go as far as the top fight (not in my lifetime or my offsrings - lol) but what is wrong with that? Nothing that I can see. Dreams, spiced with reality, but dreams all the same. And they are worth persuing and I suppose the staduim is just one step in that....

 

So...

Me personaly, I'm torn (like the club and the supporters) and am totally mashed with the arguements that are surrounding this issue but I would like to support Billericay Town as a successful club.

 

And so to end....

All I can say is, is there anyone, anyone we can trust to tell us the truth 'cos I am getting sick, tired and worried of the gossip surrounding this!!! We all have an opinion and yes, this will run and run but I think someone somewhere should come out from under their bushell (thanks JL for that) and give it to the supporters straight.

[pabird]

Top class Gazza open handed true non-league supporter just asking to be trusted with some truth

Gazza I am being sincere when I say you have more chance of getting sh-one-T from a rocking horse

Small business men, small time politicians no chance

I remember following the saga of Brentwood who went from club of the future to nowhere (groundless nowhere)in quick time

 

I really hope that Billericay play out your dream but I fear you need (on the board) private money

 

 

 

 

[Simon BTFC]

Who is going to put money in a club that can only go down (league-wise)? Unless there is a millionaire hidden amongst our support, nobody.

[Simon BTFC]

Or to put it another way, there's no point in day dreaming about putting the money into a "big push" to win the league. We are struggling with the current budget (reckoned to be less than 1/3 of what Aldersh*t spend). Unless either i) The stadium happens and money comes into the club through that or ii) A millionaire comes along willing to put money into the club for no reward (by reward I mean in terms of footballing success OR financial ie somebody who has money to burn for the love of the club) I strongly suspect that before very long these days of being a mid-table side in the Ryman Premier will be looked upon as the golden years.

 

Or maybe football will sort itself out: Players will stop asking for unrealisitic wages, leagues will stop making unrealistic demands on clubs to get promoted, kids will stop following ManUtd and start looking at what their local club has to offer....