Alex Petheram
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Normally we'd put season tickets on sale around the 01 May ... I'd still like to do that, but currently we've no idea on this season, let alone next ...
I'm open to ideas if anyone thinks putting them on sale now is completely mad, but we need to start preparing for next season and clearly every penny helps ... Pricing wise I was planning on keeping everything the same as this season.
And before i'm asked... I currently can't give a date on when MP will be finished ... unless of course you can tell me when COVID-19 will be over, with the world back to normal that is ... But we're still moving forward.
Thanks as always.
AP
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Good thread Alex. I see no reason not to get selling. It can't hurt can it?
Many people (myself included) may want to see where we're going to be playing before committing to buying one, which is fine. But others may well stump up straight away, which I'm sure will help the cash flow situation.
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What would happen if season tickets are sold at full price but because of restrictions we can't attend stadiums or the season is reduced in number of games?
Alex Petheram
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Hi Joe,
We had to come up with a plan B for next season as we had to undertake the first round (for a better phase) of ground grading by the end of March. And clearly MP wasn't going to be ready by then. We couldn't stay at Evesham as a plan B, as they don't have enough seats, they have 300 which is below next season minimum. So.... Bath have been great to us, really good! We'd be stuck without them helping! So we got our grading passed at Bath, thank you Bath and NL for helping us get this sorted.
MP would have been ready in June, Exeter and Bristol Rovers would have been two of the home friendlies being lined up, the pitch was meant to be getting laid from next Monday. But it's not and it's slipped back. We are struggling to get the 7,000 tons of drainage stone, hotel rooms for the workers and the carpet (field green 3G). Money wise this is the last massive bill ... So i need to be clever, careful whatever word you want to use, as spending this money without a fixed season start date is a cash risk to me personally.
That said with the pitch going backwards we have changed tac on the programme, bring forward other works for example the pitch barrier. That was going in after the carpet, now it's happening before. The floodlight foundations again happening now... So we are doing what we can.
If the taps got turned back on today... if I put enough staff there, keeping in mind I've also 12 other sites in the same boat with demanding clients etc all wanting me to put loads of labour on their jobs the second I can, we'd have MP complete within 10 weeks from now, so July. But the taps aren't turned on and I fear when they are there could be a supply bottle neck with labour and materials.
We've just got silly issues currently, like the power for the floodlights, WPD are currently only doing critical works, so we've no date for the floodlight power install, worst case we'll open on a generator for the flood lights, as I'm hoping we won't need them in August anyway!
My plan is to get the steel for the stands all complete in a couple of weeks, with the containers started to be lifted into place after that. Other then the pitch that's all the big ticket works then compete. We can plod though the fit out as and when, even if that goes into the playing season. As that's not grading critical, but it will be key for extra income clearly.
Sorry for the long winded response sir. I know the above is just words with no real substance, but it's as honest as I can be. If the season starts in August we currently should be ok... but every day currently we get a new problem. If you recall a while ago I spoke about seats being the issue, every day we get a new problem to overcome, but we are moving forward, just not how I'd like.
I guess I'm asking people to gamble Joe, we should be fine still, worst case Bath for August based on what I know now. But I cannot promise anyone anything. I'm personally and my business is taking a kick in mate left right and centre over COVID-19 delays. I've a manager wanting to set budgets for next season too, as players are out of contract next week... I'm gambling on that as I really want to be competitive next season.
One thing I promise you now is, 100% of the season ticket sales income will go on players.
Let's start looking up the table.
AP
Hi Lee,
That's a great question and without sucking up to the teacher, fair play yesterday locking down threads and thank you for the help on the seat designs.
It would be first come first served. Let's be really blunt. I doubt we'll get crowds of over a 1,000 every game... we can socially distance 1,000 people within the ground at 2m. Last season we sold around 250 season tickets (thank you all) with a home avg attendance of 411. If we can sell 400 season tickets i'd be blown away. But anything over 250 would be magic. We haven't got a business plan that's not achievable, we've based it on fact from this season.
We can't afford, hang on, non league football can't afford to play behind closed doors. The season would simply not happen until fans are allowed in.
AP
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“100 % of season ticket sales will go on players” says AP... which leads me into the article from Sunday’s NLP from Havant & Waterlooville boss Paul Doswell who says amongst other things that the days of silly wages being paid at our level have gone which leads nicely into - if u have been prudent - early ticket sales etc going well we could get ourselves a very good team. In AP we trust.
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I would be amazed if people are allowed into sporting events for the rest of the year. It wouldn't be the biggest surprise if we don't even have a 2020/21 season. As I said elsewhere the league set-up could look very different when we do get going again with teams going out of business and a possible shake up of the pyramid.
(This post was last modified: 22-04-2020, 12:07 PM by
Darran.)
Alex Petheram
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What I must say, is all clubs currently are very much sticking together and working together. All the Chairman in our league have been great to us and i'm very happy to be in the North right now, as I didn't experience the same love in the South. Other then with Bath and Billericay , whom I'm friendly with. Spennymoor have really helped me and Gateshead have been good also, I was moaning last week and Hereford backed me up... what I'm saying is clubs now are all united, until the season starts again i'm sure ha ha...
I personally cannot afford to build a ground and pay the wages next season on top, I just can't, I've done quite a bit already. I'm committed and I want to do well. I'm sure i'll end up supporting more then I want to now, but the only way to get a team that is looking up the table is to spend money. Wages at our level are silly i feel too, but some / lots of player at our level are "full time" or have football as there main income with a fill in adhoc job secondly. With football scheduling like it is getting players with, what I would call 'normal' jobs, to train three times a week and a Saturday is hard, plus adding into the mix there own family time.
I promise you all this, back the season tickets, back the club and we'll back you with players. We'll win and lose together, for me football needs to be fun again, currently i'm not having much fun, next season needs to be different. As i'm as low right now as I can be with it all.
But, like you've heard me say before, we're never out the flight.
AP
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My guess is we will see more clubs go part time in the league above as they won't be to afford to be part-time. It will be interesting to see when clubs start signing players given we have no idea when the new season will start. Why would you sign someone on a contract starting in July only for the season either starting late or not happen at all? Players at all levels are going to have to get used to lower wages.
Alex Petheram
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I agree. That's why it's important clubs stick together, because as soon as one club start signing players and committing to contract, others will have to follow or get left behind...
Again as you've heard me say time and time again, we need leadership from the league.
AP
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With no certainty about the resumption date (and therefore which home ground we'll be using), nor whether spectators will be allowed, nor in fact how many home league games will be scheduled (21 or 23?) you'd have to be a bit mad to be buying season tickets at present. On the other hand every one of us wants Alex and Eamonn to get us over the line and cash flow waits for no man. Where there's life there's hope so, mad or not, I'd be up for getting one now.
(This post was last modified: 22-04-2020, 01:48 PM by
Citygull.)